As we wrap up the year, we’re taking time to look back at all the new hotels, attractions and restaurants that opened this year. We invited our readers to vote for the Best New Restaurants, Best New Attractions, Best New Theme Park Attractions and Best New Hotels. The results are in.
Click on each category below to see the full winners list:
Best New Attraction: SkyFly: Soar America in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
10Best panelist Robert Niles reports, “One of the Smoky Mountains’ top tourist towns gets its own flying theater attraction, from the company that built the first flying theater rides.” SkyFly: Soar America at The Island in Pigeon Forge transports guests with a feeling-of-flight state-of-the-art ride and allows them to experience the unforgettable beauty of the United States.
Complete with sounds, smells and special effects, including wind and mist, a custom film whisks travelers away on an exhilarating six-minute journey to places they might otherwise never have the opportunity to see.
Full list of winners: Best New Attraction »
Best New Hotel: Margaritaville Times Square in New York, New York
The Caribbean should be far from Midtown Manhattan, but the best of both worlds come together at the new Margaritaville Resort in Times Square. The 234 guest rooms are decorated in coastal colors, and the Landshark Bar and Grill opens to the only outdoor pool open year-round in Times Square.
The signature Margaritaville restaurant dominates the second and third floors with a 32-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty and New York’s most extensive tiki bar. Additionally, The Five o’Clock Somewhere Bar on the 32nd floor offers a great outdoor view of the Manhattan skyline. You can almost see the Caribbean from there.
Full list of winners: Best New Hotel »
Best New Restaurant: Empress by Boon in San Francisco, California
After 30 years with Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide, Chef Ho Chee Boon has reinvented the historic Empress of China banquet hall in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The result is a modern Cantonese gem with stunning penthouse views from North Beach to the Financial District.
From steamed shrimp dumplings with caviar and smoked baby pork ribs with plum sauce, to amazing pastries, craft cocktails and teas, the Empress will once again become a crown jewel of Chinatown.
Full list of winners: Best New Restaurant »
Best New Theme Park Attraction: Jurassic VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando
Universal’s Islands of Adventure invites thrill-seekers to “feel the rush of the hunt on the apex predator of roller coasters” – the Jurassic World VelociCoaster. Riders walk into gates that look like the real Jurassic Park and board this intense ride with two 70-mph launches in three minutes, a “top hat” that projects you 155 feet in the air, and a 360-degree horizontal barrel roll above the Islands of Adventure lagoon. It’s not an experience intended for the faint of heart.
Full list of winners: Best New Theme Park Attraction »
Congratulations to all these winners! Remember to visit 10Best.com daily to vote in our Readers’ Choice contests.
