Not every American city is as famous as New York or Los Angeles. These cities aren’t usually at the top of tourists’ bucket lists, but they offer unique architecture, celebrated brewery scenes, and art galleries, making them worth a visit.
Bend, Oregon
Bend, a small city in central Oregon, sits on the Deschutes River and offers kayaking and fishing opportunities. West of the city are the ski resorts and multi-use trails of the Cascade Mountains, and Bend also offers a trail up to Pilot Butte, an extinct volcano.
Boise, Idaho
Idaho’s capital city is nicknamed the City of Trees and is celebrated for its affordability and relatively low cost of living. Britannica also notes, “Because mountains to the north protect it from Canadian blizzards, Boise has relatively mild winters, as well as hot, dry summers.”
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, a city on the Ohio River along Kentucky’s border with Indiana, is the home of the iconic Kentucky Derby every May. The city was named for the French King Louis XVI and was also the home of Muhammad Ali.
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, the capital city of Rhode Island, was founded in 1636, making it one of New England’s oldest cities. Historic 18th- and 19th-century homes line College Hill, and every summer, the WaterFire art installation lights up Waterplace Park.
Portland, Maine
Portland, the most populous city in Maine, is celebrated for being walkable, with popular tours of its architectural and maritime history. It’s home to an impressive culinary and microbrewery scene and the historic cobblestone-lined Old Port district.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
In northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville is often called the Athens of the Ozarks. It lies on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, is home to the University of Arkansas and the Razorbacks, and boasts prestigious cross-country and track and field programs.
Missoula, Montana
In western Montana, Missoula lies along the Clark Fork River at the convergence of five mountain ranges, giving it the nickname “hub of five valleys.” It’s a popular destination for its blue-ribbon trout fishing opportunities and has an eclectic cultural scene.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
This university town in Washtenaw County, Michigan, has a vibrant nightlife and is a renowned culinary hotspot. CBS News notes the Ann Arbor Art Fair “takes over the city for three days each July” and is “the largest juried art fair in the country.”
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, a port city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, has America’s oldest organized Mardi Gras celebration. Its French Creole population celebrated it from the first decade of the 18th century. It’s considered a major cultural center on the Gulf Coast, with several art museums, a professional opera, a symphony orchestra, and a professional ballet company.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, a city on the Arkansas River, was once the “Oil Capital of the World,” a major hub in the American oil industry. Today, it’s celebrated for the architecture in the Deco District and the Philbrook Museum of Art.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia’s capital city, is known for its rich Civil War history. Britannica explains that it became the capital of the Confederacy in 1861 and became “a major Union military target” until General Ulysses S. Grant captured it in 1865. Today, it’s celebrated for its breweries and eclectic arts district.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Duke City is known for its unique blend of Native American and Hispanic cultures. It lies between the Sandia Mountains and West Mesa and is home to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta every October.
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is Georgia’s oldest city, famous for its cobblestone streets and Victorian Historic District, one of America’s largest National Historic Landmark Districts. It’s also home to the nation’s third-oldest synagogue, Temple Mickve.
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, a city in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, is notable for its architecture, including its Art Deco city hall and Neo-Gothic Jackson Building skyscraper. Visit the USA explains that the “thriving mountain city features a funky and eclectic downtown, hundreds of studios and art galleries, [and] a world-class culinary and craft beer culture.”
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city in eastern Washington state, located along the Spokane River next to the Selkirk Mountains. It’s celebrated for its Manito and Riverfront parks and the Spanish Revival Davenport Hotel, which is reportedly the home of the first Crab Louis salad.
Galveston, Texas
This island resort city on the Gulf Coast of Texas is known for the giant glass pyramids of its Moody Gardens, which house fish and tropical animals and plants. Galveston also boasts six historic districts with over 60 buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places.
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, has the most parks and playgrounds per capita of the 100 largest American cities. It lies on an isthmus surrounded by five lakes and is a regional hub for biotechnology and health system start-ups.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital city, is famous for its unique adobe architecture and its plethora of art galleries. It’s recognized by UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network and is also America’s oldest state capital. New Mexico True explains that it “was called the Dancing Ground of the Sun by early Native American inhabitants and nicknamed The City Different by town fathers at the turn of the 20th century.”
Rochester, New York
Rochester lies on the edge of Lake Ontario in New York State and has a strong cultural scene. It’s home to the Eastman School of Music and the Rochester International Jazz Festival, which takes place every June.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is Tennessee’s third-largest city and a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It got its nickname Marble City after rock quarried from the area and was used in the Knoxville Museum of Art, Grand Central Station in New York City, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
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