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USL Top Five – Weekend Road Trips

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 05/12/17, 3:09PM EDT

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What cities make for a great road trip away from the field for USL fans?

The regional growth of the USL has seen more and more opportunities for fans to hit the road to follow their teams to different parts of the country. Already this season we’ve seen numerous traveling support contingents at USL games, bringing an added excitement to the games they attend.

For some fans, getting out of town for the weekend, centered around their team’s game, can also offer an opportunity to visit some of the great cities that make up the USL. Here are five such locations, where you’re almost certain to have an entertaining trip, no matter whether your team wins, loses or draws on the field.

No. 5 – Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Steel City has reinvented itself to become a hub for young professionals, and has a thriving art scene that counts its crown jewel as the Andy Warhol Museum, with the local boy’s art being displayed in the largest museum in North America devoted to one artist. The city loves its sports, of course, but there’s also a vibrant restaurant and bar scene that has been a major draw for recent college graduates.

For those who want to get out of the city, making the drive up Mount Washington will provide an amazing view of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, and also of the home of the Riverhounds’ Highmark Stadium, which itself provides one of the finest views in American soccer.

No. 4 – Sacramento, Calif.

California’s state capital has a rich history that has been brought back to the fore in recent years, with outstanding architecture including the Southern Pacific Train Station and the state capital among them, and an easily walkable downtown that usually has plenty to offer on weekends. In addition, for the beer lover there aren’t many places better to get top-quality regional offerings, with the likes of Russian River – famous nationally for Pliny the Elder – and top local establishment Rubicon Brewing located in the heart of Midtown.

Sacramento Republic FC has embraced its local culture, and is regularly part of major events around the city, which has helped establish the club as a major part of the city’s resurgence. With everything Sacramento now has to offer, it makes a great away day for visiting soccer fans, too.

No. 3 – St. Petersburg, Fla.

Downtown St. Petersburg has experienced a major resurgence in recent years, with the waterfront not only being populated by the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium, but new restaurants and breweries giving the city a much more modern feel than its old reputation. The beaches are still pristine, among the best in the country, and there’s plenty to do away from the game including the Dali Museum – which houses the largest collection of Salvador Dali’s work outside Europe.

With a number of the best craft breweries in Florida – notably Cycle Brewing just up the street from Al Lang Stadium itself – St. Petersburg is a great place to spend a weekend in addition to catching a game on the waterfront.

No. 2 – Louisville, Ky.

Famous for its Bourbon Trail – 95 percent of bourbon is distilled in Kentucky, with a third of it coming from the Louisville area – Louisville has become a great destination for visitors as a modernization of the city has blended with the historic city’s features. From the Muhammed Ali Center – which honors Louisville’s most famous son – to the Speed Art Museum, to the relatively recent advent of Fourth Street Live, which features numerous bars and restaurants in downtown, there’s plenty to do should the traditional local libation not be up your street.

If bourbon is your thing, though, there’s plenty of options to choose from. Pay a visit to the historic Brown Hotel – a little over a mile from Slugger Field – for food and drink after the game to make sure your trip’s complete.

No. 1 – Charleston, S.C.

By consensus, one of the best cities to visit in the United States – if not the world – Charleston has long been a favorite destination for traveling fans both for USL contests and for the preseason Carolina Challenge Cup. The view from Battery Park across the water to Fort Sumter is a perfect way to spend a late afternoon in the sunshine, and there is some of the best food and drink in the country available nearby, most notably produced by James Beard Award-winning Chef Sean Brock at Husk and McCrady’s.

Charleston has great beer too; check out the likes of Holy City Brewing, which collaborated with the Battery on a beer last year, while you’re there. Add in a visit to the first soccer-specific stadium in the United States at MUSC Health Stadium, and you can’t go wrong.

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