Travellers who prefer hidden gems to over-hyped hotspots should apparently start packing their bags for Baltimore, Louisville, and Sacramento. These are three of the most underrated US cities according to Shermans Travel. Their top 10 are:
Baltimore – Boasts a revitalized Inner Harbor area, plus the backdrops for such John Waters film classics as Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, and Female Trouble.
Fort Lauderdale – Goodbye spring break, hello swanky new hotels. The latest up-and-comer in beach chic.
Houston – Top-notch arts institutions, great shopping⦠and NASA.
Kansas City – A multi-billion-dollar face-lift, a thriving jazz scene, some of the country’s best barbecue . . . and more fountains than any city outside of Rome.
Louisville – Old small-town charm meets a new cosmopolitan riverfront district, and the two bond perfectly over mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby.
Minneapolis – A burst of new buildings from some of the world’s top architects and the revitalized Mill District reinforces the city’s cultural cachet.
Pittsburgh – Native son Andy Warhol might have skipped New York if he’d had a taste of steel-town’s newly sizzling nightlife.
Portland – More breweries per capita than any other city in the U.S., plus the monthly “First Thursdays” tour, when art galleries stay open late.
Providence – Visitors can take gondola rides through downtown or enjoy the light of 100 riverside bonfires as part of the city’s annual WaterFires events.
Sacramento – An increasingly sophisticated food scene, plus quick access to the Sierra Foothill wineries in the Shenandoah Valley.
Have you overlooked these cities in your own travels?
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Telegraph.
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4 Comments
Kansas City is one of the US cities mentioned above as being overlooked. while its not like a new york or san francisco there are some gems to be had in this city. the country club plaza is an outdoor mediterranean style shopping centre with some great shops and restaurants. The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is pretty special and the rolling lawns with sculptures are perfect for relaxing on a sunny day (trust me i did it). Not being from the states i never knew Kansas City was home to the barbecue and boy they are great well worth a trip to one of the many barbecue specialist restaurants. A completely different city break – worth a vist for a change.
An addition to the Baltimore entry is the short drive to annapolis which is well worth a visit – plenty to see and do and some fab boutique shops and restaurants (don’t worry there is also a huge mall on the outskirts)and plnty of sailors with naval academy in town. Annapolis is steeped in history and a great place to visit – enjoy!
i was recently in providence for a few days and found it quite an interesting city and only 40 minutes from boston by train. a long weekend is probably enough but if you can tie it in with one of the water fire displays which are pretty spectacular. when i was there obama was in town so things were pretty much in lockdown for one othe days amazing how a city can grind to a standstill. i stayed at the renaissance which was once a masonic temple and had amazing views of the state capital building. an interesting change from the main cities and if combined with boston pretty darn good!
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Kansas City is one of the US cities mentioned above as being overlooked. while its not like a new york or san francisco there are some gems to be had in this city. the country club plaza is an outdoor mediterranean style shopping centre with some great shops and restaurants. The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is pretty special and the rolling lawns with sculptures are perfect for relaxing on a sunny day (trust me i did it). Not being from the states i never knew Kansas City was home to the barbecue and boy they are great well worth a trip to one of the many barbecue specialist restaurants. A completely different city break – worth a vist for a change.
An addition to the Baltimore entry is the short drive to annapolis which is well worth a visit – plenty to see and do and some fab boutique shops and restaurants (don’t worry there is also a huge mall on the outskirts)and plnty of sailors with naval academy in town. Annapolis is steeped in history and a great place to visit – enjoy!
i was recently in providence for a few days and found it quite an interesting city and only 40 minutes from boston by train. a long weekend is probably enough but if you can tie it in with one of the water fire displays which are pretty spectacular. when i was there obama was in town so things were pretty much in lockdown for one othe days amazing how a city can grind to a standstill. i stayed at the renaissance which was once a masonic temple and had amazing views of the state capital building. an interesting change from the main cities and if combined with boston pretty darn good!