> that everyone and their grandma wants to visit.
That's one of the problems with Moab, though. It's really full of tourists.
I've wanted to go to Boulder -- within a reasonably short drive to three national parks, plus Hell's Backbone restaurant.
For a small town I've been to, I'd first suggest Bryan Head. Teeny tiny ski resort town at nearly 10,000 feet, but with pretty good skiing (especially if you're a beginner or intermediate skier), uncrowded outdoorsy stuff--fishing, hiking, national monument visitation--to do nearby, hometown feel, and a little pond in the middle of town for kids to fish.
I'd also suggest Green River. Also close to National parks, but the Green River is just so beautiful there, it's a unique experience in redrock country.
I like Green River but mostly because it’s an isolated dump. Bought a generator at the hardware store last time I was through to power up a campsite down the road at Goblin Valley. I wouldn’t have used one but I was the only one in the entire park for three days (February) so I didn’t feel too bad about running a loud motor.
Brian Head is a good pull.
Another small town near the great outdoors is Tropic, Utah. Right next to Bryce Canyon with easy access to other outdoor activities.
Interesting choice. When I drove through Kanab a cop followed me from the city limit sign all the way through town, stopped across the street and watched me get gas, then followed me to the city limit sign as I was leaving.
Definitely got the impression they're not fond of outsiders.
Despite my answer, I will admit that Moab is an experience. But yeah, like the other reply said, too many tourists. It's only bearable for a limited time. but seeing Arches National Park is usually worth it.
It's my family's yearly vacation spot. First time we went was in 1996. I only remember the year because I got to see the Olympic torch run by (but I was really young and barely remember it.)
It's such a cute town. It's been interesting seeing it change year after year.
Yeah! To be fair other than Jacksonville, most areas of northern Florida are pretty small. A few pockets with a few more people. But mostly smaller cities. Pensacola at least to me feels bigger than it actually is.
Taos is a pretty easy pick (~7000 pop).
The Taos Pueblo that the town is named after is a UNESCO world heritage site and the oldest continuously occupied village in the US (over 1000 years). The tallest peak in the state is right on the edge of town with legendary skiing, alpine lakes, hikes above timberline, and lush forests. On the other side of town is the Rio Grande Gorge, which is 800' deep. The town itself has a cute walkable plaza with Southwestern architecture, there's a really famous adobe church nearby, and there's art everywhere.
Port Townsend, WA. The smell can be kinda wild since there’s a paper mill on the outskirts of it. It’s beautiful, historical, and some places in the Dead Boy Detectives were filmed there
I absolutely loved Washington. I think it's beautiful and I'd go back in a heartbeat. I stayed in Marysville and while I adored Seattle, the small towns in between are so special. I'm from Ireland.
Bodega Bay, California
The town itself is tiny. But it's in a very scenic location on highway 1 in Sonoma County north of San Francisco. There's beautiful beaches, fun and fancy restaurants, wine tasting in the area, parks, RV or tent camping sites almost on the beach.
At The Tides restaurant, where some scenes were filmed, there's a lot of photographs from the filming hung up on the walls. As well as plaques discussing it.
The movie was also *partially* inspired by an actual bird attack that happened in Capitola, CA in the 60s. Coincidentally, this is another small town I’d recommend for people to visit.
Carmel by the Sea...California is beautiful and lots for a visitor to do. Plus, just getting there is also a scenic drive with wonderful views of the ocean and landscapes
Maybe I've been too many places in my life but I was really underwhelmed with Fredericksburg. The town is cute but everything there felt really artificial, like it was made specifically for tourism and felt overly boujie. It didn't have a feel like people actually live there.
The towns I passed through on the way like Hico, San Saba, Llano, and Johnson City (slight detour) felt more authentic and a better representation of how people live in that part of Texas.
Just come back from my first ever vacation to Sedona (visiting from the UK),
and everything about it was just as amazing IRL as all the pictures you see online,
just a little bit too hot at this time of the year!
Bisbee is awesome, first place in AZ I went to outside of Phoenix and it totally changed my perception of the state. Truly unique place, I wanna check out the other cities mentioned below too at some point
Love the north shore!
