America's downtowns are not all sterile business districts that empty after work. Some city centres are packed with character and are highly walkable. Here are seven of the most beautiful.
Charleston, South Carolina, feels like a living museum with over 2,500 historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Highlights include the candy-coloured Georgian row houses on East Bay Street, intricate wrought-iron balconies, cobblestone streets, and hidden passages. For a sweeping view, take the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge pedestrian path. Dine at Husk, a celebrated Southern restaurant in a restored Victorian house. Stay at The Ryder Hotel (from $300).
Savannah, Georgia, boasts one of America's most walkable historic districts, with a grid plan from 1733 featuring 22 park-like squares. Buildings span 300 years of architecture, from Federal to Gothic, and oak trees draped in Spanish moss form canopies. View from Forsyth Park fountain along Bull Street. Eat at The Grey, in a restored 1930s Greyhound bus terminal. Stay at The Marshall House (from $250).
Santa Fe, New Mexico, has a distinctive adobe aesthetic enforced by strict architectural codes, with earthy tones and flat roofs. The city has over 250 art galleries, the Palace of the Governors (America's oldest public building), and views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. See the panorama from the Cross of the Martyrs in Fort Marcy Park. Try The Shed for blue-corn enchiladas. Stay at Inn of the Governors (from $250).
Madison, Wisconsin, sits on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. Its centrepiece is the Roman Renaissance-style Wisconsin State Capitol. The downtown is walkable and scenic.
