USA TODAY 10Best
Church Street Marketplace named Best Public Square
Best Public Square (2022)
Around the world, cities are centered around public squares. These outdoor living rooms continue to play an important role as gathering places and event grounds in cities across the country.
Photo courtesy of Dobbs Productions and Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
No. 10: Village Green - Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor’s Village Green is almost picture perfect with its sparkling fountain, old-fashioned street lamps, gazebo and period street clock. The public gathering space offers modern conveniences as well, including free public wifi and a calendar filled with concerts and events.
Photo courtesy of iStock / jplank1807
No. 9: Fountain Square - Cincinnati, Ohio
Fountain Square sits at the heart of downtown Cincinnati, anchored by the historic Tyler Davidson Fountain, dedicated in 1871. Grab lunch at one of the outdoor tables in the square, attend a live concert during the warmer months, or go ice skating in winter.
Photo courtesy of iStock / Art Wager
No. 8: Jackson Square - New Orleans, Louisiana
No image of New Orleans is quite as iconic as that of Jackson Square. This National Historic Landmark in the French Quarter covers 2.5 acres and gets its name from the bronze statue of Andrew Jackson at its center. An estimated two million people visit the square each year.
Photo courtesy of M. Fischetti / ©VISIT PHILADELPHIA
No. 7: Rittenhouse Square - Philadelphia
William Penn, founder of Philadelphia, planned for five city squares as he designed the city in the 17th century. Today, Rittenhouse Square ranks as the most popular (in the heart of the city’s most exclusive neighborhood). This tree-filled square is surrounded by some of Phily’s top restaurants, as well as high-end shopping and luxury apartments.
Photo courtesy of TOURISM Santa Fe
No. 6: Santa Fe Plaza - Santa Fe, New Mexico
The Santa Fe Plaza is the most historic part of the city, centered on the 400-year-old Palace of the Governors. Styled after a traditional Spanish plaza, Santa Fe’s version is surrounding by galleries, restaurants, bookshops and boutiques. Local Native artisans often sell their goods along the side of the square.
Photo courtesy of Dana Rebmann
No. 5: Healdsburg Plaza - Healdsburg, California
Healdsburg Plaza in downtown centers on a pretty gazebo surrounded by trees, benches and turf. The 1-acre square plays host to a variety of special events and live music performances throughout the year.
Photo courtesy of iStock / SerrNovik
No. 4: Campus Martius - Detroit, Michigan
Campus Martius Park serves as Detroit’s gathering place, where locals and visitors alike can come to take in the skyline views, people watch around the Woodward Fountain, grab a meal from a food truck or go ice skating in winter.
Photo courtesy of City of Decatur
No. 3: Decatur Square - Decatur, Georgia
Decatur Square sits in the heart of the historic downtown. Centered on the old DeKalb County courthouse, this 15-block, leafy space isn’t so much a square as a pedestrian promenade lined with more than 85 local shops and restaurants and accented with period street lamps and painted murals.
Photo courtesy of Brian Maloney
No. 2: Centerway Square - Corning, New York
The town of Corning was revitalized in 1989 when two blocks of street were replaced with the pedestrian plaza known as Centerway Square. This brick-paved area features a 50-foot clock tower, street lamps and a covered stage for live events.
Photo courtesy of iStock / Sean Pavone
No. 1: Church Street Marketplace - Burlington, Vermont
Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace comprises the length of Church Street between Pearl and Main. It’s a designated National Register Historic District that welcomes 1.5 million visitors a year to shop, dine and mingle.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Kristen Lummis
Kristen Lummis is a freelance writer based in... Read More
Kristen Lummis is a freelance writer based in Western Colorado. The mom of two now-adult sons, Lummis broke into her writing career through snowsports, founding the website braveskimom.com in 2010 to provide family-friendly tips across a full range of winter topics. And while skiing is Lummis’ first true outdoor love, she grew up camping, hiking, biking, kayaking and traveling extensively with her family – pursuits that she continues today. She prides herself on unbiased opinions, based on activities and destinations she’s visited and experienced. Lummis is honored to be considered an “expert” for 10Best. Follow her @braveskimom on Instagram and Facebook.
Kristen Lummis
Kristen Lummis is a freelance writer based in Western Colorado. The mom of two now-adult sons, Lummis broke into her writing career through snowsports, founding the website braveskimom.com in 2010 to provide family-friendly tips across a full range of winter topics. And while skiing is Lummis’ first true outdoor love, she grew up camping, hiking, biking, kayaking and traveling extensively with her family – pursuits that she continues today. She prides herself on unbiased opinions, based on activities and destinations she’s visited and experienced. Lummis is honored to be considered an “expert” for 10Best. Follow her @braveskimom on Instagram and Facebook.
Rob Taylor
Rob Taylor is the author of The Road Trip Survival... Read More
Rob Taylor is the author of The Road Trip Survival Guide (being released May 25, 2021) and the founder of 2TravelDads, the original LGBT Family Travel blog. Focusing on ecotourism and education, 2TravelDads inspires LGBT families (and traditional families also) to go beyond their usual getaways and use travel to learn about and be part of a bigger world. 2TravelDads blazes the way for other two-dad and two-mom families to travel to previously overlooked destinations or places we as gay people would normally avoid. We share the struggles we've faced and the surprising gems and welcomes we've had along the way. Traveling as a family is one thing, traveling as an LGBT family is completely something else.
Rob Taylor
Rob Taylor is the author of The Road Trip Survival Guide (being released May 25, 2021) and the founder of 2TravelDads, the original LGBT Family Travel blog. Focusing on ecotourism and education, 2TravelDads inspires LGBT families (and traditional families also) to go beyond their usual getaways and use travel to learn about and be part of a bigger world. 2TravelDads blazes the way for other two-dad and two-mom families to travel to previously overlooked destinations or places we as gay people would normally avoid. We share the struggles we've faced and the surprising gems and welcomes we've had along the way. Traveling as a family is one thing, traveling as an LGBT family is completely something else.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production... Read More
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.