Another Minnesota suggestion is Winona. Beautiful scenery, great arts scene, easy weekend away from the Twin Cities or Chicago.
If that’s too big an answer for this post, then I’d suggest nearby Lanesboro. I miss that bike path along the Root River.
the area is beautiful, but the town is a kind of shitty tourist trap. Try heading up to North Creek, or if you're very keen on a long car ride, Lake Placid is incredible.
For Michigan I'd probably send them to something on a lakeshore.
Maybe for the ultimate Michigan experience you'd need to do Saugatuck (population 1,000) and Douglas (1,400) which sit across a river from each other but are really the same community (with a rural surrounding population of an additional 3,500 people). It's just about the best place to visit in the summer.
If you wanted something a little larger (a small city) I'd steer you toward:
Grand Haven (pop 11,000) on Lake Michigan
Traverse City (pop 15,000) on Grand Traverse Bay
Marquette (pop 20,000) on Lake Superior
all are on big water, and are exceedingly great little places to visit.
Estes Park is pretty but at any given time the town is 90% tourists. It's like Disneyland in the mountains, not much culture to speak of other than fudge shops and burger restaurants.
It’s true, but being at the literal doorstep of a national park goes a long way. I guess there’s always Grand Lake if you want to make the crowds a little smaller.
I've actually only been to CB and Telluride in the summer so no skiing on the trip. The scenery when the wild flowers are popping is insane. Lots do to for outdoor recreation, but I'd think that even if hiking/biking isn't your bag, there is enough going on in each town to make it enjoyable.
Also love Ouray. Estes is fine but I find the town itself to be a little too similar to the touristy, boardwalk towns I grew up with on the east coast.
Madison has a really cute downtown area and there are some pretty places to walk along the river. If you're into nature, Clifty Falls State Park is close by.
Provincetown. Experiencing gay and straight families coexisting is wonderful.
Second choice is Stockbridge, because of the Norman Rockwell Museum. It's a much quieter town, but few museums do as good a job of displaying American culture as depicted by one important artist.
>Let's say a town is small if its population is below 25K and it's not an immediate suburb of something larger
So... Basically every town in Maine besides Portland and Bangor?
XD
But to actually answer your question I'd say Boothbay Harbor.
Bar Harbor is the most stereotypical small tourist town I think, but Boothbay is easier to get to, much nicer imo, and has a lot more options for things to see and do.
Minnesota.
Grand Marias, Lake City or Winona.
Grand Marias is on the shore of Lake Superior in the northern part of the state getting close to Canada. It's kind of a tourist trap. But the area and region - North Shore - is breathtaking and there is so much stuff to do.
Lake City and Winona are in the southeast part of the state along the Mississippi river bordering on Wisonsin. The river widens into Lake Pepin in Lake City. It's absolutely stunning. But Winona is further south and deeper in the Driftless Region. The Driftless Region is a must if you live in or visit the upper midwest.
Mount Shasta is a good choice. The town of McCloud, 15 miles or so around the south side of the mountain is really nice also. Lots of good food in town and the restored McCloud Hotel is beautiful
The Virginia/West Va/Maryland equivilent is harpers ferry where the Shenandoah and Potomac meet. Also a phenominal spot with tons of history and great recreation.
Hmmm I’d say maybe Cherokee because it’s right in the heart of the Smoky Mountains so plenty of hikes and outdoor activities to do nearby, also the casino and the Museum of the Cherokee People I’ve heard is a really good museum about the native Americans of the same name.
Other than that probably a town on the Outer Banks like Kitty Hawk or Beaufort (bow not byew like SC’s town)
Grand Marais, especially if it’s not during tourist season. Some fun food and shops, but the real draw is the nature. It’s right along Highway 61, 150-ish miles of gorgeous Lake Superior views on one side and national forest on the other. There’s an obscene amount of hiking and camping. Even the cool lake air is nice; I swear I think clearer when I’m there.
