The United States is more a continent than a country. States such as Alaska and Florida seem to belong to entirely different nations.
So colossal is it that America’s second biggest state, Texas, could swallow the entire UK three times over and still leave room to nibble on France.
The good news with a destination this mindbogglingly big is your holiday options are equally humongous. And once you’ve tried the obvious – New York, Los Angeles, Orlando – you still have nearly 20,000 other American cities and towns to explore.
I’ve been living and working in the US as a travel journalist for a decade and have been lucky enough to visit all 50 states. Below, I’ve selected 15 American towns and cities you should be considering for your next transatlantic visit, plus a few you should certainly be swerving.
Politics can be divisive, but as a holiday destination America maintains a special relationship with British travellers dating back more than a century to the leisure cruises of the Roaring Twenties and beyond. So whether you’re eyeing a relaxed beach retreat, a cultural break or great American road trip, these are my picks.
Jonathan Thompson has been living and working in the US as a travel journalist for a decade and has visited all 50 states
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer sparked renewed interest in New Mexico’s handsome capital, which was used as a setting for the Oscar-winning film.
Centred around a 17th-century Spanish plaza, Santa Fe is a major art hub, with 250-plus galleries/museums. Set in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, it’s a great base for biking and skiing, while its Sky Railway runs entertaining ‘adventure train rides’ to go wine-tasting or witness performances of ‘outlaw history’. Enjoy the chilli-smothered cuisine and check in to a boutique hotel like Inn Of The Five Graces (fivegraces.com) or La Fonda On The Plaza (lafondasantafe.com).
My tip: Follow the Margarita Trail, linking classic cocktail venues (santafe.org).
Book it: A 12-night New Mexico Land Of Enchantment trip includes flights, accommodation and car hire from £1,739pp, plus two nights in Santa Fe (americaasyoulikeit.com).
Cody, Wyoming
Famed as the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, Cody offers a brilliant taste of the Wild West. The rootin’ tootin’ vibe can be embraced in many ways, from campfire cook-outs and horse-riding lessons to square dances and overnight stays on luxury dude ranches such as The Hideout (thehideout.com). On Yellowstone’s eastern edge, Cody is surrounded by soul-stirring natural beauty with hiking, biking and whitewater rafting, as well as world-class fishing.
My tip: Cody is nicknamed The Rodeo Capital Of The World and during the summer its famous Nite Rodeo is held every evening (codystampederodeo.com).
Book it: A 16-night Great American West self-driven tour through Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota, with two nights in Cody, is from £6,350pp including flights, car hire and accommodation (audleytravel.com/usa).
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola boasts 18 miles of powdery sand beaches with serene swimming waters and enjoys 343 days of sunshine annually.
The city’s downtown area features a vibrant assortment of cafes, boutiques, museums and top-end restaurants. It’s on Florida’s Panhandle, very close to the border with Alabama – a superb beach bar, the Flora-Bama, straddles the state divide and is well worth a visit for its live music and frozen cocktails. Pensacola feels off the beaten track… the Sunshine State at its charming, uncrowded best.
My tip: Scuba divers will love investigating the USS Oriskany, a former aircraft carrier sunk off the coast (ussorsikanydiver.com).
Book it: Four nights at Hilton Pensacola Beach from £949pp room only including international flights (purelyamerica.co.uk).
Juneau, Alaska
Locals joke there are only three ways into Juneau: plane, boat… and birth canal. With its back to mountains and glaciers and its face to the ocean, the Alaskan capital is cut off by road. America bought the state from Russia in 1867 and that legacy is visible from its onion-domed Russian Orthodox church to the seafront Russian dumpling restaurant Pel’meni.
It’s an old city with a deep history and world class museums; the Alaska State Museum is the pick. During summer, days can last 19 hours, allowing plenty of time for glacier hiking, whale watching, admiring the gold rush-era architecture and visiting its saloon-style bars.
