Tour the World From Inside the U.S.A.

WITH INFLATION RECENTLY HITTING ITS highest rate in over 40 years, many Americans are dialing back ambitious post-pandemic travel plans. A July survey by Forbes found that U.S. vacationers, on average, have trimmed $1,636 from their travel budgets due to high flight costs and other financial concerns, mainly through such measures as picking cheaper destinations, staying closer to home and driving rather than flying.

Skipping foreign shores for the delights of home can be a smart money move but you don’t have to give up on your dreams of a culturally diverse getaway to accomplish it. As a nation of immigrants and diverse ethnic groups, the U.S. is filled with locales that allow you to immerse yourself in the food, music, art, history, culture and customs of other countries and communities. You just need to know where to find them and what to do when you get there.

Newsweek consulted experts from Lonely Planet and Rough Guides to identify the best multicultural enclaves in the U.S. to visit in the coming months. Here are the picks—all places that will expand your knowledge of the world and the diverse people that make up this country, while helping you stay within that tighter travel budget.

Gullah Geechee Corridor

GEORGETOWN AND HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

Along the Sea Islands and coastal plains of the Southeast, you’ll find the Gullah Geechee people—descendants of enslaved West Africans forced to work on rice, cotton, and indigo plantations before the Civil War. Living on isolated islands and coastal areas helped the community stick together through the centuries and develop its own unique culture with deep African roots.

While the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor stretches 12,000 square miles from Pender