The Most Quaint Small Town in Every State

Take Magnolia Springs, Alabama. Dubbed the prettiest town in the state, Magnolia Springs lies in South Baldwin County, on the route to Gulf Shores. Says Southern Living magazine, "This small town has almost too much charm to handle."

Out on Baranof Island lies Sitka, considered one of the most beautiful towns in the state. Accessible only by air or sea, it nevertheless has all the requirements of a quaint, small town: it's walkable, it's historic and there's art, good food, cute shops and the incredible Alaskan terrain in the backdrop.

Welcome to one of the mystical centers of the universe, Sedona, smack dab in the heart of Red Rock Country. While the rugged landscape and the energy vortexes are the primary draw, the town itself boasts adorable shops and restaurants, all steeped in Southwestern style.

Charm abounds in this northwestern Arkansas town, which is also home to a thriving community of creatives. Southern Living magazine calls it "one of the most delightful spots in the Southern mountains."

Ojai, 70 miles north of Los Angeles, has that ineffable Southern California mix of Native American history and hippie-meets-rancher sensibilities. There's the charming downtown, myriad boutiques, a passion for keeping the food, arts and crafts local—and the quintessential pink moment when the sun sets against the Topatopa Mountains.

Three hours south of Denver, Salida sits surrounded by majestic 14,000-foot mountains. In the historic downtown, there's art, boutique hotels, coffee and craft beer. Vogue calls it "the quaint mountain town of your dreams."

Dubbed one of the 25 best small towns in America by Architectural Digest, Mystic has it all: a historic seaport, locally owned shops and restaurants, real New England charm and a beloved '80s movie starring a young Julia Roberts. It's touristy, yes. But for good reason.

This petite town, 10 miles from the Delaware shoreline, was named after the poet John Milton. With more than 200 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, and also the quirky and beloved Dogfish Head Brewery, this tiny town of 2,700 has something to satisfy all visitors.

Fifty miles south of Tampa, in the aptly named Manatee County, lies the town of Anna Maria, on the 7-by-2-mile Anna Maria Island. White sand beaches, fresh seafood, views of both the Gulf and Tampa Bay and a speed limit that doesn't exceed 35 miles per hour make it a quintessentially quaint Florida beach community.

Likened to Mayberry in "The Andy Griffith Show" by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Greensboro lies midway between Atlanta and Augusta. With its thriving main street, historic homes and destination food and drink, it makes for an idyllic Southern small town getaway.

Credit: Photo by David Goldman/AP/REX/Shutterstock

This formation plantation town is the unassuming heart of Maui's North Shore community. Though plenty of people pass through on the way to Hana, those savvy enough to linger can enjoy art, surf, some of the best natural foods on the island and a taste of the rustic past of the Hawaiian Islands.

Vogue predicts that Ketchum will be the next "it" town in Idaho. This snow sports mecca that's home to the first chairlift in the U.S. is replete with historic brick buildings, boutiques, chic dining and the Sun Valley Lodge, where Ernest Hemingway worked on "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

Step back into a 19th-century Illinois mining town in Galena, three hours' drive from Chicago. It repeatedly earns top marks for having one of the best small-town main streets in America, so much so that Galena is known as "Helluva Half Mile."

Not that Nashville, mind you. The largest town in Brown County, Indiana, is still quite small, with a population of less than 1,000. It lies at the center of the Brown County Art Colony, an hour's drive from Indianapolis. The art, as well as the natural beauty, is what brings the visitors back for more.

Pella's motto is "a touch of Holland" and you see it clearly every May during tulip time, when upwards of 36,000 tulips bloom. Just 40 miles outside of Des Moines, Pella is a world away, with its fully functional 1850s-style windmill and working drawbridge.

The first of Kansas' historic cow towns, Abilene lies at the end of the Chisholm Trail, two and a half hours outside of Kansas City. The childhood home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower is where, says the Smithsonian magazine, "the Old West doesn't feel quite so old."

With no stoplights, gas stations or fast-food, Grand Rivers is quintessentially small-town Kentucky. The town of less than 400 boasts just over a dozen businesses total—perhaps the most famous of which, Patti's 1800s Settlement, draws 350,000 visitors each year (though it recently closed because of a fire).

It's the crawfish capital of the world—'nough said. Every May, Breaux Bridge celebrates the Crawfish Festival, and the rest of the year it's a beacon of Cajun and Creole culture and cuisine, with restaurants, zydeco and historic buildings, all about an hour outside of Baton Rouge.

Dubbed one of America's prettiest towns by Forbes, Camden aptly calls itself the Jewel of the Coast. With picturesque views of white boats dotting Penobscot Bay from the tops of Mount Battie and Bald Mountain, Camden is a powerful tourist mecca, but with a tight-knit community and true coastal village charm.

You don't earn the "Coolest Small Town in America" title for no reason. Berlin (emphasis on the first syllable) has 47 structures on the National Register of Historic Places and is replete with Victorian light fixtures, restaurants, breweries and art.

With its cobblestone streets and simple white cottages, the town of Nantucket has a timeless feel. Though it began as a humble whaling community on the island of Nantucket, its current population quadruples with posh visitors each summer. Still, preservation measures have kept the overall feeling quaint and manageable.

Though on the larger side of what one might consider a small town, Traverse City nevertheless checks all the boxes: historical architecture, art, food, a Victorian theater and a festival around its signature fruit (tart cherries).

On the shore of Lake Superior, the harbor village of Grand Marais was voted the best Midwestern small town by USA Today, both for its quirky arts community and what it offers in terms of the great outdoors.

As Southern Living puts it, "Natchez conjures images of colossal, columned Antebellum mansions hidden behind Spanish moss-draped trees." This Mississippi river town has plenty of local food and spirits and abundant historic charm.