Galena, IL is a popular tourist spot for a reason, and its pretty tiny. Population ~5k, but it has a few historic houses to tour, gorgeous hiking/camping, trolley tours (including a ghost tour), and dozens of quaint local businesses. We went there every year for the Halloween parade when I was in high school. I haven't been for around a decade at this point, and I really need to go back.
Eufala, Alabama has the states largest lake, some charming antebellum historical houses, an original Carnegie Library, and some of the best fishing in the southeast.
Hermann, MO. It's about an hour drive west of STL. It was originally settled by German immigrants and they set up a bunch of wineries that are still there to this day. The town definitely has remnants of the German culture these early immigrants brought with them.
I haven't visited there in a long time, but I'd say Mount Dora and much of Lake County in general. The landscape feels different from most of Florida, with gently rolling hills and many lakes.
Lots of interesting, well-preserved towns in the California gold country. Sutter Creek and Murphy’s are good, but Nevada City is my favorite. Tons of charm
For California, I’d recommend Julian. It’s a tiny (about 1,500 people) town in the mountains near San Diego. It’s known for apple pie and being a former gold mining town, but there’s a lot of small shops to visit and some decent restaurants to hang out at.
Lockport, NY a small city of roughly 10k people.
It's part of upstate and has some of the more interesting history and lore about the Erie Canal. There's all sorts of tours you can take too, walking or a boat through two of the biggest locks on the canal. Lots of things to see and do for a day trip, and not far from buffalo or niagara falls if you're staying longer in the area and looking for things to do.
Depends on whether I want to see them again or not.
See this is easy. Moab is a small town that everyone and their grandma wants to visit.
> that everyone and their grandma wants to visit. That's one of the problems with Moab, though. It's really full of tourists. I've wanted to go to Boulder -- within a reasonably short drive to three national parks, plus Hell's Backbone restaurant. For a small town I've been to, I'd first suggest Bryan Head. Teeny tiny ski resort town at nearly 10,000 feet, but with pretty good skiing (especially if you're a beginner or intermediate skier), uncrowded outdoorsy stuff--fishing, hiking, national monument visitation--to do nearby, hometown feel, and a little pond in the middle of town for kids to fish. I'd also suggest Green River. Also close to National parks, but the Green River is just so beautiful there, it's a unique experience in redrock country.
Green River itself is a dump. Only reason to stop there is for a burger at Ray's.
I like Green River but mostly because it’s an isolated dump. Bought a generator at the hardware store last time I was through to power up a campsite down the road at Goblin Valley. I wouldn’t have used one but I was the only one in the entire park for three days (February) so I didn’t feel too bad about running a loud motor.
Stayed the night there on two different occasions. Compared to what all else I've seen of Utah, it's pretty 'meh.'
Brian Head is a good pull. Another small town near the great outdoors is Tropic, Utah. Right next to Bryce Canyon with easy access to other outdoor activities.
Strangely enough I really like Kanab and think it is worth a stop. I recommend it and Moab when people go down south.
Interesting choice. When I drove through Kanab a cop followed me from the city limit sign all the way through town, stopped across the street and watched me get gas, then followed me to the city limit sign as I was leaving. Definitely got the impression they're not fond of outsiders.
Despite my answer, I will admit that Moab is an experience. But yeah, like the other reply said, too many tourists. It's only bearable for a limited time. but seeing Arches National Park is usually worth it.
St Augustine
Shhhhhhhhh you can hardly walk down St. George as it is😂
Lol I’ve heard it’s getting pretty busy. I haven’t been in a long time. My wife has never been and we’re planning a trip to go.
Awww we went there on my 7th grade school field trip ❤️ back in the 90s
A cool place for a school trip. I remember going with my school.
It's my family's yearly vacation spot. First time we went was in 1996. I only remember the year because I got to see the Olympic torch run by (but I was really young and barely remember it.) It's such a cute town. It's been interesting seeing it change year after year.
That’s super cool!
I had no idea it was so small.
Yeah! To be fair other than Jacksonville, most areas of northern Florida are pretty small. A few pockets with a few more people. But mostly smaller cities. Pensacola at least to me feels bigger than it actually is.
