It’s called America the Beautiful for a reason, and there’s so much more to this country than New York City and Los Angeles. The US has endless unique small towns waiting to be discovered. So Redditor KallMeSuzyB asked the travel community to weigh in on “charming, fun or interesting towns in the US that no one knows about.” Here’s what people said.
1.
“The Finger Lakes region in New York. It’s made up of tons of lovely small towns, great wineries, and amazing views. Make the trip!”
2.
“The Wilmington, NC area including Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Fort Fisher, Southport, Oak Island. I know the Outer Banks have been getting their flowers lately. Still, Wilmington and the surrounding areas have beautiful beaches, amazing history, and an extraordinary lack of beach town crap or hipsterfied overpriced monotony. Very few large stores, chain restaurants, or overly trendy places exist. But you will find lots of breweries and really cool, unpretentious food trucks.”
3.
“Roanoke, Virginia has the cutest downtown area and lots of local restaurants and bars with a fun scene!”
4.
“The Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan! Leland, Northport, and Sutton’s Bay are all great. There’s amazing wine and beautiful scenery.”
5.
“Leavenworth, Washington. It’s a Bavarian village nestled in the Cascade Mountains, full of charming, quaint little shops. The thing is though, it’s not authentic at all. In the ’70s or something it was a dying timber town and the residents said, ‘screw it, we’re German now.’ So they put frilly, gingerbread house gabling on the McDonald’s, slapped Wilkommen on the town sign, and committed 10,000% to the new vibe. It’s a weird spot, but I give it a 10/10.”
6.
“Two of my favourites: Ouray, Colorado is a beautiful place tucked into a rock canyon. We stayed at a nice little inn with a private hot spring. In addition, Anacortes, Washington (just north of Whidbey Island) is great. We took a day trip to a brewery there, and it was a swoon-worthy setting.”
7.
“Burlington, Vermont, is one of the most pleasant small cities to visit, and the surrounding areas are very beautiful. There are many smaller towns nearby, such as Montpelier, Stowe, etc.. As a bonus, Burlington is also fairly easily accessible from either Boston or Montreal.”
8.
“Morro Bay, California. There are many well-known coastal towns on the central coast, but this one is never as crowded as the rest, and it always has great vibes, great food, and amazing marine life. You can rent kayaks and hang out with wild sea otters floating around in the sea. Whales swim out in the bay year-round. There’s a great live music venue and a dive bar. I just adore this town!”
9.
“Oatman, Arizona. It’s a small, historic town located on a preserved, mountainous stretch of old Route 66. It’s known for its distinct, old west atmosphere, complete with wooden sidewalks and staged gunfight shows. But the best reason to visit is the population of friendly wild burros, descendants of pack animals left behind by miners, that freely roam the town’s main street. You can interact with and often feed the burros with specially purchased food from local shops.”
10.
“Floyd, Virginia. It’s got a vibrant art scene, live music everywhere, and a tiny main street town set in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
11.
“Mackinac Island. It’s beautiful and it’s so unique that no cars are allowed. Instead, you have to travel around by bike, horse-drawn carriage, or on foot. One of my favorite things about Mackinac Island are the old-fashioned candy shops. The fudge is amazing! And fun fact: The movie Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeves was filmed there.”
12.
“Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It’s a hilly town with an almost French quarter-like historical district. You’ll find great hiking and a family-friendly vibe. It’s located near the Ozarks, which has some gorgeous nature.”
13.
“New Hope, Pennsylvania, is such a cute town! You can walk across the bridge between New Hope and Lambertville, New Jersey. There are a lot of beautiful old homes in that whole area. Bucks County, in general, is very charming.”
14.
“Baraboo, Wisconsin is an interesting town that features an interactive museum dedicated to the Ringling Bros called Circus World, and it’s home to an awesome state park (one of Wisconsin’s best) called Devil’s Lake State Park.”
15.
“Cape May, New Jersey. It’s an amazing beach town with great food and beautiful Victorian homes and architecture.”
16.
“Bentonville, Arkansas. It’s home to an amazing American art museum with a Frank Lloyd Wright house you can tour. The downtown area is nothing short of charming. There are also great mountain biking trails and lots of fun areas nearby to explore.”
17.
“Flagstaff is a small city and a common stop for people going to the Grand Canyon. But the city itself is fantastic. It’s about 60,000 people. It is a mountain town nestled in a pine forest at the base of a very tall mountain…”
18.
“Traverse City, Michigan. You’ll find award-winning wineries, an annual cherry festival, pristine beaches, and it’s really close to beloved Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!”
19.
“Fredericksburg, Texas, an old German enclave in Central Texas. It has history, wineries, world-class museums, and my favorite, an elephant sanctuary.”
20.
“Natchitoches, LA. It’s a small town, but it has a charming riverfront and is especially lively at Christmas due to its festival of lights. If you go, check out Kisatchie National Forest, eat some meat pies, and stay in a B&B on the riverfront.”
21.
“Williams, Arizona. It’s an hour south of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. It’s an adorable town, with really good places to eat, the cutest coffee shop, and affordable lodging. There’s so much to do in that area even if you don’t go to the Grand Canyon. People aren’t usually aware that this part of Arizona is all forests, not desert. It snows there a lot in the winter, but the town just feels cozy.”
22.
“Joshua Tree, California (and the nearby Pioneertown) is super cool. Bonus points if you visit the famous National Park! Palm Springs is also fun. Funky California high desert vibes are one of a kind.”
23.
“Silver City, New Mexico for great food, coffee shops and bookstores. The downtown area is really nice and everything is reasonably priced. There’s lots of local history and great hiking opportunities.”
Do you have one to add? What is a charming, quirky, cozy, or underrated American small town or city that travelers should add to their bucket lists? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
