Must-visit U.S. cities

Seattle is definitely great.
New York and Las Vegas have to be on the list, as do Philadelphia and Boston.
Chicago is expensive, but a cool city.
La Crosse, Wis. is beautiful.
Despite recent events, St. Louis is a wonderful city with a lot to offer - especially in the way of free and/or inexpensive activities - like free admission to one of the country's best zoos.
Speaking of zoos, San Diego's zoo and wild animal park are must-sees.
Our country has so much to offer - New Orleans, Portland(s), Madison, Kansas City, Denver, Myrtle Beach, Savannah...the list goes on and on.

 

I partied in plenty of cemeteries in my youth.
I have, however, never been to New Orleans. Definitely high on my list of US places still to visit.

 

Sauget, Ill. Never been to East St. Louis, Mo.

 

It's not every day you see the words "Spokane" and "underrated" in the same sentence ... but there is plenty of outdoorsy fun in the Spokane region. And if you're into road races, it doesn't get much bigger in terms of participants than the Bloomsday, first Sunday of each May.

Just across the state line from Spokane is Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, which has a crystal-clear lake for swimming and more great hamburgers than you can possibly eat. Or so I hear.

 

Those water parks were a turn off to me. Too many people oozing Cheese Curds.
I would be afraid of picking up Ebola in one of those wave pools.

Did enjoy the duck boats and a few libations at Nig's Bar though.

It's the damdest thing that in the middle of Wisconsin such a huge tourist
destination could be created from nothing.

 

Milwaukee and Madison have been mentioned and deservedly so as far as I am concerned. Madison is a great town that has an amazing foodie scene with just about every type of ethnic restaurant you could want. If you have never spent a Thursday or Friday summer night listening to music on the UW Memorial Union Terrace you have missed one of the great joys of summer in Wisconsin. On the shores of Lake Mendota, with a nice array of Wisconsin micro beers available...Damn I miss summer.

I would also suggest Door County in Wisconsin. In the fall it has amazing colors and again, some nice restaurants and art scene and a ton of hiking/biking trails. On the west side of the peninsula is Green Bay and on the left is Lake Michigan. We spent our honeymoon in Door County 12 years ago, we stayed at the White Gull Inn. Very cool place with probably the best breakfast I have ever enjoyed, cherry filled french toast...mmmm.

Another small town we enjoy is Galena, Illinois. Cool historic town with an amazing downtown of small antique shops and again fun restaurants. Galena is in the far northwest tip of Illinois. Another place to visit in the fall for some wonderful scenery.

We also spent a few days in Annapolis, Maryland for a wedding a few years ago. We really enjoyed our time there as well. Naval Academy was great but there was more to enjoy. I think it is worth a drive if you are in the DC area.

 

Annapolis is a neat city.

 

Boulder and Golden are pretty rad. And if you like those two, then you'll love Summit County which is actually in the mountains.

Portland is pretty neat as is Seattle. Always a fan of the Adirondacks - Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls for some places if anyone is ever in that area.

 

I don't get the fascination with Chapel Hill, which -- being married to a UNC alum -- I've visited many times. It's OK. Reasonably pretty campus, picturesque football stadium and a few decent though hardly memorable places to eat and drink on Franklin Street, but really not noticeably more scenic or interesting than about 2 dozen other college towns. Growing up in East Lansing and then going to school in Ann Arbor, I find the whole college town thing to get old in general. That said, I'd love to visit Oxford for the world-class scenery at the tailgates.

 

Wouldn't be a bad idea to spend a few hours canoeing the Wisconsin River.

 

Top 5 Cities I've Actually Been To:
New Orleans
Austin
Chattanooga
Chicago
San Antonio

Top 5 Cities Still On The Bucket List:
Washington DC
San Francisco
Seattle
Savannah
Charleston, SC

Top Five Small Towns I've Actually Been To:
St. Francisville, La.
Natchez, Miss.
Townsend, Tenn.
Fairhope, Ala.
LaCrosse, Wis.

Top Five Small Towns On The Bucket List:
Cooperstown, NY
St. Augustine, Fla.
Charlottesville, Va.
Jackson Hole, Wyo.
New Braunfels, Texas

 

As a bonus, St. Augustine is a mere 17 miles from Spuds.