My tip: Sign up for a short seaplane hop to Taku Glacier Lodge for its famous daily salmon feast and jawdropping views (wingsairways.com).
Book it: Seven nights at the Baranof Downtown from £1,649pp room-only including international return flights (purelyamerica.co.uk).
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Hard to spell but easy to love, Chattanooga was recently named America’s first National Park City –thanks to the Tennessee River coursing through its downtown, plus towering surrounding cliffs and mountains. Halfway between Atlanta and Nashville, the city is enjoying a foodie revival, with buzzing hotspots such as STIR (stirchattanooga.com), Elsie’s Daughter (elsiesdaughters.com) and State of Confusion (soconfusion.com). Go biking and paragliding or just enjoy the welcome: last year it was voted Friendliest City In The US.
My tip: Visit Ruby Falls, a spectacular 145ft underground waterfall inside nearby Lookout Mountain –best enjoyed on a Friday night lantern tour (rubyfalls.com).
Book it: A 15-night Exploring The Great Outdoors In The American South package including flights, accommodation and car hire is from £5,735pp, with two nights in Chattanooga (audleytravel.com).
Santa Barbara, California
Prince Harry has made some questionable decisions, but picking Santa Barbara for his US home wasn’t one of them. This coastal city boasts a curving golden waterfront, a grand 150-year-old wooden pier and a delicious Urban Wine Trail.
A fresh haul of coastal seafood restaurants in 2025 – including Marisella (marisellarestaurant.com) and the Ellwood (theellwood.com) – have added to its appeal, as has the opening of the swish Barbara Beach Club (thebarbara.co). Hang out in colourful cafes, the art galleries of the Funk Zone, or at celebrity haunt restaurants of the nearby hillside town of Montecito.
My tip: Hop aboard Lil’ Toot, a water taxi that ferries you between Santa Barbara Harbour and historic Stearns Wharf (liltootsb.com).
Book it: Santa Barbara Inn on East Beach has doubles from £274 (santabarbarainn.com), while United Airlines flies from Heathrow to Santa Barbara from £635 return (united.com). For a third night free at selected hotels, see santabarbaraca.com/savvy.
Santa Barbara boasts a curving golden waterfront, a grand 150-year-old wooden pier and a delicious Urban Wine Trail
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a desert oasis dedicated to relaxation – home to many of America’s best golf courses (more than 300), plus luxurious spa resorts aplenty including Sanctuary Camelback Mountain (sanctuaryaz.com) and Scottsdale Resort and Spa (thescottsdaleresort.com). Its quaint old town features cutesy buildings and covered boardwalks.
Then you have the modernist architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous desert hideaway home Taliesin West (franklloydwright.org/taliesin-west). You can also go hot air ballooning in the Sonoran Desert.
My tip: Book dinner at The Ends, a new restaurant serving comfort food inspired by the travels of Anthony Bourdain (endsrestaurant.com).
Book it: A 13-night Alluring Arizona package including return flights to Phoenix, accommodation and car hire is from £3,375pp (bonvoyage.co.uk).
Charleston, South Carolina
With historic beauty, culinary culture and a hip beach lifestyle, Charleston is equal parts East Coast chic and Southern charm. Expect restaurants galore, rooftop bars, galleries and boutiques – plus golden coves and offshore islands.
The seafood is great (a lazy lunch at Shem Creek Crab House is hard to beat, charlestoncrabhouse.com) as is the Carolina barbecue scene (superb brisket sandwich at Lewis Barbecue, lewisbarbecue.com). Then there’s a slew of new boutique hotels including the Nickel (nickelhotel.com), The Cooper (thecooper.com) and Hotel Richemont (richemonthotel.com). It might just be the perfect American city break.
My tip: Take a traditonal Carolina swing dance (aka ‘shag’) lesson or join Thursday Shag Nights with Holy City Swing (holycityswing.com).
