USA TODAY 10Best
10 US cities you must visit to see incredible street art
Best City for Street Art (2023)
Street art is more than just eye-catching; it speaks to a city's culture and personality, and it belongs to the entire community in a way few other forms of art can claim. Boasting some of America's most extraordinary public pieces, our readers voted these 10 cities as the best for street art in the United States.
- Denver, Colorado
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Miami, Florida
- Houston, Texas
- Detroit, Michigan
- Richmond, Virginia
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Santa Monica, California
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photo courtesy of VISIT DENVER & Nikki A. Rae & Marka
No. 10:
Denver’s buildings offer an urban canvas for street art, including commissioned pieces and unsanctioned areas where the art is always evolving. Street art enthusiasts shouldn’t miss the River North Art District, East Colfax, the Art District on Santa Fe and Confluence Park.
Photo courtesy of Melissa McAlpine, ACVB Marketing
No. 9:
Atlanta has become a hotbed of public art, with murals covering surfaces throughout the city. You’ll find permanent installations and temporary projects curated by Living Walls and the Outerspace Project. For a good look, take a bike ride along the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, stroll through Old Fourth Ward or spend some time in Little Five Points.
Photo courtesy of Lydia Schrandt
No. 8:
ArtWorks Cincinnati has created more than 200 public murals throughout the city. Some favorites include Mr. Tarbell Tips His Hat, The Golden Muse, Mr. Dynamite and Ice Cream Daydream.
Photo courtesy of Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau
No. 7:
Miami earned a spot on the street art map in the early 2000s when the Wynwood warehouse district became a destination for the world’s best graffiti artists. The Wynwood Walls remain a favorite, with works from more than 50 artists. You’ll also find murals in downtown, Little Haiti, Little Havana and the Design District, among others.
Photo courtesy of Visit Houston
No. 6:
Street art enthusiasts will find no shortage of colorful walls in Houston. EaDo, home to Graffiti Park, perhaps has the highest concentration of murals, but you’ll also find them in Montrose, Sawyer Yards and painted on traffic control boxes throughout the city.
Photo courtesy of Eastern Market
No. 5:
You don’t have to leave your car to take in works of art in Motor City. Detroit’s Grand River Creative Corridor stands out as a highlight with nearly 100 murals between Rosa Parks Boulevard and Warren Avenue. Ride the Detroit People Mover on its 2.9-mile loop to take in the Art in the Stations' collection of 13 mixed-media displays.
Photo courtesy of Visit Richmond VA
No. 4:
The streets of Richmond are home to more than 100 colorful murals by local, national and global artists. The city also hosts the annual RVA Street Art Festival – an event that helps revitalize blighted areas while raising money for arts education.
Photo courtesy of Oklahoma City
No. 3:
Oklahoma City might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think about street art, but this city has become a veritable outdoor gallery. Start your explorations in the Plaza District before continuing on to the Western Avenue corridor and Bricktown.
Photo courtesy of @PiersideSantaMonica
No. 2:
The seaside city of Santa Monica is an artistic haven in Southern California. Although it's relatively small, it boasts over 100 murals from artists like Ruben Rojas, Jonas Never and Shepard Fairey.
Photo courtesy of Visit Philadelphia
No. 1:
Mural Arts Philadelphia was founded in 1984 to empower professional artists to showcase their talents. Since then, the organization has produced more than 4,000 murals, many of which are still on display. A highlight is the Love Letter project, a series of 50 rooftop murals visible from the Market-Frankford elevated line.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Allison Tibaldi
Allison Tibaldi is a travel and food writer based... Read More
Allison Tibaldi is a travel and food writer based in New York City. She has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne Australia, Toronto and Los Angeles. She studied early childhood development in graduate school and firmly believes that travel is the best education. She writes for numerous publications including CNN, Travel Channel, HGTV, am New York, Emirates Open Skies, Family Traveller and Travel Weekly.
Allison Tibaldi
Allison Tibaldi is a travel and food writer based in New York City. She has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne Australia, Toronto and Los Angeles. She studied early childhood development in graduate school and firmly believes that travel is the best education. She writes for numerous publications including CNN, Travel Channel, HGTV, am New York, Emirates Open Skies, Family Traveller and Travel Weekly.
