"Santa Fe, NM great architecture all through the old town, still preserved through laws. Art streets and museums. It feels like a different country and culture. It’s not unknown but I think it’s high on the overlooked category."

WhimsicalFalling said:
"Twin Cities Minnesota. You get two for the price of one!"

WoldE544 replied:
"Parks. Everywhere. It’s awesome how close I am to a green place anywhere in the city. There’s also a ton of art galleries and museums if you’re a person that’s into that kind of stuff."

SmokiestDrip said:
"Buffalo, NY Many people just visit Niagara Falls on the way though but Buffalo has many things going for it that people may find interesting."

nicolecealeste replied:
"I’ve lived in both cities, Niagara Falls is a wreck unless you’re at the falls. Buffalo is a really nice city. The zoo is nice, and the Albright Knox Museum is good. The science museum, Larkin Square, Elmwood Village... the anchor bar for wings... or Duffs for wings is also tasty. The anchor bar pizza is delicious too."

elendkholin said:
"Flagstaff, Arizona. Super pretty and not what you think Arizona would look like."

Potienza replied:
"Dutchie here. Spent a semester at NAU. Flagstaff is amazing, it has this small-town feeling and is full of adventurers and hipsters that create this incredible welcoming vibe. People should not miss out on visiting Flagstaff when going to the Grand Canyon."

"I lived there for a summer a few years ago because I had a buddy that wouldn't shut up about his hometown. They are the nicest people I've ever met. Anytime someone found out I was new in town it was "Well hey, we're headed over to this bar/house party to a band play you want to come with?" or "There's a music festival coming up, tickets are sold out but you can go for free if you pull a shift at a beer tent with me"."

"Pittsburgh. The city is actually really beautiful in a lot of places, nestled between ridges and rivers. There are some older, uglier parts, sure, but that's true of most cities. They also have huge sports franchises, all of which have the same colors (black, gold, and white), to create this really great sense of community."

beachfaced said:
"Absolutely! Rhode Island as a whole seems to be overlooked."

"I live in Chattanooga, and it really is a great city. I'm glad it's getting more attention. It's beautiful here. Lots to do and see. Cheap cost of living. Municipal gigabit internet. Great weather. Lots of good restaurants, breweries, and distilleries. And if you're into outdoors stuff Chattanooga is one of the best cities in the country for rock climbing, camping, hiking, kayaking, etc. Surprisingly attractive and fit population too."

"Portland, Maine. Fantastic beer, beautiful scenery & coined Best Restaurant City of 2018! Absolutely loveeee my little city."

"Salt Lake City, Utah. It's a gorgeous, clean, safe city at the foot of the Rockies. If you like outdoor stuff it's the perfect basepoint to explore some of the best mountains, trails, rivers, and lakes in North America. If you're interested in culture it's the capital of the Mormon movement and it's a fascinating culture they've created. Their museums, genealogical centers, historical churches, and temples are all over Salt Lake and their history is super interesting."

JMFR said:
"I really enjoyed the two years I spent in Louisville, KY. There's a surprising amount of stuff going on. Good food, great drink. And crazy cheap."

Vino_is_keeno2 replied:
"Love Louisville. Last time we stopped in a German town and had a blast."

Jkuch1302 replied:
"I live here in Germantown. It is becoming a very popular little spot. There is a lot more in Louisville. Something different every weekend 52 times a year."

"Lafayette, Louisiana. If you want TRUE Cajun culture, this is the little city to visit, NOT New Orleans. NOLA is more Creole and a lot more of a blend of cultures. Lafayette is wholly Cajun. Great food, even better hospitality, and tons of festivals."

"I went to a conference in San Antonio in the spring and it was absolutely amazing! It was my first time in Texas too. I liked the Riverwalk, The Pearl, downtown, The Alamo, the Mexican market, how clean the air was, and how freaking NICE everyone was. It was such a welcome change from my lifestyle in Los Angeles."

"Hot Springs, Arkansas. It's out of the way, but it's a beautiful area and there's a ton of stuff to do, especially if you like the outdoors or have kids. There's gambling, if you're into that. There's also historic bathhouses, the American Gangster Museum, the Mid-America Science Museum, tons of great restaurants, and a super tall sightseeing tower."