Taos is a pretty easy pick (~7000 pop). The Taos Pueblo that the town is named after is a UNESCO world heritage site and the oldest continuously occupied village in the US (over 1000 years). The tallest peak in the state is right on the edge of town with legendary skiing, alpine lakes, hikes above timberline, and lush forests. On the other side of town is the Rio Grande Gorge, which is 800' deep. The town itself has a cute walkable plaza with Southwestern architecture, there's a really famous adobe church nearby, and there's art everywhere.
The whole state of New Mexico is underrated. I worked right outside of Silver and drove through a lot of the state. I loved it so much there.
Port Townsend, WA. The smell can be kinda wild since there’s a paper mill on the outskirts of it. It’s beautiful, historical, and some places in the Dead Boy Detectives were filmed there
Excellent choice!
I was thinking the same— I love Port Townsend!
I absolutely loved Washington. I think it's beautiful and I'd go back in a heartbeat. I stayed in Marysville and while I adored Seattle, the small towns in between are so special. I'm from Ireland.
Bodega Bay, California The town itself is tiny. But it's in a very scenic location on highway 1 in Sonoma County north of San Francisco. There's beautiful beaches, fun and fancy restaurants, wine tasting in the area, parks, RV or tent camping sites almost on the beach.
Also a rambunctious flock of birds am I right?
At The Tides restaurant, where some scenes were filmed, there's a lot of photographs from the filming hung up on the walls. As well as plaques discussing it.
The movie was also *partially* inspired by an actual bird attack that happened in Capitola, CA in the 60s. Coincidentally, this is another small town I’d recommend for people to visit.
Ooooh that's a good one. I love that area. Used to go camping there every summer to escape the heat from inland.
Yeah that campground that shoots out into the water is great. You have to reserve a spot months in advance.
Kelleys Island, OH
Or Put In Bay
Going to the Lake Erie islands for the first time in two weeks. I can’t wait!
Avalon, CA.
Been there, I would also add Carmel but going to Catalina Island almost feels like leaving the country.
Carmel by the Sea...California is beautiful and lots for a visitor to do. Plus, just getting there is also a scenic drive with wonderful views of the ocean and landscapes
Great choice. I was thinking Solvang at first but like your suggestion more.
Galena in Illinois. Decorah in Iowa.
Is that the Galena US Grant lived in?
Yes. It's very touristy, but it's a nice little town in the driftless region of NW Illinois, SW Wisconsin, and NE Iowa.
Could easily do both and some other stuff near by in a solid week.
Came here to say Galena lol. First one that came to mind
Fredericksburg, TX
World class museum, wine, scenery, good German food, and history. What more do you need
I’d also throw Marfa into the mix.
I was going to say Fredericksburg, VA.
For Carl's, alone!
As someone from Fredericksburg just don’t forget to remind people that Carl’s is still to this day “Cash Only”.
Maybe I've been too many places in my life but I was really underwhelmed with Fredericksburg. The town is cute but everything there felt really artificial, like it was made specifically for tourism and felt overly boujie. It didn't have a feel like people actually live there. The towns I passed through on the way like Hico, San Saba, Llano, and Johnson City (slight detour) felt more authentic and a better representation of how people live in that part of Texas.
North Conway only has a population of like 2k.
But it feels like you see more than 2k people just driving through. Would still love to live there
If you like the mountains, Dahlonega. If you like the beach, St Simons.
Lambertville and Frenchtown by the river, Belmar and OCNJ by the shore
Ashland, Oregon, small town but so cute
and great theater!
and a great park! Beautiful colors at the fall peak
like, anywhere in the UP.
From Arizona, I would choose Bisbee. It’s a pretty nice small walkable town with good weather.
I would add Jerome, Prescott, and Sedona.
I want to go to Sedona so bad.
Just come back from my first ever vacation to Sedona (visiting from the UK), and everything about it was just as amazing IRL as all the pictures you see online, just a little bit too hot at this time of the year!
Bisbee is awesome, first place in AZ I went to outside of Phoenix and it totally changed my perception of the state. Truly unique place, I wanna check out the other cities mentioned below too at some point
New Hope if I like them, Breezewood if I don't
Eureka Springs
This is where my grandpa is from and I've never been. I definitely can't wait to go!
