7 US Cities I’d Love To Revisit

Ever since we set off on our 50 state road trip back on January 1, 2018, we’ve stayed in more than 100 different cities. Some of them have left a longer-lasting impression than others for one reason or another.

Seeing as we’re limited with our travel right now due to COVID-19, I thought it’d be fun to look back at some of the places we’ve already visited that we’d like to visit again in the future. My list is below and Shae has put together her own list.

As I went back through the cities we’ve visited, I was a little surprised by the results of my list below. Two of my favorite states so far have been Kentucky and Alabama – neither of which I expected to like. Despite loving those states, none of their cities made it on to my list of ones I’d most like to revisit. I really enjoyed our time in cities like Louisville, Lexington, London, Montgomery, etc. and would certainly have no objection to visiting them again in the future, but there were other cities we’ve visited that I’d make more of a concerted effort to return to sooner than them.

Without further ado, here are 7 cities in the US that I’d love to revisit.

1) Waterbury/Stowe, VT

Vermont and Kentucky have been my two favorite states so far and while Kentucky doesn’t get any cities on this list, two cities in Vermont get the joint top spot – Waterbury and Stowe.

I’ve included these two cities together because they’re right next to each other and it seems like they’re thought of as part of the same area. Waterbury and Stowe are home to all kinds of attractions; not only can you go on a Ben & Jerry’s factory tour, but there’s also a ton of great restaurants, wineries, breweries and distilleries.

Another great feature of the Waterbury/Stowe area is that it’s in central Vermont. Vermont is a relatively small state, so staying in this area works as a good base to explore the rest of the state. There’s hiking, waterfalls, covered bridges, more hiking, more waterfalls, more wineries, breweries and distilleries and lots more.

2) Terlingua, TX

Kentucky was one of my favorite states but doesn’t get any cities on this list. Shae and I were both underwhelmed with Texas (compared to how much Texans seem to love the state), yet two cities in Texas have made it on to my list.

The first Texan city gets the number two spot on my list and is the lesser known city of Terlingua. Terlingua is a small city in the south of Texas near the Mexican border and is very close to Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park.

We stayed in a semi off-grid cabin in Terlingua. It had a flushing toilet and solar panels, so we did have some limited access to electricity, plus the cabin had Wi-Fi which meant I could still work while we were there. There was a long, bumpy dirt road leading to the cabin, so it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.

The main reason why Terlingua has a special place in my heart is because it’s a Dark Sky area. That means there’s minimal light pollution and, as a result, the night sky is incredible. Not only are more stars visible than most other places in the US, but you can also see the Milky Way. Neither of us had ever seen the Milky Way before this, so it was an amazing experience getting to see it in person without requiring any kind of telescope.

3) Roanoke, VA

Shae and I spent many years living in Portsmouth, VA, but it’s Roanoke which is my favorite city in Virginia and one I love returning to.

There’s so much to love about Roanoke. It’s in the Blue Ridge Mountains and so it’s a stunning area with all kinds of hiking nearby. The weather is beautiful most of the year, without suffering from the high humidity that Hampton Roads receives throughout the summer. There are great restaurants and breweries. There are scenic drives. The Mill Mountain Star provides a beautiful view of downtown Roanoke and the surrounding area.

We’ve been to Roanoke a few times in the last five years and will hopefully be returning for a month this summer. You can check out everything that we’ve done in Roanoke here.

4) Savannah, GA

We headed south for the first few months of our road trip, visiting South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. I really enjoyed Charleston and am glad we visited there, but my favorite city from those first few months was Savannah.

Forsyth Park was pretty, you can go on a tour of the Byrd Cookie Company factory, plus River Street has an open container policy.

I can’t quite place my finger on why I loved Savannah so much though. There was just something about the vibe of this historical city that I loved. Here’s more about what we got up to in Savannah.

5) San Antonio

There’s one chief reason why I loved San Antonio – its River Walk. It’s such a beautiful part of the city and I loved walking there both day and night during our time in San Antonio.

It’s such a relaxing area, but is also bustling with bars and restaurants. I often walked Truffles there late at night and never felt concerned for my safety. Add in the Alamo and the other Missions nearby and you’ve got a city that’s well worth at least a weekend visit, if not longer. Here’s everything else we did in San Antonio.

6) Richmond, VA

In addition to Roanoke, another city in Virginia we’ve visited a number of times is Richmond and there’s always something new we discover.

There are loads of great restaurants and breweries, but perhaps the best thing about Richmond is how cheap a trip there can be. There are a lot of hotels where you can use a relatively low number of points if you have any, while the cash price for hotels is often reasonable as well.

The most cost-effective part of a trip to Virginia’s state capital is how many free things there are to do in Richmond. There’s Belle Isle which is an island in the James River, there are free museums, nice walking paths, murals, historic buildings and so much more. Check out this list of posts for ideas of other things to do in Richmond.

7) Milwaukee, WI

There were several cities in Wisconsin that almost made it on this list. I really liked our time in the Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls area, while it would also be great to go back to Door County – the area just to the north of Green Bay.

If I had to pick one city in Wisconsin to revisit though, it would be Milwaukee. Before we visited Milwaukee in 2018, I pictured it being an industrial city with not too much to offer. I was completely wrong though.

It’s a surprisingly beautiful city that’s made even more beautiful by being on Lake Michigan. I had so much fun going on a tour of Lakefront Brewery, while there was a great dog park called Warnimont Dog Park. It was a five acre fenced-in area with trails through the woods, so we could let Truffles off-leash without worrying about her disappearing off which is why we never let her off-leash when hiking. This had the feel of an off-leash hike but without the risk.

One thing I’d do differently is try to book an affordable hotel or Airbnb downtown. We stayed at the Hyatt Place Milwaukee Airport because it was such good value when using points, but Milwaukee seemed like a city that you can really make the most of when staying downtown rather than out by the airport.

~

My list and Shae’s are fairly different, so check out her list of 7 cities she’d love to revisit.