The Most Breathtaking Streets All Across America, According To Travelers

America is known for its dramatic roads — like the iconic Route 66 or the Pacific Coast Highway — that faithfully wind their way through epic natural scenery. But it's less celebrated for its many wonderful streets: the walkable, people-centered stretches of beautiful, historic architecture, cozy corner pubs, and little mom-and-pop shops, all adorned with American flags and lined with giant oak trees. While the best roads highlight the land, the best streets highlight the people who live there, what they've built, and what's important to them.

We searched all over the 50 states to find 10 of America's best streets, from quaint cobblestone alleys to grand tree-lined boulevards to colorful sea shacks on stilts. We start in an old New England fishing village and travel down the East Coast through the great cities of the South. We travel up the Mississippi and through the Rockies before winding down San Francisco's' famed Lombard Street. From there, it's up the Pacific to perhaps the most unusual street on this list, perhaps the country. So park the car, and let's go for a walk around the block.

There are many historic neighborhoods where every street could easily be included on this list, and choosing just one is near impossible. That's the case in Old Town Marblehead, a delightful tangle of beautifully preserved 18th-century colonial homes next to one of the country's oldest and prettiest harbors. You'll feel as though you stepped back in time as you breathe in salty air and admire the handsome, pastel-colored homes, most of which have hand-carved plaques telling you the year they were built and a bit of their fascinating story.

For a tour through the best of Old Town, take a delightful harborside stroll along Front Street, which provides a delightful mix of perfect New England colonial architecture, beautiful parks, quaint shops, and great seafood, all looking out at a picture-perfect harbor and lighthouse. The walk begins at Crocker Park, a delightful park with a gazebo, swings, and several benches perfect for gazing out at the harbor and Marblehead Neck on the other side. In the summer, when the harbor is packed with sailboats, Crocker Park hosts numerous concerts, weddings, and even a swimming float for a bracing harbor swim. 

The walk through early American history continues until you reach Tucker's Wharf at State Street, where you can enjoy pancakes at the cozy Driftwood, or a full lobster meal at the elegant Landing. Further down, the Barnacle Restaurant juts into the water, the perfect spot for a delicious lobster roll and panoramic harbor views. Front Street ends at Fort Sewall, a colonial fort transformed into a park offering spectacular views of the harbor, the Neck, the open ocean, and the Boston skyline.

From Fort Sewall, it's about a 45-minute drive along lovely Atlantic waters until you reach the famous skyscrapers of Boston. Just a few blocks away, you'll fall hopelessly in love with Acorn Street, a quiet cobblestone alley brimming with bricks and flower boxes that is popularly believed to be the most photographed street in America. As soon as you arrive, you'll instinctively reach for your camera, though be discreet, because residents are growing tired of the throngs who show up each time an article like this sings their street's praises. 

However, Acorn Street shows up on nearly every list for good reason. A row of handsome brick 1820s townhouses cascades gracefully down a slope illuminated by quaint gas lamps. The brick buildings are full of large windows with black shutters and flower boxes and create a red wall that manages to be both pleasingly uniform and charmingly idiosyncratic at the same time. If you really want your heart to pound, visit on a snowy day, when the cobblestones are covered in snow and the buildings are decorated with green wreaths.

Like Front Street, Acorn Street is surrounded by an entire neighborhood of equally scenic streets. Beacon Hill is Boston's oldest and most prestigious neighborhood: A delightful maze of ivy-covered brick buildings with black shutters and white columns, with the occasional bay window painted dark green, buildings so handsome they're devastatingly beautiful. Pretty much any street in Beacon Hill could have made this list, but Acorn Street still manages to stand out.

While Front Street and Acorn Street are spectacular because of their intimacy and charm, Fifth Avenue is one of the most celebrated streets in the world, thanks in part to its bold opulence and grandeur. To walk its 6 miles is to experience nearly everything that makes New York New York: Grand apartment buildings, towering skyscrapers, luxury shopping, people-watching, parades, monuments, museums, and more, all connected by a pulse of electric energy.

Fifth Avenue begins at the Washington Square Arch, a grand marble arch at the northern end of Washington Square Park. From the arch, you'll be able to see one of the street's most beloved residents: the towering Art Deco spires of the Empire State Building, which soars over Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. The Empire State Building is one of many great monuments along Fifth Avenue; others include the stately library at 42nd Street, the legendary Rockefeller Center and its stunning NYC views, and the magnificent Gothic spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral. As you inch closer to Central Park, the street becomes one of the most exclusive shopping districts in the world, with flagship boutiques for luxury brands and fabled department stores like Tiffany's and Saks Fifth Avenue.

At 59th Street, Central Park begins in spectacular fashion with the majestic Plaza Hotel, a sumptuous fountain, and the clip-clopping of hansom cab rides. Fifth Avenue forms the eastern edge of Central Park, and from 59th to 110th Street, it becomes a grand, tree-lined boulevard of magnificent, ultra-exclusive apartment buildings. The stretch from 82nd to 110th Street is known as Museum Mile, which includes famous museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim.

