The 50 Coolest Small Towns in America
Skip the urban jungles this summer and tap into the Kentucky home of the Jim Beam house or the Iowa town from Field of Dreams.
By Caroline Picard
Skip the urban jungles this summer and tap into the Kentucky home of the Jim Beam house or the Iowa town from Field of Dreams.
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Mooresville, Alabama
Measuring a mere 0.1 square miles, this six-street town is often referred to as "the Williamsburg of Alabama," and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Sitka, Alaska
Don't forget your boat — this small coastal port is only accessible only by air or sea.
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Sedona, Arizona
The famous "red rocks" that appear to glow in the setting sun bring hundreds of tourists to the sandstone formations every year.
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Batesville, Arkansas
Don't discount this rural beauty — Batesville made the cut in The Best Small Towns in America by Norman Crampton.bea
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Avalon, California
This tiny seaport on Catalina Island feels more like a Mediterranean getaway than a West Coast beach.
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Breckenridge, Colorado
It's more than just a ski town — this Rocky Mountain hamlet also offers hiking, fishing, and white water rafting in the summertime, too.
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Mystic, Connecticut
Home to the nation's largest maritime museum, the colonial-era village also houses a large aquarium — and the famous pizzeria.
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New Castle, Delaware
This circa-1651 town hosted the Colonial Assembly when they voted to separate from Britain in 1776, an occasion still celebrated in New Castle today.
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Stuart, Florida
It neighbors the most bio-diverse lagoon in the Northern hemisphere, so it's only fitting that Stuart also boasts the Florida Oceanographic Coastal center.
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St. Simons Island, Georgia
One of Georgia's "Golden Isles," this island was voted the most romantic town and favorite beach town by Travel + Leisure Magazine in 2014.
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Paia, Hawaii
Paia previously functioned as a plantation village but now serves a shopping mecca for the island of Maui.
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Ketchum, Idaho
Ketchum's motto — "Small town, big life" — fits the adventure-seekers who come here to fish, hike, and ski.
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Galena, Illinois
With only a population of 3,429, Galena counts itself as home to President Ulysses S. Grant and eight other Civil War generals.
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Porter, Indiana
A beachy town in the middle of the country, Porter sits next to the Indiana Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan.
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Dyersville, Iowa
If this house looks familiar, it's because it was featured in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams.
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Abilene, Kansas
The hometown of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Abilene hosts his presidential library on idyllic rural grounds.
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Bardstown, Kentucky
Get your whiskey fix in bourbon country by visiting the Jim Beam house (above) or the Maker's Mark distillery in Kentucky's second-oldest town.
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Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is the oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase but it's more famous for its meat pies.
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Rockland, Maine
The annual Maine Lobster Festival celebrates Rockland's main industry. Any excuse to chow down a lobster roll is a good excuse.)
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Berlin, Maryland
Both Runaway Bride and Tuck Everlasting were filmed in this dreamy hamlet, named "America's Coolest Small Town" by Budget Travel.
From: House Beautiful US
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