Some U.S. cities inspire such unsettling experiences that travelers publicly vow never to return, often citing crime, visible neglect, or a sense that basic safety has broken down. Drawing on detailed crime statistics and widely shared accounts from a heavily commented travel thread, I look at nine places that have become shorthand for “never again” trips, and why they generate such strong reactions.
1) Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee, frequently appears in conversations about U.S. cities people say they will never revisit, largely because of vivid accounts of “rampant crime and unsafe streets.” In the heavily discussed travel thread analyzed by Reddit users, multiple commenters singled out Memphis, with one traveler writing, “I was mugged in broad daylight on Beale Street.” That detail matters, because Beale Street is marketed as a central entertainment corridor, yet the incident described happened in the middle of the day, not in a deserted back alley at night. When a marquee tourist strip is associated with brazen street crime, it shapes how visitors judge the entire city’s risk profile.
From a broader perspective, these accounts highlight how quickly a single violent encounter can override Memphis’s reputation for music, barbecue, and civil rights history. Travelers in the thread did not dwell on Graceland or the National Civil Rights Museum, they focused on feeling exposed while walking between bars or parking lots. For potential visitors, the stakes are straightforward: if a city’s most promoted district is perceived as unpredictable, many will simply choose another destination. That perception, grounded in first person reports of muggings and aggressive behavior, helps explain why Memphis lands on so many personal “never again” lists despite its cultural significance.
2) Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan, is another city that travelers in the same Reddit discussion said they would never revisit, but for reasons that go beyond individual crime incidents. Commenters cited “abandoned neighborhoods and visible decay,” describing entire blocks of empty houses, boarded storefronts, and crumbling infrastructure. One user, quoted in the thread summary, wrote, “The city feels post-apocalyptic; I won’t risk it again.” That phrase captures a mix of physical blight and perceived danger, where vacant buildings and sparse foot traffic make people feel isolated and vulnerable, even if they do not personally experience a robbery or assault.
For visitors, the implications are significant, because tourism depends not only on actual crime rates but also on whether streets feel watched, maintained, and alive. When travelers describe Detroit as “post-apocalyptic,” they are signaling that basic urban cues of safety, such as lighting, open businesses, and visible residents, are missing in key areas they encountered. This perception can overshadow ongoing revitalization efforts in downtown pockets or along the riverfront, since many first-time visitors may arrive with limited time and wander into struggling neighborhoods by accident. Once they associate the city with emptiness and decay, they are likely to advise friends and online communities to stay away, reinforcing Detroit’s place on lists of cities people say they will never revisit.
3) St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri, enters the conversation less through anecdotal Reddit horror stories and more through hard numbers that alarm cautious travelers. In a nationwide safety comparison, WalletHub’s 2023 data ranked St. Louis near the bottom for pedestrian safety, a category that reflects risks people face simply walking around the city. That ranking aligns with FBI Uniform Crime Reports for 2022, which show 66.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, a figure that stands out even among large U.S. cities. When a destination combines a poor pedestrian safety score with one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, it becomes easy for visitors to conclude that everyday activities like crossing downtown streets or exploring neighborhoods on foot carry unacceptable risk…