The US offers everything in excess and the choice of cities to visit is no exception. With hundreds to choose from you’re spoilt for choice – let us make the decision easier with our roundup of the coolest cities across the country!
Atlanta, Georgia
Famed as the cradle of the civil rights movement and a hub of African American culture, Atlanta is also known for its entrepreneurial spirit – this is the home of industrial giants Coca-Cola and CNN, after all. The star-studded Fox Theatre draws crowds while a myriad of off-beat attractions like the sci-fi-esque CDC museum and the unsettling Doll's Head Trail art collection portray the quirky creativity brewing here.
DK USA
View BookAustin, Texas
Home to emerging singer-songwriters chasing their dreams at intimate music venues, coffee-fuelled tech-nerds working in the Silicon Hills and liberal hippies “keeping it weird,” Austin is a soulful, community-spirited city as diverse as Texas is big. Colorful murals cover the streets where glinting skyscrapers rub up against historic bungalows, no-frills food trucks serve life affirming tacos and stand up paddle boarders glide by on the river.
Austin Like a Local
View BookBoston, Massachusetts
Like a polished gem cut from the rocky shores of New England, Boston is a city of quiet charm and pretty neighbourhoods – but it’s got plenty of edge, too. While the town houses and cobbled streets of Beacon Hill hark back to the Boston of the 1840s, the students keep the city youthful, filling the cozy coffee houses, quirky bookshops and trendy fashion boutiques.
DK Top 10 Boston
View BookChicago, Illinois
Chicago is a Midwestern Metropolis well known for its architectural wonders, irresistible deep-crust pizza and incredible sporting legacy. The city is also deeply connected to nature thanks to its location on the shores of the vast Lake Michigan, and its star attraction, the Chicago river. Along the banks of the river you’ll find live jazz music, open air patios serving cocktails and urban kayakers getting ready to take to the water.
DK Top 10 Chicago
View BookHonolulu, Hawaii
Rooted in Hawaiian tradition, home to a unique mix of cultures interwoven with a laid back surfer vibe, Hawaii's capital is a modern city set in breath-taking scenery. Taste the tangy spiced cuisine of Chinatown, discover the epicenter of the Hawaiian art scene and hike forested trails that afford sweeping views over the city.
DK Top 10 Honolulu and O'ahu
View BookLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most full-on, 24 hour city you could ever hope to visit. A playground of ritzy casino resorts, extravagant shows and fine dining restaurants, this is a place to have fun and forget the world. Beyond the bright lights, the city is surrounded by incredible desert landscapes including Red Rock Canyon, Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon.
DK Eyewitness Top 10 Las Vegas
View BookLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles is the epitome of California cool. It’s a city that dictates culture to the world, yet where no single culture predominates. People from all over the globe have made LA what it is today – a place where you can hear dozens of languages while walking down the street, where surfers ride perfect waves and speakeasies are hidden in the backs of barber shops.
DK Eyewitness Top 10 Los Angeles
View BookMiami, Florida
Hedonistic Miami is Florida’s most glamorous city. Take South Beach for example, an enticing stretch of sand backed by exclusive nightclubs and celebrity-chef restaurants. But there is a lot of culture here, too – atmospheric Little Havana brings a vibrant Cuban feel while Little Haiti is known for its indie galleries and colorful street murals.
DK Eyewitness Top 10 Miami and the Keys
View BookNashville, Tennessee
Best known today as Music City, Nashville is a friendly and incredibly fun place to visit. There is no shortage of venues to drink and dance – whiskey and country being the combo of choice, of course. The vibrant downtown is the best place to discover the city’s outstanding musical history with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum honouring musicians such as Patsy Cline and Hank Williams, and the National Museum of African American Music celebrating the pioneers behind more than 50 genres.
Nashville Like a Local
View BookNew York City, New York
New York City is everything at once: history and high rises, blissful parks and bustling stores, shabby chic bars and stately museums. There are few cities in the world that rival the foodie scene here – with just about every cuisine on offer, any craving can be satisfied. In the mood for BBQ and soju? Head to Koreatown. Feeling pizza? Nolita’s got it covered. Dying for Caribbean flavour? Crown Heights has the remedy.
New York City Like a Local
View BookNew Orleans, Louisiana
Set in a sultry curve of the Mississippi River where a history of strong European, Caribbean and African influences have shaped a culture like no other, New Orleans sizzles with a passion for life that sets it apart. The birthplace of Jazz, the Big Easy, the party city: this is a place that celebrates every day through delicious food, infectious music and jubilant festivals.
DK New Orleans
View BookPortland, Oregon
Beautifully situated in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Hood, Portland is famous for being a green-minded city. This is a place where people cycle to work and shop at the local farmers market, a place where five-star meals are served out of food trucks, organic IPAs are sipped at local breweries and quality roasts are cold brewed at hipster cafes. In fact, pretty much anything that’s currently on trend is available here (and probably has been long since before it was cool).
DK Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington and British Columbia
View BookSan Diego, California
San Diego is one of the few places on Earth where you can flit from ocean to mountains to desert and back to the city in the span of an afternoon. Take all the advantages of a big city, minus the bustle, add a year round mild climate, and it starts to sound a little like paradise. The people here are as warm as the weather, and just a little nerdy – this is the home of Comic Con International, after all.
DK Top 10 San Diego
View BookSan Francisco, California
Flamboyant and free-thinking San Francisco has always marched to the beat of its own drum. Fortune seekers and trail blazers have flocked here since the days of the Gold Rush, and a pioneering spirit has characterised the city ever since. Each neighbourhood adds its own unique flavour to the mix, from the hospitable Italian restaurants in North Beach to the spectacular Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown.
DK San Francisco and the Bay Area
View BookSanta Fe, New Mexico
A distinctive architectural style all its own and a captivating blend of three distinct cultures – Hispanic, Native American, and Anglo – make Santa Fe an incredibly unique city. An artist’s colony where about one in six residents works in the arts, Santa Fe has one of the largest amounts of art galleries per capita of any city in the US.
DK Eyewitness Southwest USA and National Parks
View BookSeattle, Washington
Fuelled by espresso coffee, Seattle is a trendy and ambitious city at the helm of technology and popular culture. The city is an effervescent blend of the old and the new: striking architecture and soaring skyscrapers propel Seattle toward the future, while majestic totem poles bear testament to the Indigenous people’s rich heritage and shoppers keep tradition going at the 100-year old Pike Place Market.
DK Top 10 Seattle
View BookWashington, D.C.
Beyond the politics, the monuments and the museums, Washington D.C. is home to some incredibly cool neighbourhoods. Take DuPont Circle for example, where you’ll find trendy bakeries, independent bookstores and a thriving LGBTIQ+ scene. Or Adams Morgan, where the eclectic bars, music venues and international restaurants buzz until late in the night.
DK Top 10 Washington DC
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