45 Underrated Cities In The US Of A That Are Worth The Visit

ilikelissie said:
"Columbus, Ohio. Easy to get around in and a low-key killer food scene. Even the locals act like we're crazy when we tell them we're tourists."

notronbro replied:
"I LOVE Columbus. My dad goes there all the time and sometimes I go with him. So far my favorite places are the German village and the botanical garden."

Sir-DanielFortesque said:
"Indianapolis.

Fairly clean for a metropolitan area. Big yet small. There seems to be something here that anyone from the major urban centers would enjoy."

hastur777 replied:
"Great beer and food downtown, an excellent children’s museum as well. The bike share and cultural trail is a lot of fun too."

"Dana Point, California. Doesn't have the draw of the other small social coastal cities, but DAMN it is nice. Beautiful harbor, beaches, resorts, downtown."

Epicrage71 said: "Bethany Beach, Delaware great town kinda small, but makes up for it in character in my opinion."

 

User No 2 replied: "I got married on the beach near there! It's very pretty."

"St. Augustine, Florida. One of the oldest settlements in North America it still retains its small-town feel and has a lot of historical places to see. Plus, you all have to see Flagler College, it's absolutely beautiful. It looks like a castle."

FulsomeKitten said:
"The upper peninsula of Michigan if you're comfortable without cell service and can run from bears. It's gorgeous!"

psychedelicdevilry replied:
"Marquette! Such a beautiful laid-back place."

jaime-the-lion replied:
"I knew there would be a yooper up top in this thread. Best place in the world as far as I’m concerned. I moved downstate a few years ago and I miss real winter so much now."

"Grand Rapids, MI. Huge downtown development. A really great underground craft beer scene. My favorites are Hopp Cat and Brewery Vivant if you're ever in town. Every fall they have the world's largest art competition called Art Fest, it's a big deal that consumes downtown. The main bar strip regularly shuts down the street for big events. The local minor league hockey team is a farm team the Detroit. Really a hidden gem."

"I think that all of the towns we went to in Door County, Wisconsin, were the best places my wife and I have been to. There are no chain restaurants, and everything feels so down-to-earth and relaxing. You can cross the peninsula in like 15 minutes to go from hiking somewhere, to swimming, kayaking, and eating at awesome restaurants. We love it there!"

girlsbeforesquirrels said:
"I drove 30 hours to dirt bike in Moab and would do it again in a heartbeat. Love that town!"

btruff replied:
"Moab is exactly a 24 Amtrak ride from the SF Bay Area to Grand Junction, CO plus a short rental car back. A beautiful train ride and damn cheap! The tiny private room was $180 each way per person and includes all three meals. Stayed three nights, in four amazing parks. Best train trip in the US."

MeganKaye_ said: "Cincinnati, Ohio. Loads to do, awesome architecture, some seriously fantastic restaurants, and tons of beer."

_thane_krios_ replied: "Amazing place — huge and lively arts/music scene, tons of history and personality, and amazing food. The view of the city from across the bridge is from northern Kentucky in unbeatable, too. I lived there for seven years and can’t wait to move back."

iMostLikelyNeedHelp said:
"St. Louis, MO.

Almost all the attractions are free and the food scene is way off the chain. One of the best zoos in the country."

thezy replied:
"St. Louis is a great town to eat no doubt. It's also a great town for beer lovers. The city has a lot going for it, as long as you know how to navigate the various neighborhoods."

"Yes, we really exist. Our craft beer scene is always expanding, we're home to Bell's Brewery, which is one of the oldest craft breweries in the Midwest. We're a two-hour drive to Chicago to the west and Detroit to the east. We have Grand Rapids about an hour to the north, which is also overlooked and worth the trip. Downtown is riddled with restaurants, a lot of them embracing a farm-to-table approach. We have a really cool aviation and space museum, as well as the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. The local music and comedy scene is also a fun one to check out."

MasteringTheFlames said:
"I had the pleasure of spending a day in Asheville this past summer to start off a two-week bicycle camping trip from Asheville to DC. After putting my bike together in the airport and running into town, my first impression of Asheville was set by a bunch of guys riding shirtless in the back of a pickup truck, flying a big Confederate flag. Then I heard some music a few blocks away, so I followed the sound to see what was going on... And I biked right into the middle of a big gay pride festival. So between those two sights, I feel like I got a pretty good taste of Asheville. Unfortunately, I was on a pretty tight timeline, so I only got to spend an afternoon in the city, but I would very much like to go back down there and spend some more time checking the place out."

"I spent a summer and winter there in the mid 90’s. From what I remember Spearfish had a really nice small-town feel. Lots of outdoor activities like fly fishing during the summer. I worked a summer job in Deadwood which was cool with its old-time western feel to it. In the winter I went skiing in the black hills. Don’t remember the ski resort but it was fun!"

"Missoula, Montana. It’s a great location if you’re into outdoor recreation like hiking, fishing, hunting, etc. The proximity to great outdoor space is outstanding. You can drive from downtown to groomed cross-country ski trails in 10 minutes and come back for some great food, an awesome live music scene, and beer! Especially beer - the town is littered with craft breweries."

"If you're a history buff, especially American history, you should absolutely visit Richmond, Virginia. We've got: An infinite amount of civil war battlegrounds. The Edgar Allen Poe Museum. The oldest continuous law-making body in the Western hemisphere. 100,000 Confederate statues. A free-to-visit Victorian Garden Estate. The white house of the Confederacy. More stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting. But say you're not into history, you're an artist. Well, say no more! Richmond has the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, the 16th largest art museum in North America, and one of the top ten comprehensive art museums in the United States. It contains the largest public collection of Fabergé Eggs outside of Russia. 5 of them! There are only 57 that still exist! So whether you're into art or history, Richmond is a great place to visit."

jenncrock said:
"Ouray, CO. It’s gorgeous. They have great food and it’s so tiny that there is only one main road. It’s not terribly far from Telluride, but sooooo much more fun!"

sadison1125 replied:
"I live in the last ‘big’ small town before you reach Ouray and Telluride. And let me tell you, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The only thing that ruins it for me is the tourists. They are living nightmares in my store."

"Lake George, NY. Just south of the Adirondacks, it's a really homey resort community on arguably one of the nicest lakes in the region. It's totally a tourist hot spot in the summer, but year-round it has things to do. I like to go camping and fishing there especially. The fishing is absolutely fantastic, as, unlike many lakes in NY, it hasn't become totally screwed by towns on them.

Also, they have giant ships you can tour the lake on."

"Greenville, SC. Most people think of any part of South Carolina not on the coast as backward bible belt hicksville, and they're mostly right, but Greenville is actually really nice. A bunch of big corporations are based there and have pumped money into the city; they've got a great restaurant scene, beautiful parks, minor league hockey, and all sorts of stuff."

User No 1 said: "Madison, Wisconsin has gorgeous nature easily accessible and amazing food and beer."

 

Retro_hell replied: "Madison is great, but not too far from Madison is New Glarus Wisconsin, if you ever wanted to go to a Nordic country then this is The place you want to go."

 

Thirty_Helens_Agree replied: "And if you’re going to New Glarus, be sure to stop in Monroe and get cheese from Edelweiss Creamery. Their Swiss cheese literally beat the best Swiss cheese makers from Switzerland for some big international award."