Travel Confidential: The Top 10 Luxury Cities, According To Architectural Digest

Architectural Digest released its top 10 “emerging luxury cities” in October. Its criteria — activities, properties, dining, annual income, diversity, and safety — are all geared toward residents. But what do these cities hold for visitors seeking an exceptional vacation?

Plenty, it turns out. From hotels and spas to wineries and distilleries, here are 10 cities vying to put themselves on the luxury map of America, and one reason to plan a visit.

Irvine, California

Tourists often skip straight past Irvine, long reputed as a staid bedroom community sprawling between Orange County’s beaches and theme parks, for the pristine Newport coast nearby. Locals know the Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art is Irvine’s own hidden gem. Every ultra-wealthy city needs a great art gallery, and the Langson Institute and Museum is like none other: a tribute to the art of historic California, by Californians for Californians. It’s a visually and culturally diverse experience, one that allows a rare glimpse at the California experience across its history. Past exhibitions have focused on the Spanish mission period and works of “California Impressionism” spanning three centuries.

Carlsbad, California

Nestled into this quiet, coastal bedroom community between Los Angeles and San Diego, the Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara brings a glint of luxury to Carlsbad. Designed with long-term guests in mind, rooms range in size from 425 to 1,670 square feet. Its spa features three treatment rooms, a fitness room, and a yoga/pilates studio. In addition to the property’s indoor and poolside dining options, guests can request to have their personal kitchen stocked with selected items prior to arrival. Carlsbad’s popular Legoland theme park is perfect for travelers with children, while its beaches are popular with surfers.

Chula Vista, California

Located across the border from Tijuana, Chula Vista’s dining scene is unsurprisingly the best source of Mexican food this side of, well, Mexico. Aqui es Texcoco is so authentic, one of its two sister locations is in Tijuana itself. The restaurant sits in an unassuming corner of a mini-mall near the Chula Vista marina, where you’ll find a surprising variety of meats. Barbequed lamb, grilled quail, and rabbit go beyond your typical casual Mexican fare, while the plate of grasshoppers (served with avocado, either as a main dish or as a side) are an adventurous twist. The name is a bit deceiving — the Texcoco region is closer to Mexico City, far south of Tijuana — but the culinary experience is unforgettable.

Rancho Cucamonga, California

Whoever said shopping malls are dying needs to visit Victoria Gardens, the ultimate expression of the 21st-century suburban shopping center. Built in 2004, Victoria Gardens bills itself as “an open-air regional lifestyle center,” the natural evolution of the blueprint pioneered by the Reston Town Center in Virginia. Much like Reston’s relationship to Washington D.C., Rancho Cucamonga arose out of the sparse desert neighboring Los Angeles to become a desirable bedroom community. Not only is Victoria Gardens a self-contained, walkable community with every brand you desire, it’s in close proximity to Ontario International Airport — perfect for a weekend visit.

Frisco, Texas

The National Videogame Museum is the realization of an ambitious mission statement: “to document first-hand as much information about the creation and evolution of the videogame industry as possible and preserve as many physical artifacts as possible for generations to come.” More than just a treasure trove of arcade consoles and interactive computer games, the museum is a place to learn about the evolution of gaming software and hardware and the people who engineered it. Gamers of a certain age will find it easy to get lost playing games too, of course, while all comers will find the space open and visually inviting — the opposite of a dank arcade or your parents’ basement.

Lewisville, Texas

Old Town Lewisville is a quaint slice of Americana where modern murals intermingle with late-19th and early-20th century buildings. A contemporary take on Texas’ past is also the guiding force behind Bendt Distilling Co., where guests are greeted by whiskey barrels stacked high inside a brick-and-mortar taproom. Texas’ whiskey tradition dates to the 1800s but wasn’t revived until recently. Bendt, founded in 2011, distills and bottles its whiskeys in-house from locally sourced grains. Visit the taproom to sample a full cocktail menu that rotates seasonally and be sure to try the decadent whiskey cakes. It’s a hidden gem nestled inside a bedroom community a half-hour’s drive north of Dallas.

Cary, North Carolina

Ten miles west of Raleigh sits The Umstead Hotel and Spa, the only Forbes Five-Star Hotel in North Carolina. The property occupies 12 acres on the edge of suburbia and the verdant woodlands of an eponymous state park. Its ultra-modern aesthetic appeals to urban out-of-towners, while its idyllic location whisks all comers away from the trappings of a big city. Between a signature 5-star restaurant (Herons) and a luxury spa inspired by Eastern traditions, guests at The Umstead will have little reason to wander into the surrounding suburbs.

Stamford, Connecticut

Part spa, part wellness center, part community center, Haute Healing Oasis fuels the human engines behind Stamford’s numerous corporate powerhouses. (Four Fortune 500 companies, and nine Fortune 1000 companies, are headquartered in this city of 135,400.) Each of its six private spa rooms features an infrared sauna. Ask about their patent-pending NORS (Negative ions, Oxygen, Red light, Salt) therapy, which combines several advanced wellness techniques. Even a simple 60-minute massage will make any booking worth your while.

Temecula, California

No visit to the Temecula Valley is complete without wine tasting, and the Baily Winery and Vineyard is the perfect place to start. Its grapes are harvested from one of the valley’s oldest vineyards, planted in 1968 (it’s a new-money town). The focus is on reds, though you’ll be able to sample their limited selection of whites and rosés in the tasting room. Named the region’s best winery by Food & Wine Magazine, Baily also features a restaurant on-site, making it the ideal spot to spend an afternoon in the California sun.

Murrieta, California

We’re cheating a bit here: Private Hot Air Balloon tours from A Grape Escape technically meet in Temecula, which shares a common border with Murrieta in the hills and valleys between San Diego and Riverside. You’ll see the hills, the valleys, the wineries, Temecula, Murrieta – all of it – while riding in your balloon. A private vehicle whisks you and your guest(s) to the launch spot just before sunrise. The 60- to 75-minute flight includes champagne, orange juice, sparkling cider, and enough views to fill your Instagram feed for a year. Packages are available for groups of up to 16 — the perfect adventure for friends, family, and significant others alike. Up, up and away!