"It's your show" is what they say in Branson, which lies about four hours from St. Louis. With its wealth of theaters and amusement rides, it's a family-friendly destination that recently earned a spot on the New York Times' 52 Places to Go in 2018.

Home to Montana State University, Bozeman is a slightly larger small town that retains its accessible charm with its turn-of-the-century buildings and college-appropriate amenities (coffee, books and beer). All that, with incredible skiing and the best of the great outdoors only minutes away.

Fun fact: Nebraska City has one museum for every 800 people. With its historic downtown and annual Applejack festival, Nebraska City has charm to space. It's also the birthplace of Arbor Day.

In this authentic Wild West town, the historic downtown has a Victorian vibe—and plenty of saloons. Tens of thousands flocked to exploit the Comstock Lode, the first major discovery of silver, but less than 1,000 remain today. The Syfy Channel has also dubbed Virginia City one of the most haunted towns in America.

Be careful, says Country Living magazine, you may never want to leave. Unlike its more historic brethren in other states, Sugar Hill is relatively young—founded in 1962. The primary tourist spots are the quaint New England buildings and the fields of lupine that blossom each summer.

The entire town of Cape May, one of the oldest seaside resort towns in the U.S., is a National Historic Landmark—and appropriately so. At the southernmost tip of New Jersey, it's got old-fashioned Victorians and a lighthouse built in 1859, as well as pristine beaches, surf and fine dining.

Along New Mexico's Turquoise Trail, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, lies the tiny town of Madrid (pronounced MAD-rid), population 204. A former ghost town, it now boasts art galleries and boutiques.

An hour and change from New York City by car or by train, Cold Spring has delicious food, a wealth of antique stores and one of the most beautiful views of the Hudson River.

This charmer on the southern tip of North Carolina's Outer Banks was formerly home to pirates. Now it boasts a lovely boardwalk, docks, great seafood and boutique shopping.

Known as the "City of Bridges," Valley City is home to 11 historic bridges, as well the kind of family-owned businesses and historic buildings that are the hallmark of quaint American small towns.

This historic college town, 35 miles east of Columbus, is full of Greek Revival-style architecture and a New England sensibility. There's also plenty of coffee, food and shopping, vintage and otherwise.

Thirty-five miles outside of Oklahoma City, Guthrie is, as Country Living magazine puts it, "the best of past and present: gorgeous old buildings and innovative new businesses."

Nestled into the Columbia River Gorge, Hood River is considered the windsurfing capital of the world. It's also much beloved for coffee, beer, wine, pears and a historic downtown hotel built in 1911.

With an eclectic population of bikers, artists and the LGBTQ community, New Hope strikes a more modern tone than many of the small towns on this list. Just a short drive from Philadelphia, and across the Delaware River from the equally quaint Lambertville, New Jersey, there's art, food and a smattering of haunted houses.

Voted one of the best small cities in the U.S. by Conde Nast Traveler, Newport is quintessential coastal New England: the boats, the harbor, the colonial buildings, the historic mansions and the great seafood.

Southern Living calls Beaufort a "Lowcountry gem," and it is. Nestled on a series of islands between Charleston and Savannah, Georgia, it showcases antebellum architecture, Spanish moss, nature, dining and shopping.

From its beginnings as an illegal mining camp to its Hollywood resurgence in the HBO series of the same name, Deadwood is about as Wild West as it gets. True West magazine once called it the "Top True Western Town." The entire town is a National Historic Landmark, with many thanks to Wild Bill Hickok.

Twenty miles south of Nashville, Franklin boasts a historic Main Street, Civil War-era buildings, modern food, great antiques and a burgeoning music scene of its own.

Quaint might not be the exact word. Regardless, Marfa, a town of 2,000 tucked away in the high desert of West Texas, is special. It's become a somewhat surprising hub for art and architecture, with the Prada storefront outside of town and old Texaco gas stations and dance halls transformed into modern design masterpieces. With few ATMs and unreliable cell service, it feels both like a step back in time and a leap forward.

USA Today named Ogden the state's most picturesque small towns—and yet it's also one with a reputation for being too wild for the like of Al Capone. Today, Ogden's frontier roots, with its brothels and bootleggers, have been updated and refined, so that people flock to historic 25th Street and consider the town a surprising ski destination.

While it's not the first place you'd think of when you hear "Woodstock," this town of the same name in Vermont is not to be missed. The 1886 general store, covered bridges and small-scale skiing are complemented by chic shopping and dining options. The Boston Globe called it "the Hollywood version of New England come to life."

This barrier island off Virginia's eastern shore is the namesake of the wild Chincoteague ponies, which swim between Chincoteague and neighboring Assateague Island every July. If that in itself is not enough of a draw, there's a quaint Main Street and acres of protected National Wildlife Refuge.

A major port in the late 19th century, Port Townsend now draws visitors with its historic main drag, museums, parks, beaches, dining scene and Victorian homes. At two hours by car and ferry from Seattle, it's the perfect day trip.

With a five-block main drag, Lewisburg is a reminder of West Virginia's rich historical past. It was the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War on the one hand, and touted as one of the coolest small towns in America by Vogue on the other. It's also home to the West Virginia State Fair.

Less than an hour from Madison, New Glarus is known as America's Little Switzerland. Here, chalets and Swiss-trained chefs meet the New Glarus Brewing company, voted one of the best breweries in the world.

Often called Jackson Hole, which is a bit of a misnomer because that covers a larger region, Jackson is a prime snow sports and outdoors destination, nestled, as it is, between Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and amid three ski resorts. Sure, there's a Four Seasons, but Jackson remains a somewhat rugged and remote village, despite the luxury.