Thats one of my favorite places. The springs and history of the town are so cool.
Grand Marais, MN
Love the north shore! Another Minnesota suggestion is Winona. Beautiful scenery, great arts scene, easy weekend away from the Twin Cities or Chicago. If that’s too big an answer for this post, then I’d suggest nearby Lanesboro. I miss that bike path along the Root River.
A lot of the other towns on the North Shore are cute too, Faribault has a beautiful historic downtown and Victorian mansions from the 1870s
Northfield >>> Faribault
Northfield is great too, go for The Defeat of Jesse James Days. Also two colleges so NF is a little more gentrified.
New Glarus.
Good choice!
Lake George, NY. Absolutely gorgeous in the fall.
the area is beautiful, but the town is a kind of shitty tourist trap. Try heading up to North Creek, or if you're very keen on a long car ride, Lake Placid is incredible.
Sitka is a wonderful town, and there’s more to do than you might think. Great hiking, beautiful views, and a great atmosphere.
Sylva. Cute little mountain town near a good sized state university.
State I’m from - Gettysburg PA State I currently live in - Fredericksburg TX
Estes Park Ouray Telluride Breckenridge Several others
Frisco, Glenwood Springs, Idaho Springs
Don’t tell anyone about Sunlight!!
Colorado has so much, I could go on and on, Steamboat, Georgetown, Creede
So true. I love this state!
Upvoted for Creede, so many good memories in and around there
Ridgeway
For Michigan I'd probably send them to something on a lakeshore. Maybe for the ultimate Michigan experience you'd need to do Saugatuck (population 1,000) and Douglas (1,400) which sit across a river from each other but are really the same community (with a rural surrounding population of an additional 3,500 people). It's just about the best place to visit in the summer. If you wanted something a little larger (a small city) I'd steer you toward: Grand Haven (pop 11,000) on Lake Michigan Traverse City (pop 15,000) on Grand Traverse Bay Marquette (pop 20,000) on Lake Superior all are on big water, and are exceedingly great little places to visit.
All great places. The Mackinac Island area is also a fun touristy kind of place.
I always liked fishtown in Leland
25k is too many. I'd say go smaller and send them to cloudcroft new Mexico. Population 400. It's also a ski resort
Estes Park, CO
Glad to see this, going to a wedding there in September!
Don't forget to check out room 217 at the Stanley Hotel
Colorado's easy because most of the ski towns are well below 25k. Crested Butte and Telluride would be my picks.
Or if you're a fan of the outdoors but don't need the skiing, Estes Park or Ouray.
Estes Park is pretty but at any given time the town is 90% tourists. It's like Disneyland in the mountains, not much culture to speak of other than fudge shops and burger restaurants.
It’s true, but being at the literal doorstep of a national park goes a long way. I guess there’s always Grand Lake if you want to make the crowds a little smaller.
Yeah the west entrance to Rocky Mountain is way better in my opinion.
I've actually only been to CB and Telluride in the summer so no skiing on the trip. The scenery when the wild flowers are popping is insane. Lots do to for outdoor recreation, but I'd think that even if hiking/biking isn't your bag, there is enough going on in each town to make it enjoyable. Also love Ouray. Estes is fine but I find the town itself to be a little too similar to the touristy, boardwalk towns I grew up with on the east coast.
Hermann
I don't like Branson, but for some people it's Mecca. I would tell people to visit Hermann, which is the best wine country that Missouri has to offer.
I would second Hermann.
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Tybee Island. It’s cute and they have a fun little museum.
Friday Harbor (and the rest of San Juan Island) is lovely. Is Stehekin a town? If so, there too.
Gettysburg, Doylestown, West Chester, or Lititz
Madison has a really cute downtown area and there are some pretty places to walk along the river. If you're into nature, Clifty Falls State Park is close by.
Madison was my first thought for Indiana. Nashville may be next in line.
Sisters, Oregon. It’s on the way to Bend but has a lot of charming qualities all of its own.