Charleston has often been named the most beautiful city in America, meaning many of its pastel, palmetto-lined streets are also competing for the title of the country's most beautiful avenues. Any one of Charleston's downtown streets could have made it onto this list, notably King Street, the bustling collection of restaurants, bars, shops, and historic buildings named one of America's top ten shopping districts.

However, we're going with the street that gave us Rainbow Row. East Bay Street stretches 3 miles along the eastern shore (as the name suggests), combining glorious colonial architecture with beautiful waterfront parks. It begins at White Point Garden, a sumptuous tangle of oak and palmetto trees at the city's southernmost tip, where the Cooper River, the Ashley River, and the Atlantic Ocean merge. Heading north, you'll stroll along the breezy Battery, enjoying sweeping water views and charming Georgian and Federalist architecture. The Battery merges into Waterfront Park, which features 10 acres of gorgeous park and the famed Pineapple Fountain.

At exactly that point, you'll be treated to the street's best-known attraction: 13 brightly-colored 18th-century homes affectionately called Rainbow Row. As soon as you see the handsome homes decked out in teal, pink, lavender, and lilac, you'll immediately understand why it's called Rainbow Row, one of the most photographed spots in this most scenic of cities.

Just two hours south of Charleston lies one of the only cities that can give the Chuck a true run for its money. Savannah is a bewitching city overflowing with history, folklore, exquisite architecture, and southern live oak trees covered in Spanish moss dipping over ornate fountains. To be widely accepted as the prettiest street in Savannah means it is also one of the prettiest streets in the entire country, and Jones Street fits the bill.

Jones Street is an enchanting street in the heart of the Historic District and encapsulates everything magical about Savannah. Exquisitely-preserved homes from the 18th and 19th centuries with large shutters, lush gardens, and wrought iron balconies stand tall and proud under a canopy of lush, moss-strewn trees whose gnarled branches and green leaves almost form their own sky. At night, that fecund sky is illuminated by the pale yellow of hundreds of gas lamps, a hauntingly beautiful scene that has barely changed in 150 years. Many of the handsome homes are still private residences, but some of the historic buildings house classic Southern restaurants and bars, like Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room, Clary's Cafe, and the Crystal Beer Parlor. For a true Savannah experience, which includes the likely presence of friendly ghosts, stay at the Eliza Thompson House at 5 West Jones Street, a bed and breakfast built in 1847.

Walk along the brick and cobblestone street for more of Savannah's best attractions. Jones Street lies just a few blocks north of Forsyth Park, a 30-acre park known for its tangle of oak trees surrounding an exquisite 1858 fountain. Stroll all around Jones Street to encounter Savannah's iconic squares, lush little parklets often crowned by beautiful statues and gazebos at the center.

For a true streetcar full of desire, head down to the Big Easy and go straight to St. Charles Avenue, referred to as the Jewel of America's Grand Avenues. This grand, oak-lined boulevard cutting through the heart of New Orleans is known for two main attractions: its 190-year-old streetcar, which still functions as a working mode of public transportation, and the incredible homes you can see from it.

The St. Charles Avenue streetcar was first built in 1835, and it retains many of its original features, including mahogany seats, windows with blinds, and a vintage price of just $1.25 to ride it. Today, it's an iconic symbol of New Orleans and a designated National Historic Landmark. Not many historic landmarks move, and this is a really great ride. St. Charles Avenue is full of incredible homes from the 19th century, notably Queen Anne-style homes built by the famed architect Thomas Sully. Celebrated homes along the street include the Wedding Cake House, the Elms Mansion, and Columns, a four-star hotel. The streetcar — or a leisurely stroll — will also transport you to the campuses of Tulane University, Loyola University New Orleans, and Audubon Park, a beautiful 350-acre park with a zoo, a lake, and beautiful views of the Mississippi River.

If you're adventurous enough for New Orleans during Mardi Gras, grab a lawn chair and set up along St. Charles Avenue, which is an important stop for the parade. If you visit any other time of year, be sure to explore the many other enchanting streets of the bordering Garden District and Uptown neighborhoods, notably Magazine Street, which provides 6 miles of some of the best quirky independently-owned shops, restaurants, and salons anywhere, housed in beautiful historic buildings.

Sail all the way up the Mississippi — preferably on an old steamboat — and you'll end up at our next street, which begins with a beautiful statue in a riverfront park. It's a suitably grand beginning for Summit Avenue, the country's longest stretch of preserved Victorian-era homes. In the mid-19th century, businessmen who had made their fortunes in railroads, dry goods, and lumber competed to build the grandest homes along the avenue. This was a common phenomenon in American cities, like Fifth Avenue in New York or Prairie Avenue in Chicago, but many of those homes were eventually demolished. By creating several different historical districts, St. Paul was able to save 373 of the original 440 mansions built from the 1850s to the 1920s, creating one of the best open-air architectural museums in the world.

Today, Summit Avenue mansions stand along lush trees and a long, green median in the center of the avenue, a perfect 4.5-mile stroll through verdant history. You can get self-guided walking tour maps online or visit in the summer to take a 90-minute guided tour from the Minnesota Historical Society. Standout homes include the Minnesota Governor's Residence at number 1006 and the James J. Hill House, the 36,000-square-foot, 13-bedroom red sandstone Romanesque castle of the former railroad tycoon. 

