NEW YORK, NY – Gay rights, Women’s suffrage, Woodstock and baseball have put New York shoulder to shoulder with some of the most exotic locales in the world – and even space – to visit. The state has earned a spot in the top 19 places to go to in 2019, a list put together by travel publisher Frommer’s.
Alongside the Empire State: the Austral Islands of French Polynesia, an ancient Italian city built of caves, the home of the world’s largest herds of elephants and space – or at least the closest you can get to it, Florida’s Space Coast.
The list highlights places that “will supply the most enriching journeys,”Frommer’s said “Our choices rose to the top because they’re reaching major milestones, opening important new attractions, overcoming past obstacles or emerging as previously overlooked spots due for discovery.”
In New York, those attractions include the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn uprising and the birth of gay rights, a Jackie Robinson museum set to open on the baseball pioneer’s 100th birthday, the massive Hudson Yards development on NYC’s west side, the state’s place in the fight for women’s suffrage, a National Comedy Center opening in upstate Jamestown and a planned re-run of Woodstock.
Here’s the full list of the 19 destinations, courtesy of Frommer’s. They’re not in any order of preference:

• Memphis, Tennessee: The birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll is throwing itself a 200th birthday party
• Collioure, France: A less snooty, less crowded alternative to the French Riviera
• Zimbabwe: A new degree of political stability provides access to Victoria Falls and one of the largest herds of elephants left in Africa
• Parintins, Brazil: Set on an island in the middle of the Amazon River and home to a raucous three-day folk celebration
• The Austral Islands of French Polynesia: New airlift makes this idyllic island chain finally affordable
• Nagasaki, Japan: A rejuvenated city with new UNESCO World Heritage Sites of formerly secret Christian churches
• The Mealy Mountains: A pristine wilderness area the size of Jamaica is part of Canada’s newest national park
• Bulgaria: Medieval architecture, Black Sea beaches, and in 2019 Plovdiv celebrates the arts as a European Capital of Culture
• Egypt: Coming back from years of political unrest
• Uluru, Australia: Sandstone landmark sacred to Aboriginal peoples debuts authentic new tours and an official ban on climbing
• Singapore: Celebrating bicentennial and stardom in Crazy Rich Asians
• Hollywood, California: Finally getting an important movie museum
• Normandy, France: Marking the 75th anniversary of World War II’s D-Day landings
• Virginia: An important anniversary and a yearlong cultural program examining the early colony’s impact on today’s America
• Portugal’s Estrada Nacional 2: Portugal’s answer to Route 66
• Washington State’s Olympic National Park: A perennially overlooked patch of moss-grown coastal wilderness
• Matera, Italy: An ancient city built of caves that will take center stage as a European Capital of Culture
• New York State: Opening new attractions and commemorating a slew of important milestones
• Space—no, travelers can’t launch into orbit just yet, but Florida’s Space Coast will look back on 50 years since the moon landing, and twin Star Wars lands will debut at Disney parks in California and Orlando

Lead image via Shutterstock