USA TODAY SELECTS BAINBRIDGE ISLAND FOR 10 BEST READERS’ CHOICE TRAVEL AWARDS

Margaret Millmore | Posted on January 25, 2023 |

The island has been nominated as among the Best Western Small Towns as part of USA Today’s 2023 10 Best Readers’ Choice travel awards!

“We’re honored to have been selected as part of this year’s travel awards,” Visit Bainbridge Island Executive Director Chris Mueller said. “Bainbridge Island is an incredibly open and welcoming community where it’s easy to feel like a local. It’s small enough to make incredible connections with local shop owners and residents, yet large enough to have award-winning restaurants and craft beverage purveyors, a renowned creative district and arts community, incredible live performances, and a parks, trails, and waterways inventory to rival any large city.”

“Awards like this are incredibly helpful for small destination awareness,” Mueller said. “They help to bolster visitation, but can really have an impact by increasing awareness in the low season which helps our businesses weather the current economic uncertainty and higher operating costs post-pandemic. It also puts crucial tax dollars into the city and county while easing the burden on residents.”

Bainbridge Island was nominated alongside other incredible destinations like Carmel-By-The-Sea, California, Ketchum, Idaho, Whitefish, Montana, Sitka, Alaska, Hatch, New Mexico, and Moab, Utah by a slate of travel editors and writers.

Vote BI as the Best Western Small Town Today (& Everyday) Until Feb. 20 at:
https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-western-small-town/.

As part of this year’s travel awards, we’re excited to be in the company of our neighbor, Poulsbo, who was selected as among readers’ Top 10 Favorite Small Cultural Towns. You can also cast your vote for Poulsbo at https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-small-town-cultural-scene-2023/poulsbo-washington/.

This year’s winners will be announced by USA Today Friday, March 3.

This isn’t the first time that Bainbridge has made the list of great places to live, in 2005, the island was listed as No. 2 in Money Magazine’s “The 50 Best Places to Live in the U.S.” with Morristown, NJ ranking ahead of us at No. 1.

Visit Bainbridge Island is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) committed to promoting Bainbridge Island as a special place to visit, stay, and play. As a 501(c) 6 nonprofit organization, Visit Bainbridge Island works with the island’s arts, entertainment, restaurants, wineries and distilleries, natural outdoor attractions, and hospitality industry to enhance economic growth and sustainability through innovative tourism programs and partnerships. We encourage both day and overnight guests to come enjoy the natural beauty and vibrant spirit of our island community. Start planning today at www.visitbainbridgeisland.org or follow us on Instagram or Facebook @visitbainbridgeislandwa.