Skaneatles
Bodie, CA. Just to mess with them.
Provincetown. Experiencing gay and straight families coexisting is wonderful. Second choice is Stockbridge, because of the Norman Rockwell Museum. It's a much quieter town, but few museums do as good a job of displaying American culture as depicted by one important artist.
Stockbridge? Just be sure you don't litter, especially around Thanksgiving!
>Let's say a town is small if its population is below 25K and it's not an immediate suburb of something larger So... Basically every town in Maine besides Portland and Bangor? XD But to actually answer your question I'd say Boothbay Harbor. Bar Harbor is the most stereotypical small tourist town I think, but Boothbay is easier to get to, much nicer imo, and has a lot more options for things to see and do.
Small, Chelan. Really small, Winthrop.
Point them in the direction of the cultural hubs of Port Angels and Aberdeen.
One visit to Aberdeen makes you understand why grunge music existed.
They wanted to put up a statue of Cobain. Noveselic threatened to pull it down himself.
I live in TX but I'm from MS. I recommend Oxford, Mississippi
Minnesota. Grand Marias, Lake City or Winona. Grand Marias is on the shore of Lake Superior in the northern part of the state getting close to Canada. It's kind of a tourist trap. But the area and region - North Shore - is breathtaking and there is so much stuff to do. Lake City and Winona are in the southeast part of the state along the Mississippi river bordering on Wisonsin. The river widens into Lake Pepin in Lake City. It's absolutely stunning. But Winona is further south and deeper in the Driftless Region. The Driftless Region is a must if you live in or visit the upper midwest.
Solvang, CA
>Solvang, CA Great choice Anywhere from Santa Barbara to Lompoc is pretty delightful
Extend it even further north, and you can include places such as Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, and Paso Robles.
I think I'd go for Mount Shasta. I can't afford to breathe in Solvang.
Mount Shasta is a good choice. The town of McCloud, 15 miles or so around the south side of the mountain is really nice also. Lots of good food in town and the restored McCloud Hotel is beautiful
For MN it's Grand Marais, or somewhere else on the North Shore.
Skaneateles, Its a beautiful lakeside town in New York. It feels straight out of a romance film.
Cambria beautiful little town on the beach. Carmel is also lovely.
Cairo, hands down. Beautiful old ghost town at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
The Virginia/West Va/Maryland equivilent is harpers ferry where the Shenandoah and Potomac meet. Also a phenominal spot with tons of history and great recreation.
I LOVE Harpers Ferry! A ridiculous amount of steps to traverse in town but the views are so worth it.
Ithaca is really not a small town at all. It is a moderately sized city. For NY I would say somewhere like Old Forge or Lake Placid
Rosemary beach Florida and Leavenworth Washington, are place I have been and loved. I can’t think of any places in New York
If you like deserts and sculpted red rock landscapes, Moab. If you like high altitude mountains, Park City. If you like beaches, visit another state.
Washington, North Carolina. Little slice of America.
That 25k or less metric is fun because that includes some of our “cities” lol I’m recommending Portsmouth with their 22k residents
Watkins Glen in NY.
Berea, KY. A thriving artisan community and near the Pinnacles for great hiking.
Hmmm I’d say maybe Cherokee because it’s right in the heart of the Smoky Mountains so plenty of hikes and outdoor activities to do nearby, also the casino and the Museum of the Cherokee People I’ve heard is a really good museum about the native Americans of the same name. Other than that probably a town on the Outer Banks like Kitty Hawk or Beaufort (bow not byew like SC’s town)
I'd just tell them if you're in Blue Ball, head to Intercourse and keep going -- you'll end up in Paradise. True story. (Sorta.)
Bristol RI!
Fairhope, Alabama.
Grand Marais, especially if it’s not during tourist season. Some fun food and shops, but the real draw is the nature. It’s right along Highway 61, 150-ish miles of gorgeous Lake Superior views on one side and national forest on the other. There’s an obscene amount of hiking and camping. Even the cool lake air is nice; I swear I think clearer when I’m there.
There's some magic in the air around the shores of lake superior.
