The Best Small Towns in America
Main streets, harbors and mountain towns worth the drive — region by region.
Plan a Small-Town TripFinding the Best Small Towns in America
The best small towns in America share a few things: a walkable main street, a reason to be there beyond shopping — a national park at the edge of town, a famous museum, a harbor, a historic district — and local places to eat and sleep. This guide visits them region by region, from New England harbor villages to Colorado mining towns and the cliffs of the Pacific coast.
We do not invent rankings. Every town here is chosen for draws you can check: the trail, railway, festival or landmark that makes it worth the drive. When we mention an award, such as the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice results, we name the year and say exactly what was won.
The Northeast
Charming small towns in the US Northeast: Vermont villages, Maine harbors, Cape May’s Victorian streets and Cooperstown.
The South
Smoky Mountain gateways, Texas Hill Country, Spanish-moss towns and the oldest streets in the country.
North Carolina
Blue Ridge Parkway towns, waterfall country and Outer Banks villages.
The Midwest
Car-free Mackinac Island, river towns on the Mississippi and Ohio, and Door County.
Colorado & the West
Old mining towns in the San Juans, Palisade’s orchards, Jackson and Sedona.
The West Coast
Carmel, Mendocino, Solvang, Cannon Beach and Washington’s Bavarian village.
Six Regions, Six Kinds of Small Town
Harbors and village greens
New England and the Mid-Atlantic have the classic picture: white steeples, covered bridges, lobster boats and Victorian porches.
Northeast towns →
Mountain and mining towns
In the West, towns built for silver and gold now serve hikers, skiers and hot-spring soakers.
Colorado and the West →
River and lake towns
The Midwest’s brick main streets sit on the Mississippi, the Ohio and the Great Lakes — often with bald eagles overhead.
Midwest towns →How We Choose a Town
A town makes this guide when a visitor can fill at least a full day there, and ideally a weekend. That usually means one or more of these:
- A signature draw — a national park gateway, a heritage railway, a major museum or a landmark district.
- A walkable center — a main street or harbor front you can explore on foot.
- Local character — independent shops and restaurants, a festival people travel for, a story of its own.
- Places to stay — inns, small hotels or vacation rentals in or near town.
Towns change. Shops close, trails wash out and festivals move. Before you go, check the town’s official visitor site or chamber of commerce for current hours and events.
Planning a Small-Town Trip
Small towns reward a slower pace. Two nights lets you see the town early in the morning, before day-trippers arrive, and in the evening, when the main street belongs to locals. Many of the best small towns in America are also clustered: in Vermont you can link Woodstock and Stowe in one trip; in Colorado, Ouray, Silverton and Telluride form a loop through the San Juan Mountains; on the Oregon coast, Cannon Beach and Astoria are a short drive apart.
- Book early for festivals, fall foliage and holiday weekends — small towns have few rooms.
- Check seasonal hours: many shops and restaurants close early or take a day off midweek, and some close for winter.
- Have a car, or check shuttles and trains; few small towns are on major transit lines.
- Compare inns, motels and rentals on Rooms Cheap and find flights to the nearest airport on Airfares for Less.
Want ideas beyond small towns? See and Do the USA covers national parks, big cities and road trips across the country, and Best of the USA highlights the best places and local businesses in every state.
Small-Town Travel Questions
What are the best small towns in America to visit?
There is no single official list, and the honest answer depends on what you want. For fall color and village greens, look at Vermont and Maine. For mountain scenery, Colorado, Wyoming and the Smokies. For coast and art, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Mendocino or Cape May. Each regional page here names towns with real, verifiable reasons to go.
What counts as a small town?
We use a traveler’s definition: a place you can walk end to end, with a real main street, local businesses and a population small enough that it feels like a town rather than a city. Some favorites, like Nantucket or St. Augustine, swell with visitors in season but keep that scale.
Are the USA TODAY 10Best small town lists a ranking?
They are readers’ choice awards: an expert panel nominates towns and the public votes online. They are a good source of ideas, not an objective ranking. Our USA TODAY 10Best page explains how they work and lists recent winners we could confirm.
When is the best time to visit small towns?
Late spring and early fall are the sweet spots almost everywhere: open businesses, mild weather and fewer crowds than midsummer. Mountain and ski towns have a second peak in winter, and New England is busiest during peak foliage in late September and October.
Let a Travel Specialist Map the Route
Linking three or four small towns into one trip — with the right inns, the right season and realistic driving times — is where a good travel specialist earns their keep. Tell us the region and the kind of town you love, and we will connect you with someone who plans these trips for a living.
This site is part of the Smart Traveler network, led by Mister Cruise. He has sold travel since 1972 and worked full-time in the industry since 1977. He has sold or originated more than $500 million in cruises and has trained more than 500 travel agents.
When you ask for a trip quote through the Official Travel Directory, a travel specialist plans it with you personally — not a call center. Meet Mister Cruise →
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