"The Great Gatsby" writer F. Scott Fitzgerald grew up on nearby Laurel Avenue and briefly lived in a townhouse on 599 Summit. He wasn't a fan of the avenue and even called it a "mausoleum of American architectural monstrosities," a sentiment shared by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. We disagree, as do most of the architectural pilgrims who come to marvel at this fascinating mix of Victorian, Queen Anne, Romanesque, Italianate, and Tudor mansions.

Many of the streets on this list are special because of their architecture and atmosphere. But in Colorado, stunning natural beauty is never far from the horizon. On Telluride's Main Street, an idyllic Wild West main street is enhanced by 14,000-foot mountains in the background.

Telluride is a former mining town that has blossomed into one of the world's premier destinations for skiing, hiking, rafting, fishing, and a staggering array of festivals throughout the year. At the center of this outdoor paradise, Colorado Avenue — also called Main Street — is a destination unto itself. Along this charming National Historic Landmark, Wild West Victorians house various independent hotels, restaurants, art galleries, and shops. They're pretty broad in scope, offering everything from custom cowboy hats to Scottish cashmere, but what unites all of Main Street's stores is the lack of chain shops, restaurants, or hotels. In fact, there are no chains anywhere in Telluride.

Instead, you'll find treasures like the Chop House Restaurant in the Sheridan Hotel, a classic steakhouse inside the handsome old brick hotel, the Between the Covers Bookstore, home to over 10,000 books, and the Coffee Cowboy, where artisan tea and coffee are served by a team of "coffee cowgirls." There is also the Telluride Arts District, which features several different galleries and collaborative spaces, as well as numerous high-end shops and ateliers for outdoor gear, supplies, and "mountain chic" clothing. Put all that new mountain chic attire to the test in the surrounding area, which includes Bridal Veil Falls (the tallest free-falling waterfall in Colorado) and a gondola that climbs 10,500 feet en route to neighboring Mountain Village.

Anyone who sees Lombard Street will be surprised to read that it isn't even the steepest or crookedest street in bucket-list-worthy San Francisco, despite its popular moniker as the "Crookedest Street in the World." It certainly looks that way: The stretch of Lombard Street between Hyde and Leavenworth streets features eight dramatic switchbacks traversing through a 27-degree hill. So even though San Francisco's Department of Public Works confirmed in 2011 that Lombard Street is not the crookedest street in San Francisco, it's certainly the most famous and picturesque of the city's many steep, crooked streets.

The famed zigzag starts at the top of Hyde Street, where visitors can enjoy near-panoramic views of San Francisco, the bay, the Coit Tower, and the Bay Bridge. Cars can follow the red brick road down, though only at a speed of 5 mph. With over 2 million tourists a year visiting this stretch, they may not have much of a choice: it can sometimes take up to 45 minutes to travel the single block. Hopefully, you won't have to wait that long, but there's plenty to look at as you wait: the incredible views, the meticulously landscaped hydrangea bushes hugging every curve, and the multimillion-dollar Victorian, Mediterranean, and modernist homes on either side of the road. As with so many touristy roads, it's important to remember that people live here, so respect their privacy, and don't block their driveways if you step out to take photos. If you'd like to stop wherever you please and get a good workout, Lombard Street has sidewalks on both sides, and unlike cars, pedestrians can walk up and down the serpentine stretch.

We've traveled around the country and seen some unique streets, but we're hard-pressed to find another street that's a boardwalk perched atop stilts. A former red light district atop stilts, no less. Deep in the verdant, misty rainforests of southeast Alaska, Creek Street is a colorful street with a colorful past, nestled deep in Pacific Northwest splendor.

Creek Street began as the red light district for Ketchikan in the early 20th century, back when the town was full of loggers, gold miners, and fishermen. Police frequently raided Creek Street, and patrons would escape via the Married Man's Trail, which today is a beautiful forest trail leading to scenic views of the town and harbor. The brothels closed in the 1950s, and Creek Street reinvented itself as a tourist haven and popular cruise ship docking point. Today, Creek Street is a scenic stroll through the brightly-colored independent restaurants, shops, galleries, and museums, enhanced by the soaring mountains and the roaring flow of the Ketchikan Creek. For a cozy inn, stay at the Inn at Creek Street or take the tram up to the Cape Fox Lodge. For beautiful Indigenous art and gifts, hit up Soaring Eagle Native Arts and Crafts. For a full recounting of local history, visit Dolly's House, a brothel turned museum. For delicious local seafood, try the Heen Kahidi Dining Room at Cape Fox Lodge or the dishes at Creek Street Reef.

And to see that seafood before it's seafood, be sure to visit in the summer when you can look down from the boardwalk to see thousands of salmon swimming upstream on their way to spawn. At the end of the Married Man's Trail, stop at the Salmon Ladder to watch these intrepid fish jump up a waterfall, and continue upstream.

We looked through travel websites, blogs, and forums to find streets that combine scenic nature, unique and charming architecture, and fabulous nearby attractions. We also aimed for geographic and architectural diversity to showcase the country's breathtaking variations of beauty.