re: Most under-rated place you've been to in US or a place you discovered?

Yep this

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Astoria, Oregon and the nearby coasts

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Cannon Beach, Haystack Rock, The Goonies.

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Port St. Joe/St. Joseph State Park, FL

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Spent last New years there...great town. I liked Apalachicola better, though. The whole region is fantastic and relatively undiscovered.

Bahia Honda is great

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Cultural capital of Texans count

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Sorry if already asked, but

Wut

I really enjoy the White Mountains. The area is popular, but I don't see it discussed that frequently around these parts.

- I tend to think Minneapolis is underrated. I know its been talked about here a little bit, but people seem to be turned off by the winter weather.

- Door County in Wisconsin is an underrated vacation spot. Door Peninsula to the west and Lake Michigan to the east.

- Burlington, Vermont is terrific. Beautiful city on the shores of Lake Champlain. Adirondacks in Upstate New York across the lake to the west and the Green Mountains to the east. Home to the University of Vermont. Great beer.

- Hard to call anything in the Hawaiian Islands underrated, but I really, really liked Lahaina on Maui.

- Was a big fan of Decorah, Iowa. Awesome brewery right in town (Toppling Goliath). Dunning's Spring and the Ice Cave are both pretty great.

- Despite the tourism months, I would say any town along the Upper Cape is underrated. The dunes and beaches are beautiful. Provincetown is a lively little town, too.

- Lambertville and New Hope. Lambertville is in New Jersey and New Hope is in Pennsylvania. They're walking distance from each other as both are separated by a bridge over the Delaware River. Both are quiet towns, oft visited in peak months, though. A lot of small boutiques, restaurants/bars, attractions, etc.

- Madison, WI

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Bryce and Zion canyon have sights that rival the grand canyon and without the crowds.

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They are every bit as crowded as the Grand Canyon in the summer. For uncrowded in southern Utah try Capitol Reef national Park. The area around Torrey, UT is great. The hike to Calf Creek Falls is a favorite.

The Olympic Peninsula in the summer is great. So are the northern Cascades around Mt. Baker/Mt. Shuksun which has possibly the greatest mountain view I've ever seen.

Lassen Volcanic Park is underrated and not too crowded when compared to Tahoe or Yosemite.

Lee Vining California is on the west side of the Sierras above Mono Lake and a very interesting area.

The Alabama Hills west of Mt. Whitney is also an interesting area with great views of the Sierras and Death Valley nearby. The Mammoth Lakes area to the north is gorgeous for hiking and camping.

The Beartooth highway between Wyoming and Montana has awesome views. It's not far from Yellowstone. Another good one is in SE Wyoming; Highway 70 through the Medicine Bow range.

The Oregon and Washington deserts have some great places to visit. High Falls State Park in Washington and Fort Rock in Oregon come to mind. The mountains west of Sisters were nice but to be honest I thought Bend was overrated and full of hipsters and yuppies and posers.

Talkeetna, Alaska is a great little town. So is Haines. Homer is nice as well but better known.

Tombstone Provincial Park in the Yukon is amazing for its beauty and solitude.

The Panhandle of Florida from Panacea to Apalachicola is still largely undeveloped and enjoyable. Panacea is a funky little fishing village that's worth a stop.

Camping on the Dry Tortugas is one of the greatest ways I can think of to spend 3 days. The island is crowded when the ferry boat is in but that's for about 5 hours. The rest of the day the few campers have the run of the place.

Big Sky Montana and Sun Valley Idaho.

Definitely under rated when compared to Colorado destinations. Every bit as gorgeous (maybe more so) with out the crowds.