"Philadelphia is totally worth the visit. I describe it as Cleveland and Boston having a baby and named it Philadelphia. Part rust belt, part colonial USA college town. Beyond the cheese-steaks they have all the major sports leagues represented. A lot of young people. Great concert venues, and restaurants."

Jkid789 said:
"Tucson, Arizona. The people are so nice and it has great desert views."

crysardo replied:
"Great food, great culture, and lots of outdoor activities to do. The Desert Museum is a favorite must-see, I also love the scene around Historic Fourth Ave."

crypto916 said:
"Sacramento, CA most underrated city in California. Great historic center. Great bars scene, coffee scene, farm to the fork restaurant scene."

Kangaroo1974 replied:
"Came here to look for this response. I'm from Sacramento and I appreciate all of those things. Also, we have the best airport... so much easier than the Bay area!"

TryOnlyonce420 replied:
"Not to mention it got 2 great rivers and is only a short drive to the mountains or the coast. The down side is the heat! Come in the spring its amazing."

Hilarious_83 said:
"Kansas City, Missouri (not Kansas, although it's right across the river). Zoo, amusement park, WW1 museum, Crown Center, The Plaza, awesome music and art scene, Power and Light, real bbq."

Reddit user replied:
"I visited KC, MO for work earlier this year and I was pleasantly surprised with my visit. Stayed right next to Crown Center and took the free tram to the Power and Light district. Had a fantastic BBQ as well. Joe's is absolutely the best I've ever had. I'm almost certainly going to find a way to stop there again if we ever head out to the Midwest."

"Montpelier, Vermont, is my favorite US city! I’d never heard of it before until I saw a random tweet around 5 years ago, claiming it was the only American capital city without a McDonalds. I thought that was an interesting fact and decided to visit on that basis alone.

I had the best time. The city was incredibly friendly & hospitable towards me, I saw some amazing nature and ate the most delicious food. Seriously, the food there is great. They make an effort to source produce from local farms and you can really taste the difference. I’ve been to Montpelier twice now and both times I had the best burger of my life."

mortyshaw said:
"Leavenworth, Washington. It's a charming, Bavarian-styled town."

Sp4ceh0rse replied:
"I love Leavenworth! Went there for Oktoberfest last year, it was a blast. I really want to get out there around Christmas one of these years."

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."

Reddit user said:
"Cody, WY, the most cultured city in Wyoming."

SpiffySpacemanSpiff replied:
"Dude - Cody is such a fun town! It's a blink and you'll miss its place, but it is gorgeous.

I won a yeti at a rode there once, it was dope."

"Fort Worth, Texas. Fort Worth is viewed as the western extension of Dallas, but it's actually the 15th-largest city in the United States. There's just as much to do without having to deal with the snooty people and the traffic - the Stockyards, the Kimball Art Museum, which is one of the best private art collections in the nation, the water gardens, a great rodeo and collection of museums on the American West, a nice downtown area, and good shopping and dining areas. Fort Worth has a similar feel to me as Austin without the traffic and expensive housing."

"Houston, Texas. From November to January lol. It’s so hot most of the time, and humid, but those months are usually at least pleasant. There’s a ton of international presence so you can get amazing Korean food, Chinese, Vietnamese, Jamaican, Cuban, Mexican (my favorite), and there’s tons of nightlife and sporting events (even not pro, high school games sometimes are like college basically).

Do research first though, there are misses, but a bunch of hits.

Breakfast Klub is the best breakfast spot I’ve ever been to. I’ve been to a bunch."

TangoKiloBandit said:
"Oklahoma City is a very nice, clean city, with a number of major attractions, including an NBA team. Unfortunately, it's in a "flyover state" so many people miss it."

KLWK replied:
"The bombing memorial and museum are well worth the visit alone."

seykuel replied: "Spokane is kinda surreal. Like, you look at the skyline from the freeway, and think to yourself, "Hey, this looks like a fair-sized city." It's got a few large buildings and a lot of neat architecture. But then you get down into the city, and there's...not enough people? It's like it's a game map, and the devs put so much detail into the scenery, they couldn't properly populate it without destroying the frame rate. At least that's been my experience whenever I've passed through."