Book it: A 13-night Southern Charm And Coastal History package including flights, car hire and accommodation is from £2,129pp, with two nights in Charleston (americaasyoulikeit.com).
Charleston is equal parts East Coast chic and Southern charm, with restaurants galore, rooftop bars, galleries and boutiques – plus golden coves and offshore islands
Bend, Oregon
‘Bend Sucks, Don’t Move Here’ read the classic bumper sticker – because locals are terrified of others discovering their small and quite lovely city.
It’s great for a family break, with hiking, fishing, rafting, doughnut-eating and craft beer-sampling to keep everybody happy. Expect excellent live music at the iconic Tower Theatre (towertheatre.org) and Hayden Homes Amphitheatre (bendconcerts.com). Then there’s the world’s last Blockbuster video store, where you can (if you really want) stay overnight and enjoy a movie marathon. In the winter, go skiing at nearby Mount Bachelor, one of the largest resorts in the Pacific Northwest.
My tip: Join a ‘float trip’, riding along the Deschutes River on an inflatable tube, sunglasses on and drink in hand (tumalocreek.com).
Book it: A 12-night Wild Oregon Tour including return flights, car hire and accommodation is from £1,599pp (purelytravel.co.uk).
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is often lumped with Cleveland and Columbus as Ohio’s Three C’s, but it’s leagues ahead of its drab industrial neighbours, with handsome Italianate buildings in some districts, while its Over-The-Rhine neighbourhood maintains a Germanic flair in its bars and restaurants.
‘Cincy’ has plenty of intriguing local dishes from ‘goetta’ (a rich meat and oat sausage) to the infamous ‘three-way’ (a moreish, cheesy twist on spaghetti bolognese). But above all this is a drinking town – the district of Covington is awash with boutique bourbon distilleries. Probably America’s most underrated city.
My tip: At Wenzel, a distillery in an old pickle factory near the river, you can blend your own bourbon (wenzeldistillery.com).
Book it: BA flies from Heathrow to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport from £470 return (ba.com); stay at Hotel Covington, which has doubles from £135 (hotelcovington.com).
Portland, Maine
Artists, writers and dreamers have long been inspired by the rugged beauty of Portland in the country’s far northeast – including long-time local Stephen King. And it’s easy to see why. The lively Old Port district enjoys handsomely restored brick warehouses crammed with cafes, shops and bars. But it’s the world class seafood scene that stands out, especially at Scales (scalesrestaurant.com), Twelve (twelvemaine.com) and Eventide Oyster Co (eventideoysterco.com). Portland is a mandatory stop on any serious East Coast road trip.
My tip: Grab a snack at Holy Donut on Park Avenue, with unusual flavour combinations including blueberry-and-bacon that somehow work (theholydonut.com).
Book it: A seven-night escorted New England In The Fall trip covers the entire region, including Portland, in the autumn from £2,395pp including flights and accommodation (newmarketholidays.co.uk).
Artists, writers and dreamers have long been inspired by the rugged beauty of Portland, including around the Old Port district
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio has a fascinating history – including the infamous 1836 battle at the heart of town. And now you can see a new permanent display at the city’s Alamo Exhibit, including artefacts collected by Alamo-obsessive Phil Collins, the Genesis frontman, who recorded the audio guide himself.
It’s a beguiling city with a splendid sunken River Walk featuring restaurants serving lashings of gooey, feel-good Tex-Mex dishes. My go-to restaurant is La Fonda On Main, with melt-in-the-mouth enchiladas (lafondaonmain.com). Nicknamed the Theme Park Capital of Texas – it’s a winner for families.
My tip: The new Spekboom Lodge is a luxury treetop hideout in the middle of San Antonio Zoo, allowing you to sleep alongside zebras and giraffes (sazoo.org).
Book it: A 14-night road trip called Texas, Presley’s Memphis And New Orleans takes in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio in Texas, plus Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans – from £3,785pp including flights, accommodation and activities (newmarketholidays.co.uk).
