It’s been a few years since I wrote 5 Cities in the USA with Fascinating Street Art. Since then I’ve embraced the chance to search for interesting murals in cities all around the country, with 3 more cities standing out for their sheer volume of art—Philadelphia, Denver, and Long Beach. While searching for street art may not be the first thing you think of when visiting a place like Philadelphia or Denver, it’s worth planning time to see the amazing works of art scattered throughout these cities. And, year after year, week-long festivals have brought new murals to Long Beach, California. Artists are being commissioned in each of these cities as part of larger art initiatives to not only revitalize neighborhoods but to share messages of hope or detail the history of a community. Here are more details of what to expect when it comes to street art in these 3 cities. You can make your own decision about which city should be crowned the mural capital of the USA!
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia has grown up over the years since we have been visiting. The restaurant scene has exploded, and no matter the season, there is always something fun to do. Besides all the sites found in the Historic District, the city is home to popular attractions like Reading Terminal Market and Eastern State Penitentiary. Summer brings outdoor beer gardens and winter pop-up ice skating rinks and fire pits. And the street art scene has exploded thanks to Mural Arts Philadelphia, with over 4,000 murals around town! Their public art initiative is using art to inspire change, and focuses on core program areas including environmental justice and art education. Mural Arts Philadelphia is a good place to find a mural tour if you don’t want to go it alone.
You can find both self-guided and guided tours in neighborhoods across the city, some even by trolley. The city is also home to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens and Isaiah Zagar’s colorful mosaic work. If visiting the garden is not in your budget, you can use this mosaic map to stroll through the nearby neighborhoods. Just be sure to plan a stop at the historic South 9th Street Italian Market while you are in the area. Here’s just a tiny sampling of the many pieces of art from Philadelphia.
Artist Meg Saligman
Artist Michael Webb
Artist Isaiah Zagar
Denver, Colorado
It’s been quite a few years since I explored Denver so I was excited to get back for a visit! Our 5-day trip wasn’t long enough to do everything we wanted, but with sunny days and fall temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s, it was a perfect time to explore Denver and the surrounding area. This included a walking tour of the historic downtown area, lots of hiking, a scenic train ride through Royal Gorge, a self-guided mural tour in the River North Art District (known as RiNo), and tea at the historic Brown Palace Hotel.
Our last two nights were spent at the colorful Catbird Hotel, a perfect base for exploring all that the RiNo district has to offer. Several neighborhoods make up the RiNo district, including Five Points and Cole. Besides what seemed like a brewery on every corner, we were truly wowed by all the colorful artwork. One source counts more than 200 murals in the RiNo Art District. Several guided tours were available but we decided to try one of the self-guided app tours—the Denver RiNo Street Art Mural Tour by WalknTours. Fuel up with coffee and the bacon fried rice from Lekker Coffee & Watering Hole before you start, or pop into the Denver Central Market for lunch. Overall using the app was a great experience for the price of $5.99, with only one mural on the tour that was no longer there. Towards the end, we dropped off the tour to start walking back towards the hotel. Photographing all the murals in the RiNo district could take days! Across town, the Colorado Wildlife mural is worth a stop. Created by local artist, AJ Davis, the mural comes to life in an interesting way when you scan the QR code.
Artist Casey Kawaguchi
Artist Jeremy Burns
Artist Gamma & Pat Milberry
Long Beach, California
Heading to southern California? Be sure to visit Long Beach for a street art bonanza! I had heard that the city was a great place for public art, but had no idea just how extensive the collection was. On our last trip to California to visit family and see Joshua Tree National Park (with 26 historical murals in nearby Twentynine Palms), we had time to make a short stopover in Long Beach. I was overwhelmed and pleasantly surprised by the number of red pins when I first saw the Arts Council for Long Beach public art map. It seemed that there was art on every corner! As with the program in Philadelphia, the Arts Council has been busy, working with local artists and residents to encourage neighborhood pride and community involvement—a win-win for everyone. Other initiatives, like the Asphalt Art Initiative, will support local artists through a grant to help improve and revitalize public spaces.
Visitors can take a public art tour, or search for art by neighborhoods. During our short visit, we spent some time enjoying the downtown murals on W. Broadway. I especially loved the book murals found just outside the Billie Jean King Main Library. Inside the library are pieces completed in 1937 as part of the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. Here’s a few favorite street art scenes from around Long Beach. 
Artist Fortoul Brothers
Artist Ryan Milner
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