Overlooked and Underrated Cities

I am going to be responsible for planning a bachelor party for a friend in a few months. We will probably have 8-10 guys going on a weekend trip. Probably Thursday thru Sunday or something along those lines. We will be doing the normal bachelor party stuff. Drinking, boobies, gambling, etc..... Places like Vegas, New Orleans, and Miami are up for consideration, but the majority of the guys have been to these places multiple times. Anyone have any recommendations for overlooked or underrated cities?

 

A decent first post and a decent thread topic. It's like God shit out a golden egg for me today.

I think that a lot of the bigger cities get too much credit, and a lot of smaller ones get overlooked often. I spent a really enjoyable week in Minneapolis, MN once, thinking it was going to be totally bogus. I didn't even go to the Mall of America. It's a city with a pretty interesting history, very low key, not too much excitement, and off the beaten path. It was springtime, though; I imagine you could freeze your nipples off if you went there during the wintertime. But I am sure there are many other underrated cities out there to visit also.

 

I'd put Charlotte NC near the top of my overlooked list. Most of the cool stuff is actually outside the downtown area but there are some great pubs, bars, etc to keep you busy. Plenty of strip clubs too and the quality of stripper is pretty high at the better ones. Also if you get bored or want some sun and sand you can hit the Myrtle Beach area coast in about 3-3.5 hours.

Better still imo is the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. Plenty of awesome bars, if you're going when college is in session you'll have access to the friendliest coeds I've ever met in ASU girls. If college girls aren't your thing there are a handful of strip clubs scattered about. Hopefully you golf otherwise you can head a few hours north and take Jeeps off-roading for a day in Sedona.

Portland, ME. The only caveat is that Portland is small. You could walk it in two hours... unless you're hitting all the pubs, then you'll need 3 days to see them all. Great craft breweries, super friendly people, plenty to do if you like the ocean too. One issue is that there's only two strip clubs of note (there use to be a topless coffee shop but I heard it closed), but if you want to charter a boat for deep sea fishing you can grab a half day charter for 8 guys relatively cheap since there are so many of them.

 

I lived in Savannah for 2 years and it's a fun place. It's a relatively small city, but there is a lot packed into a small place. Good bars and good food. It's a short drive to Hilton Head if you want to go to the beach, but Hilton Head, like all Atlantic Coast beaches, sucks.

I didn't get to any strip clubs except for one place called Uncle Harry's which was short on quality, but long on quantity.

 

It probably doesn't count as "overlooked" but since it's not on your list already I figured I'd mention it: Montreal. St. Catherine St. has various strip clubs all in walking distance and most people speak English. I had my bachelor party there and had a blast. Just remember that if you're from the US everyone who goes will need a passport.

 

You can do a lot of what you're mentioning in Ft Lauderdale rather than Miami, and lodging would likely be a bit cheaper. Plus, I'm a bar person more than a South Beach Club kind of person. There's the Hard Rock for gambling w/ bars all around, and though my memory on where is hazy, there are strip clubs where you can get "perks".

 

Seattle, WA: We spent a few days there during our honeymoon, and the wife and I fell in love. It's like New York minus the assholes, and everything is walking distance. Some of the best sea food I've ever tasted; if you go there, you MUST eat at the 67 Restaurant in the Edgewater Hotel. We're going back as soon as possible.

Sarasota, FL Take everything awesome about Florida -- the beaches, the water, the fishing, the temperatures, the lifestyle -- then throw away everything terrible -- the legal people, the illegal people, the douchebags, the swampass humidity -- and you have Sarasota. St. Armand's Circle is awesome for shopping. I could live there in a heartbeat.

 

I will second this. I had also mine in Montreal back in July. We may have groped the same hookers. There is something for everybody - bars, clubs, good looking women, casino (slight drive), a plethora of strip clubs, nice hotels, great culinary environment, old town versus downtown - the list goes on. Depending on your timing, weather/temperature will be an issue. It's pretty far north, which means extremely short and extremely cold days in the winter. I know there are a few guys on the board who are from Montreal, so they could probably give a better overview than me.

Another great spot is Lake Tahoe. Depending on the season, you'll either have great golf or great skiing. Lots of outdoor stuff to do, plus casinos and a decent bar scene. If there are like 10 of you going, you could rent a pretty sick place and it would still be relatively affordable.

 

You know what, I'm going to say it. Oklahoma City, OK. Now, I know that you all are thinking "fuck you, Oklahoma sucks and you suck for living there", but just hold your horses and let me explain a little.

