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Travel guidebook pubisher Lonely Planet recently released its annual list of the best places to go in the United States.
The list, which is determined by Lonely Planet's U.S.-based editors and expert guidebook writers, ranks the 10 best destinations in America for 2015.
Queens, New York, tops Lonely Planet's list. Citing the emergence of new microbreweries, boutique hotels and a "world-class art scene," the publisher makes a strong case for New York's largest borough.
But perhaps the biggest surprise on the top 10 list is western South Dakota, which comes in at No. 2.
But Lonely Planet sells the underrated destination by painting a classic picture of America:
"With a combination of vast natural beauty, quirky small-town charm, Native American cultural sites, and some famously larger-than-life presidential noggins carved into a mountain, it's hard to find anywhere that looks more like the America of one's imagination than Western South Dakota."
New Orleans, the Colorado River region and North Conway, New Hampshire, round out the top five for 2015.
Lonely Planet describes North Conway as "quintessential New England" and recommends visitors check out some of the region's best skiing and enjoy miles of scenic hiking trails.
Indianapolis; Greenville, South Carolina; Oakland; Duluth, Minnesota and California's Mount Shasta region comprise the rest of the top 10.
With each destination boasting plenty of attractions, both natural and man-made, travelers would be wise to start making plans now if they hope to see them all in 2015.
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