Corinne Whiting
Corinne hails from the other Washington, where she... Read More
Corinne hails from the other Washington, where she caught the travel bug early on. Corinne studied abroad in Strasbourg, France (undergrad) and in Edinburgh, Scotland (graduate school). She's backpacked around Australia, taught English in Argentina and explored (so far!) countries from Cambodia and Egypt to Turkey and China. Corinne served as associate editor at Where magazine for five years; as a freelancer, she now writes for publications like National Geographic Traveler and Amtrak's OnTrak. Here in the lovely Northwest, she's attempting to debunk the rain myths, up her coffee and live music quotient and find her Zen near/on the water.
Corinne Whiting
Corinne hails from the other Washington, where she caught the travel bug early on. Corinne studied abroad in Strasbourg, France (undergrad) and in Edinburgh, Scotland (graduate school). She's backpacked around Australia, taught English in Argentina and explored (so far!) countries from Cambodia and Egypt to Turkey and China. Corinne served as associate editor at Where magazine for five years; as a freelancer, she now writes for publications like National Geographic Traveler and Amtrak's OnTrak. Here in the lovely Northwest, she's attempting to debunk the rain myths, up her coffee and live music quotient and find her Zen near/on the water.
Meg St-Esprit
Meg St-Esprit is a journalist based in Pittsburgh... Read More
Meg St-Esprit is a journalist based in Pittsburgh who covers family travel, lifestyle, education, and parenting. With their four kids in tow, she and her husband love to travel anywhere and everywhere — but have a soft spot for camping and outdoor adventures. In fact, her kids are well on their way to achieving their goal of visiting all 124 state parks in Pennsylvania. Meg believes travel doesn’t need to be luxurious or costly to be valuable, and aims to share that with her audience. Meg’s work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Thrillist, The Washington Post, Fodor’s, Yahoo, Good Housekeeping, Romper, and more. Follow Meg on Instagram and Twitter at @megstesprit or check out her work on https://megstesprit.com/
Meg St-Esprit
Meg St-Esprit is a journalist based in Pittsburgh who covers family travel, lifestyle, education, and parenting. With their four kids in tow, she and her husband love to travel anywhere and everywhere — but have a soft spot for camping and outdoor adventures. In fact, her kids are well on their way to achieving their goal of visiting all 124 state parks in Pennsylvania. Meg believes travel doesn’t need to be luxurious or costly to be valuable, and aims to share that with her audience. Meg’s work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Thrillist, The Washington Post, Fodor’s, Yahoo, Good Housekeeping, Romper, and more. Follow Meg on Instagram and Twitter at @megstesprit or check out her work on https://megstesprit.com/
Robin Raven
Robin Raven is an author and journalist who covers... Read More
Robin Raven is an author and journalist who covers such topics as travel, culture, and vegan dining. Her work can be seen in The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Reader's Digest, and many other publications. Robin is the author of Santa's First Vegan Christmas, The Kindness Workbook: An Interactive Guide for Creating Compassion in Yourself and the World, and The Little Book of Self-Soothing. She also blogs about travel and life at RobinRaven.com.
Robin Raven
Robin Raven is an author and journalist who covers such topics as travel, culture, and vegan dining. Her work can be seen in The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Reader's Digest, and many other publications. Robin is the author of Santa's First Vegan Christmas, The Kindness Workbook: An Interactive Guide for Creating Compassion in Yourself and the World, and The Little Book of Self-Soothing. She also blogs about travel and life at RobinRaven.com.
Wendy O'Dea
Born and raised in western New York, Wendy O'Dea... Read More
Born and raised in western New York, Wendy O'Dea moved to L.A. to attend the USC graduate School of Journalism and stayed for the innovative and creative lifestyle the city offers. Other than the traffic, there's not much about California she doesn't love. You can track her gallivanting ways on Instagram via @WendyTravels .
Wendy O'Dea
Born and raised in western New York, Wendy O'Dea moved to L.A. to attend the USC graduate School of Journalism and stayed for the innovative and creative lifestyle the city offers. Other than the traffic, there's not much about California she doesn't love. You can track her gallivanting ways on Instagram via @WendyTravels .
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
