Let's say a town is small if its population is below 25K and it's not an immediate suburb of something larger (like Dolton, IL or Highland Park, MI).

In NY I would probably pick Cold Spring, or Ithaca if it didn't break my own rule by being slightly larger than 25K.


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  3. See this is easy. Moab is a small town that everyone and their grandma wants to visit.

  7. Point them in the direction of the cultural hubs of Port Angels and Aberdeen.

  10. 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.

  11. Colorado’s easy because most of the ski towns are well below 25k. Crested Butte and Telluride would be my picks.

  15. 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.

  20. 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

  22. 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.

  23. 25k is too many. I’d say go smaller and send them to cloudcroft new Mexico. Population 400.

    It’s also a ski resort

  24. Cairo, hands down. Beautiful old ghost town at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

  25. 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

  33. Sitka is a wonderful town, and there’s more to do than you might think. Great hiking, beautiful views, and a great atmosphere.

  36. State I’m from – Gettysburg PA

    State I currently live in – Fredericksburg TX

  37. Friday Harbor (and the rest of San Juan Island) is lovely. Is Stehekin a town? If so, there too.

  38. 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.

  40. 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.

  44. 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.

  45. From Arizona, I would choose Bisbee. It’s a pretty nice small walkable town with good weather.

  46. Sisters, Oregon. It’s on the way to Bend but has a lot of charming qualities all of its own.

  47. Skaneateles, Its a beautiful lakeside town in New York. It feels straight out of a romance film.

  48. Berea, KY. A thriving artisan community and near the Pinnacles for great hiking.

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