Friday, January 6, 2012

Nashville has been named the top U.S. travel destination “on the rise” for 2012 by the website tripadvisor.com

The city leads a list of 15 destinations that TripAdvisor identified as the leading travel hotspots for the year ahead, citing country music as the area’s biggest attraction.

“Country music is the lifeblood of Nashville,” TripAdvisor said in detailing its picks. “Long before the music gained fame, though, Tennessee was already putting together a long and storied history, some of which can be explored at the State Capitol building and the state museum.”

Second on the list is Austin, Texas, a city with many similarities to Nashville, including a vibrant live music scene.

Another Tennessee destination, Pigeon Forge, made the list at No. 4.

Other destinations on the list included Fort Myers, Pensacola and St. Augustine, Fla. (third, fifth and ninth places, respectively); Louisville, Ky., (sixth); Branson, Mo. (seventh); Scottsdale, Ariz. (eighth); Charleston, S.C. (10th); Albuquerque, N.M. (11th); Wildwood, N.J. (12th); Asheville, N.C. (13th); Park City, Utah (14th); and Santa Cruz, Calif. (15th).

Choices for the list were made by TripAdvisor’s editors and travelers, and represent places that “have seen a remarkable increase in traveler reviews on TripAdvisor.com” over the past year, the travel site said.