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Nashville is unique
Phoenix for the reasons you mentioned ( Grand Canyon / Sedona) for natural beauty
Jacksonville? ( Only if you want to see "wasteland surburbia" In full American fashion with nothing of interest!
Ditto for Tampa but not as bad! (Go to Miami instead!) or the Florida Keys & Key West.
Atlanta for it's "Civil Rights" history
Buffalo for the "Niagara Falls"
Charlotte? What is there exactly to see there except a city with a bunch of a couple of bank skyscrapers? ( go to the outer banks of North Carolina instead!
packaged "tours" suck! I'm surprised NYC, Chicago or LA isn't on that list!
NYC, Chicago or LA might be more expensive and so that could be why they are not on the lists. Also, sometimes even package tours will give the participants a day off give them the opportunity to do some exploring on their own. That has been my experience. So the OP might want to research points other than those where the tours will be taking them in each of these cities if that is the case. That could help them decide which city to pick.
Of that list? I'd either go to Nashville(you'd get a sense of the country music side of American culture) or go to Phoenix, rent a car and go to Flagstaff and go see the Grand Canyon and Red Rocks around Sedona and southwestern landscapes.
I wouldn't plan a trip to just one of those cities and just stay in the city alone. None of those places are really interesting enough alone for those. Tampa or Jacksonville you can at least go to the beach, but the cities themselves aren't that special.
Atlanta is the best overall city for just stuff in the city, but don't stay downtown(it's dead at night), Midtown is better. If I went to Atlanta, I'd take a trip up to the mountains or Savannah as well (Savannah is a really interesting place).
I was going to say all this but you beat me to it.
Nashville, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Tampa and Charlotte are all in the south and will be humid in the summer. Nashville and Atlanta are the nicest of those cities IMO. Both have lots of tourist type attractions. Nashville has country music scene, and everything associated with it. Atlanta has a world class aquarium, Stone mountain, museums etc. Buffalo is obviously going to be very cold and snowy in winter, and really the weather can be bad there until May. However if you go in the summer they do have Niagara falls, a great Lake and easy access to Canada. Phoenix is hot, dry and surrounded by desert. You will either love that environment or hate it. Arizona is the landscape you see in American cowboy movies, it can be very pretty but it can be oppressively hot as well. I remember how much I enjoyed visiting your country, loved seeing London, Canterbury etc. I am sure which ever city you pick you will enjoy your time over here, they all offer something.
My DH and I are looking into visiting the US. For a variety of reasons we are consigned to these locations:
Phoenix
Jacksonville
Buffalo
Nashville
Tampa
Atlanta
Charlotte
Our holiday criteria is:
- Nice city. Little crime
- No humid heat
- Lots to do
- Typical Americana feel
- Good culture/food
- Good experience for a Brit
Any suggestions from THAT LIST? No alternate suggestions
Thanks
Buffalo: I live in NJ near NYC, and I think that's a bad idea if you're going now. NJ is having a really cold winter, the wind chills make it feel like negative numbers during the day, but I know it's even worse there, but not as bad as Chicago. I don't think there's crime really there, but all I really know that's there is Niagara Falls.
Phoenix: Heat might be bad if you go in the summer, my uncle worked there and I heard it gets up to 110/120. I don't really know a lot about it there, except for the heat & that it's near the Grand Canyon. But if you go in winter, it's 66 there now, so it might not be that bad.
Charlotte: I've heard it's not that nice there. Outer Banks is a lot prettier.
Jacksonville: I don't even think I've actually heard of anyone going there for a vacation...I don't think it's that nice. The heat and humdity will be bad if you go in summer, because it's in Florida.
Tampa: Too humid in summer if you don't want humidity, I think Miami is nicer and more city-ish, even though neither would work if you don't like heat.
Nashville: I don't really like the country that much, but people say it's nice there. It's 14 there now, so I think that's kind of cold for a vacation, but I know Britain is cold a lot too. I don't think the crime there is that bad, at least not like NYC. I guess that would be good for a country feel.
Atlanta: In summer, I think it can be hot there, too. Some parts are dangerous, but I don't know if a tourist would feel.
I'd say visit Nashville OP. It is the heart of country music which is something very American. You can't really find it elsewhere in the world. If you want to see pretty beaches and waterfronts then I would say check out Tampa. I lived in Tampa for 8 years and it is actually quite scenic compared to most American metros. The beaches it offers can't be found in the UK either where as Nashville won't have much environmentally different from England.
When are you coming? A lot depends upon what months of the year you will be here.
My first thought is since you are coming from drizzly, cloudy old England, you should go to Phoenix/Scottsdale. In the summer it will be very hot, but not humid. The terrain will be new and exciting to see...red rock canyon, the Grand Canyon, etc. It is beautiful there, and the desert will be new and different to see.
An hour north of Phoenix, you will be in the higher elevations, with a totally different climate. Why go to areas of the US that are similar to England?
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