I'm not talking about the greater Oklahoma City Metro area because yes, a lot of it sucks. If you are planning on sightseeing or looking for a lot of really great cultural hotspots, then this isn't the place. However, we do have an area in downtown OKC called Bricktown which is centered around a San Antonio inspired river walk and is a pretty great little entertainment area. Lots of good bars, some microbreweries, awesome restaurants, a great dueling piano bar, and there are the douchey dance clubs too if that's your thing, but those places suck. There is a really great minor league ballpark too, as well as the Ford Center where the OKC Thunder play. If you want to gamble, there is a huge Indian Casino just 30 minutes south of the city in Norman where Oklahoma University is.

Our strip clubs suck though, that's one downside, so I wouldn't come here if that is what you are looking for. We do have southern women here, and believe me we know how to grow 'em.

I honestly don't expect anyone to travel here if they aren't coming to see family or for some other specific reason, but its really not a bad place if you have to visit. I like living here quite a bit. Except for the weather which fucking blows 70% of the time.

 

If it's nudie bars you're looking for, you can't beat Hurley, WI. <a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurley,_Wisconsin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurley,_Wisconsin</a> It's a town of less than 2000 people on the border of the UP with 6 or 7 nudie bars. It's just 30 minutes from Ashland if you want to charter a fishing boat for a day.

 

My advice if you're coming to Montreal for this during the december to march period is to bring winter coats. Too often i've seen posses of douchebag americans, walking around with only t-shirts(or thin party shirts) and jeans in minus 30 celsius weather . You don't want to be like those guys, trust me.

You might also want to check the value of the loonie before going, as it's been inching closer to parity with the us dollar.

I confirm that you will need passports to get across the border. Blame the war on terror.

 

Thanks for some of the suggestions. I probably should have mentioned that we are from Chicago and will be going in March/April. So what I am saying is we will probably want to hit a warmer weather destination and thaw out from a long winter.


Montreal does sound great and I have heard some amazing things, but I don't think the group will want to head up there after a hard winter.

 

Columbia, SC - Basically has 4 different bar/entertainment districts. Dirt cheap, and in late March a mere 20 minute drive gets you to Carolina Cup. Cup is just a horse race in the middle of a small town called Camden. I've never been to any big time horse race, but this is some of the most fun outside of Gamecock football all year.

 

I will second Tahoe, unless you are a bunch of fat lazy slugs, the skiing is incredible and so is the scenery, by scenery I mean women.
Gambling, bars, dining, skiing, fishing and golf all very close and the quality of is very high and there is a nice cross section of society there to fit everyones tastes.

 

I have to second Savannah, GA. I was there for a conference about two years ago, and that city is awesome. It's beautiful, it's got really nice people, fantastic nightlife, and pretty good food.

 

There's already been a lot of Savannah love. To add to the awesomeness, unless something's changed in the past two years, there aren't any open container laws. You can walk around with a beer all you want. Along the same vein, Charleston, SC is pretty comparable to Savannah, except with open container laws and a bit to the north. Both cities have fun bar scenes, a great climate, beach proximity and cool histories.

I'd second Charlotte, NC, but that's my hometown so I'm a biased.

To add something new to the thread -- Albuquerque, NM. Frequent trips to ABQ are the only thing that made living in bumfuck New Mexico for two years bearable. The downtown area has a very new, fun bar district, and there are a lot of sexy Latina women flitting around for those of you who share my type. Nob Hill is another bar area that's more upscale, for you pretentious types. You can't beat the Mexican food in NM (I'm salivating over the thought of fresh green chile). There are a bunch of cool daytrips you can take from ABQ, too. It's 45 minutes to Santa Fe and a couple hours to places like Roswell, Carlsbad Caverns and the Navajo Reservation. Even if you don't want to go that far, ABQ is an outdoor sports mecca, and you can do everything from rock climbing to snowboarding to mountain biking basically within the city limits. The city's at 5,000 feet, the same as Denver, so it's not as hot as people think, and it snows in the winter. Finally, the high desert is extremely picturesque, especially with ABQ being surrounded by pretty sizeable mountains.

 

Pittsburgh, PA Station Square is an interesting section. As far as strip clubs, my roommate recommends "Blush" on 9th street. It's full nude and the girls are friendly. Although, I went there once and you shouldn't hit on the bartenders. I saw a fight between a customer and the bartender's boyfriend.

 

I have no idea whether this is true amongst residents of the PacNW or Canada, but to your average American, Vancouver is vastly underrated. It's a beautiful city, lots of young people, lots of things to do.

I also second Savannah.

I am already on record regarding Washington, DC.

 

I'll also show some love for Savannah.

Ft. Worth is a great city. It's smaller, but that's part of its charm. There's a pretty cool, (smaller) art scene, some fun bars, and Sundance Square is really nice.

The TX Hill Country. There are so many cute, historic, small towns like Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Gruene, New Braunfels, and San Marcos. Tons of outdoor activities during the spring/summer like floating the river, hiking, historic dance halls, and pretty good wineries. Plus, it's really beautiful down there. I love it.

Nashville. Great city, fun people. I don't even like country music, but I always have a great time visiting.