With a population of less than 6,000, the Village of Goshen is ranked among the best small towns to visit in the U.S. this summer by the Smithsonian Magazine.

Residents in the community couldn’t be happier for the top rating.

“We have always known that Goshen is a phenomenal place to live and to work and to be," says Goshen Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Regina Clark. "We’ve raised our kids here. We embrace it. We love it, but to actually get recognition like that for our small town is just so incredibly exciting."

Clark has lived in Goshen for 30 years and says there's a lot about the village that visitors will love.

What You Need To Know

  • Goshen is the home of the new LEGOLAND New York Resort and theme park

  • Goshen is known as the “Trotting Capital of the World"

  • Its half-mile harness racing track is the oldest active horse trotting track and the oldest continuously operated horse racing track in the country

“I love the people," says Clark. "I love the history. I love the Hudson Valley, which is one of the most magnificent places in the United States. There's so much warmth, there's so much kindness, there's so much to do."

Restaurant owner Stephen Serkes says the people are a big part of what makes Goshen great, but the businesses on Main Street are also a key component of the community.

“A lot of hard work goes into the small businesses on Main Street," Serkes says.

Goshen is also rich with history, and known as the “Trotting Capital of the World” because of its historic half-mile harness racing track. Opened in 1838, it’s the oldest active horse trotting track on the planet and the oldest continuously operated horse racing track in the country.

“I don't know where else in the United States you go to actually watch harness races at a real track, historic track, so that definitely brings people here,” says Clark.

“You're missing something if you're not coming here,” says Serkes. “You're definitely missing something.”