Atlanta named one of the nation's top 'destinations you need to see' in 2017

Runners on the Atlanta Beltline Westside Trail near Lucile Avenue SW. The Beltline and Home Place Consulting will offer three workshops for Westside homeowners in the coming weeks. BEN GRAY / BGRAY@AJC.COM

Runners on the Atlanta Beltline Westside Trail near Lucile Avenue SW. The Beltline and Home Place Consulting will offer three workshops for Westside homeowners in the coming weeks. BEN GRAY / BGRAY@AJC.COM

Atlanta just earned itself another set of bragging rights, because the largest travel guide publisher in the world (Lonely Planet) just named the city one of the top destinations folks have to see in 2017.

The metro was ranked sixth on a list of 10 "underrated or off-the-radar" destinations by Lonely Planet's travel experts that scoured the nation for their top picks.

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At No. 1 sits Asheville, North Carolina, a mere three-and-a-half hour drive from Atlanta.

Here's what the popular company has to say about the city we call home:

It should come as no surprise that Atlanta, home to the busiest airport in the world, is a city on the move. The opening of a state-of-the-art stadium in 2017 brings a Major League Soccer team to the already sports-mad capital; The BeltLine, Atlanta's answer to NYC's High Line, adds a much-needed walkability factor to the traffic-snarled metropolis; and East Atlanta and surrounding neighborhoods are in the midst of a boom, ushering in cool brew pubs and innovative restaurants. From the epic Living Walls project to the whimsical Tiny Doors installations, the local art scene provides a world-class experience. Hit shows such as Atlanta and The Walking Dead are filmed here too, earning the city a new nickname: Hollywood of the South.

The best places to see in 2017, according to Lonely Planet:

1. Asheville, North Carolina

2. Western Washington

3. Lincoln, Nebraska

4. California's Low Desert

5. Montana's Flathead Valley

6. Atlanta, Georgia

7. The Adirondacks, New York

8. Texas Hill Country's wine region

9. Denver, Colorado

10. Florida's Emerald Coast

Browse the top picks on LonelyPlanet.com.

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