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville boasts many nicknames including Land Of The Sky, Beer City USA and Foodtopia. It’s blessed with spectacular alpine vistas, enjoys superb craft breweries (more than 70) and spots to eat.
The rebuild after 2024’s devastating Hurricane Helene was swift and it’s back to business as usual in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with the River Arts District humming with creativity, the bluegrass music scene as lively as ever and innovative new restaurants such as Hail Mary (hailmaryavl.com). Make sure you go to the glamorous Biltmore Estate: a chateauesque mansion offering insights into America’s Gilded Age (biltmore.com).
My tip: Dive into the rich local literary history, from Thomas Wolfe to Zelda Fitzgerald, at the Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar (batteryparkbookexchange.com).
Book it: An 11-night Sweet Carolinas tour including return flights, accommodation and car hire is from £2,555pp (bon-voyage.co.uk).
Asheville boasts many nicknames including Land Of The Sky, Beer City USA and Foodtopia
Richmond, Virginia
There are few cities where you can whitewater raft (on speedy Class IV rapids) through downtown, but Richmond is one of them. Once the capital of the Confederacy, it’s evolved into a progressive, creative modern hub with especially vibrant food and arts scenes – including the free Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (vmfa.museum).
Explore Belle Isle in the middle of the river, with its lovely labyrinth of footpaths and picnic spots. An easy two-hour drive or train ride from Washington DC, Richmond makes an excellent day trip from the capital – or a rewarding longer break in its own right.
My tip: Book a brilliant private tuk-tuk sightseeing tour (rvatuktuk.com).
Book it: JetBlue flies from Gatwick to Ronald Reagan Washington Airport in Arlington Virginia from £370 return (jetblue.com); stay at the Quirk Hotel, with doubles from £157 (quirkhotels.com).
Louisville, Kentucky
Every May, Louisville becomes the centre of America’s attention for two minutes during the Kentucky Derby horse race.
But there’s more to it than that: bourbon, bluegrass music, baseball, plus the Muhammad Ali Center, celebrating its most famous son (alicenter.org).
It’s nicknamed Bourbon City and has an energetic bar scene, with stand-out spots including Holy Grale – a craft-beer temple in a converted Church (thegrales.com/holygrale) – and Hell Or Highwater, a seductive prohibition-era speakeasy serving terrific mint juleps (hellorhighwaterbar.com).
My tip: Head to the iconic Brown Hotel to order Louisville’s most famous dish: the Hot Brown, an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich in a delicate mornay sauce (brownhotel.com).
Book it: A seven-night Taste Of Kentucky tour featuring both Louisville and Lexington, and including flights and accommodation is from £1,499pp (purelysouthernusa.co.uk).
… And the places you really should avoid
Most US cities have dodgy neighbourhoods. Baltimore, for instance, has a bevy of brilliant museums and a resurgent waterfront district, but high levels of violent crime in some of the neighbourhoods west of downtown look straight out of The Wire.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia justifiably touts its colonial charm and Brotherly Love, but can be rough around the edges too. Then you have America’s Spring Break cities – perfectly fine for 11 months of the year, but dreadful during March, with vomit-soaked orgies of destruction worthy of the last days of Rome. If travelling in early Spring, avoid Florida’s Miami Beach, Panama City and Fort Lauderdale.
You also have bottom-of-the-barrel towns that tend to be smaller places that rarely trouble the tourist. Examples include Clovis in New Mexico, with its high crime rates and pervasive stench of cow dung, and Pahrump, Nevada, famed for its prison and brothels.
The absolute worst spot? It has to be Gary, Indiana. A post-industrial, semi-deserted hellscape with potholes the size of bomb craters. It should be avoided at all costs.
- Jonathan Thompson is the host of Adventure Cities, which airs on the Discovery Channel and Discovery Go
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .