American travel tends to concentrate on three coastal clusters: New York, the Northeast corridor, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. This concentration means that genuinely excellent cities in the interior and South receive far fewer visitors than their quality warrants, often at substantially lower costs.
New Orleans is the most obvious underrated recommendation — a city with a food culture that rivals any in North America, an architectural heritage unlike anywhere else in the United States, a live music culture that operates not just at venues but at second-line parades and impromptu street performances, and a cost of living that makes it the best value major food city in America. The peak crowd problem (Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest) is real but navigable by visiting in the shoulder months (September–November, January–February).
Portland, Oregon offers a density of excellent independent restaurants, coffee shops, and craft breweries that larger cities rarely match at its price point. The outdoor recreation access (mountains, coast, desert within 90 minutes) adds a dimension that purely urban cities can't provide. Downtown Portland's well-publicized challenges don't reflect the broader city experience across its 30+ neighborhoods.
Detroit has undergone a genuine cultural and culinary renaissance since 2010. The city's architecture — much of it dating from the early 20th century when Detroit was the wealthiest city in America — provides an extraordinary urban fabric. The restaurant scene, anchored by chefs who chose Detroit for its low real estate costs and creative freedom, has evolved into one of the most interesting in the Midwest.
For international visitors: Savannah, Georgia combines extraordinary antebellum architecture, Spanish moss and squares, excellent food, and genuine Southern hospitality at prices that would buy a closet in Manhattan.