College is all about trying new things. You're finally independent, and you're constantly figuring out who you are as a person. You're totally allowed to still be a little lost on who you're supposed to be before you graduate, so no worries if you don't have it all figured out just yet. College can also be your time to explore and the best time in your life to travel. It's one of the best ways to meet new people and places, and experience things you never imagined you could. Before you graduate, there are some obvious choices of places to visit, but some unique cities in the U.S. to travel to will give you a completely new experience.
These are the cities that you wouldn't necessarily think of first when you're planning a big vacation, but they have a lot to offer. Some of these seven cities in the U.S. are quirky enough that you will definitely have a story to tell your friends and family back home and snap some seriously Insta-worthy pics along the way. The predictable places like New York City and Las Vegas surely would provide you with some fun, but it's the different places your friends haven't been to yet that provide you with some cool memories that will last forever. Before you graduate and take a big step into the real world, you need to know what the world really has to offer — even the crazy and different.
Everyone needs to travel to Utah at least once in their lives, just to experience the sights that nature has provided. It is unlike anything you have seen, and no Instagram pic will do it justice. In Moab, you are very close to both Arches National Park with its beautiful red rocks, and the Canyonlands National Park with its breathtaking dessert landscape. You better bring your camera for this one.
In both Newsies and Rent, they have characters singing about going to Santa Fe, so you know there's something special about this city. If you happen to be an art major, you'll love the art scene this town has to offer. There is a long list of art galleries to visit, and if you're an architecture major, you will love the Pueblo-style architecture in this city as well.
Cocoa Beach is a nice beach city to visit if you're looking for some low-key sand and waves. It is located in the Space Coast of Florida, so if you're a science nerd, you'll also love visiting the Kennedy Space Center nearby. It also doesn't hurt that Cocoa Beach is very close to tourist hot spot Orlando, where you can visit Walt Disney World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.
If you're looking for some small town charm, then Mystic, Connecticut, is for you. This place is too cute to be real. You'll feel like you stepped into an episode of Gilmore Girls. It also happens to be the place where you will find Mystic Pizza if you're a fan of the Julia Roberts' movie by the same name.
Everywhere you look in Roswell, you'll see all alien everything. This quirky town in New Mexico is known for being the place where the UFO incident happened, and they won't let you forget it. If you love conspiracy theories and space, you'll love visiting this city and exploring all the alien museums it has to offer.
Pigeon Forge is truly one of the most unique cities you could visit. If you're a music major, you should visit Nashville, but Pigeon Forge also has some great music history to offer. It is the site of Dolly Parton's Dollywood amusement park, and you're also close to the Smoky Mountains, which offer some breathtaking sights to see.
When you think of Texas, most people want to visit Austin or even Houston, but don't sleep on San Antonio. You can't forget the Alamo, because, like the locals here say, you're supposed to remember it. Plus, the San Antonio River Walk is gorgeous, and is the perfect backdrop for an outdoors dinner or drink. The weather here is mostly in the upper 70s or 80s year-round, so it's a great space to escape the bitter Northeast winters.