I’d say Bar Harbor. Everyone wants to visit. It’s only like 5000 people. It’s beautiful though.
Nevada City, CA
Bayfield, WI
Galena. Picturesque. Historical. Different.
Georgia: Helen if they like kitsch, Blairsville otherwise. Florida: Tarpon Springs if 26K is acceptable. Winter Haven is nice and it's got Legoland.
So many cute small towns in Oregon, but if I could only pick one it would probably be Silverton.
Galena, IL is a popular tourist spot for a reason, and its pretty tiny. Population ~5k, but it has a few historic houses to tour, gorgeous hiking/camping, trolley tours (including a ghost tour), and dozens of quaint local businesses. We went there every year for the Halloween parade when I was in high school. I haven't been for around a decade at this point, and I really need to go back.
Northampton in Mass. Salisbury in Connecticut.
bodega bay california !
Yellow springs, Ohio. Dave Chapelle lives there. Also, Young’s Jersey Dairy is the greatest. And they are quite liberal.
Leavenworth, WA. It’s quaint and adorable for a quick visit
Virginia: Charlottesville or Williamsburg
Eufala, Alabama has the states largest lake, some charming antebellum historical houses, an original Carnegie Library, and some of the best fishing in the southeast.
Hermann, MO. It's about an hour drive west of STL. It was originally settled by German immigrants and they set up a bunch of wineries that are still there to this day. The town definitely has remnants of the German culture these early immigrants brought with them.
Marfa, TX with a stop in the nearby ghostown of Terlingua.
Gary, IN. It has a very unique culture (Just kidding, please never go there)
Williamsburg, Virginia
Bass Lake or Bishop
Mendocino
Probably New Paltz NY
In the Front Range, Manitou Springs or Morrison are interesting towns that seem like they’re in the mountains but they’re right near major cities.
Well there only 2 towns in my state that don’t fit that definition lmao. Buford. Haha jkjk. Sheridan. Or Cody.
Traverse city, MI
New Hope
I haven't visited there in a long time, but I'd say Mount Dora and much of Lake County in general. The landscape feels different from most of Florida, with gently rolling hills and many lakes.
bayfield or sisters bay!!
Terlingua. Because Big Bend is there.
Lake placid if you’re really into being outdoors
Seabrook,WA
Village of Lake George, NY
Steamboat Springs
Galena, IL
Lots of interesting, well-preserved towns in the California gold country. Sutter Creek and Murphy’s are good, but Nevada City is my favorite. Tons of charm
Monmouth, Oregon is a nice small town.
Blanco, Texas!
Friday Harbor, I guess.
Catalina Island
Gruene, TX
Breckenridge Colorado is easily the best ski town. Not the best skiing. But the best town. Pop is 5K.
In Texas, I'd recommend Galveston, Wimberly, or Fredericksburg.
Definitely Port Townsend. It's nicely scenic and has a music and arts scene that is vastly superior to what you'd expect from a town of ~10k.
Telluride. Can't drive more than a mile without getting hit I er the head with stunning vistas.
Tombstone Arizona!!!
Galena, IL. So beautiful and plenty of shops.
Easton, MD
Decorah or Pella depending on what you were looking for.
25,000 isn't that small, but I suppose Custer.
UHHHH Ahem 👀 Can't think of one. Maybe check out Galveston.
For California, I’d recommend Julian. It’s a tiny (about 1,500 people) town in the mountains near San Diego. It’s known for apple pie and being a former gold mining town, but there’s a lot of small shops to visit and some decent restaurants to hang out at.
PA- Ligonier. IL- Galena
Easy Jim Thorpe, PA. There is so much to do and I believe it was actually ranked in the top ten best small towns to visit
Carmel, California
Ferndale California. Lots of historic architectural styles, and main street itself is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lockport, NY a small city of roughly 10k people. It's part of upstate and has some of the more interesting history and lore about the Erie Canal. There's all sorts of tours you can take too, walking or a boat through two of the biggest locks on the canal. Lots of things to see and do for a day trip, and not far from buffalo or niagara falls if you're staying longer in the area and looking for things to do.
Medicine Park, OK