The Most Adorable Town in ALL 50 US States

Adorable Town

Do you live in any of these most adorable towns?

Sure, America’s big cities are big and bustling and exciting, but there’s something special about small-town living. Isn’t there? Filled with mom-and-pop shops, quaint inns, and stunning vistas, who says that bigger is better?

Worlds away from the US’s biggest metropolises, many of America’s small towns are filled with hidden treasures and offer life at a deliciously unhurried pace.

So what are we waiting for? Check out the most adorable towns in every state. They may be tiny, but they have plenty of character and charm!

Adorable Town
Photo by Andriy Blokhin at Shutterstock

Alabama: Tuscumbia

The birthplace of Helen Keller lures equal rights advocates and literature fans from around the world, and not just to tour the Keller family home, either. Visitors to this north Alabama town spend their time strolling the lush walking trails of Spring Park and looking for falls at Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve.

Also worth visiting is the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Muscle Shoals, nearby, and Tuscumbia Elementary School, which became the first public school in the state to integrate non-white students in 1963.

Alaska: Talkeetna

This little dot on the map, located two hours from Anchorage, sits about 60 miles away from the beautiful Denali Mountain.

It began as a supply town for steamboats, rushing gold miners, and then railroad workers, but nowadays, most visitors come on their way to fly around, climb, or simply admire North America’s most elevated peak.

On Main Street and around this adorable town, locals lean into Alaska’s reputation for eccentricity, like in the Roadhouse’s use of a sourdough starter from way back in 1902 and Hurricane Turn Train’s flag stop system.

It stops anywhere along its route, taking signals from the wave of a flag. If you’re lucky with timing when visiting, you’ll also get a stellar view of the aurora borealis.

Arizona: Jerome

Sedona is always a headline grabber with its exciting art scene and red-rock scenery, but Jerome, especially, shares the same bright sunsets and ups the ante with a captivating ghost-town history a mere 40 minutes away.

Constructed on the side of Cleopatra Hill, the old structures overlooking the Verde Valley now house restaurants, hotels, and galleries. The hilltop Jerome Grand Hotel has repurposed the old hospital, while the century-old high school is now a contemporary arts center.

Over the past 10 years or so, the adorable town has also grown a thriving wine scene, which includes Maynard James Keenan’s Caduceus Cellars.

This place isn’t just star-powered. It has won awards in many international wine contests, including the Las Vegas Global Wine Awards and the Los Angeles International Wine Competition.

Arkansas: Eureka Springs

This adorable town of 2,000 residents already draws Christians with its 67ft tall Christ of the Ozarks statue, created after Rio’s Christ the Redeemer, and yearly outdoor staging of The Great Passion Play. But there’s much more to this corner of the Ozarks than just a Bible Museum.

The downtown area of Eureka Springs is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. While here, you can admire the preserved Victorian architecture and the Palace Hotel and Bath House, which takes you back to Eureka’s glory days as a Victorian-era hot springs boom town.

The outskirts deserve exploring, too. Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge gives forever homes to abused, abandoned, and neglected big cats. At the same time, the peaceful Thorncrown Chapel, which is a soaring wood-and-glass sanctuary designed by architect E. Fay Jones, inspires quiet meditation… no matter your religious affiliation.

California: Los Olivos

Situated roughly a 45-minute drive north of Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez Valley, the charming wine town of Los Olivos gained some fame when featured in several Sideways scenes.

In the past couple of years, it welcomed the luxury hotel the Inn at Mattei’s Tavern and the seafood restaurant Bar Le Cote from the team behind the Michelin-starred Bells in Los Alamos, adding to the adorable town’s appeal and demonstrating its natural allure to those who seek the finer things in life.

More than two dozen wineries, like Samsara Wine Co. and Holus Bolus, pour their pinot noirs around town, allowing visitors to relax in the cooling breezes of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Adorable Town
Photo by Sandra Foyt at Shutterstock

Colorado: Leadville

Located between Colorado’s Mount Elbert and Mount Massive, Leadville depicts mountain-town culture. Miles of biking, hiking, and cross-country trails keep people moving, coming to the 10,000-foot altitude, making it one of North America’s highest incorporated cities.

With the most museums per capita in the state, including the National Mining Hall of Fame and the House with the Eye Museum, this adorable town takes pride in its history, adventure-hounds, and gunslingers, including Unsinkable Molly Brown, Doc Holliday, and “Baby Doe” Tabor.

Connecticut: Washington

The adorable town of Washington is made up of five rural villages spread around forested Litchfield Hills, a favorite area for fall foliage drives.

While you’re in the area, stop by the Institute for American Indian Studies Museum and the Research Center, which outlines 10,000 years of Indigenous history and features the Hollister House Garden and a duplicated Algonquian village, inspired by classic English grasslands.

Outside of this adorable town, hikers won’t want to miss the Hidden Valley Preserve, roughly 1,000 acres of dense meadows and forests with almost 20 miles of trails and points of interest, including a timber suspension bridge dedicated to Henry David Thoreau and a former 19th-century quartz mine.

Delaware: Lewes

Dubbed “The First Town in the First State,” Lewes was established by the Dutch back in 1631. That legacy is celebrated at the Zwaanendael Museum, which inhabits an elaborately gabled structure inspired by the former city hall of Hoorn, located in the Netherlands.

The 1765 Cannonball House, which is home to the Lewes Maritime Museum, still bearing the scars of a battle with the British in 1813 (there’s a cannonball in a wall).

For dinner, check out the James Beard–nominated Heirloom, which is housed in a red-shuttered Victorian home. It serves seasonal dishes like juniper-brined venison loin and steak tartare with kumquat relish.

Florida: Cedar Key

Dawdling around in a golf cart is one of the fastest, not to mention the most fun, ways to explore this Gulf Coast town of 700 inhabitants. Once an epicenter for cedar pencil mills, the Cedar Key of today is mainly known for fresh seafood, laid-back art galleries, and abundant kayaking and paddleboarding opportunities.

Found on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, it’s perfect for watching wildlife, too: Bald eagles, gopher tortoises, osprey, and endangered salt marsh voles can be seen at the and Lower Suwannee National Wildlife RefugeCedar Key Scrub State Reserve.

Georgia: Dahlonega

If the scenic streets of this north Georgia town look familiar, you might just be a Hallmark fan.

The 2016 rom-com “Christmas in Homestead” was filmed here. While the adorable town of 6,654 goes all out for the holidays with its six-week-long Old Fashioned Christmas celebration, it’s really a year-round destination due to its intriguing gold rush roots and its closeness to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, located about 20 miles away.

Check out the tasting rooms of local wineries while here and pan for your retirement at the Consolidated Gold Mine. Or you can spend an afternoon scouting the waterfalls in the area. The 729ft cascade in Amicalola State Park is especially memorable and also happens to be the tallest falls in the state.

Hawai’i: Waimea

Twenty minutes away from the white-sand beaches along Hawai’i’s Kohala Coast, Waimea’s rejuvenating breezes complement its cool, laid-back vibe. 3,000 feet above sea level and at the base of the volcano Maunakea, Waimea sustains Hawai’i’s paniolo culture with working and historic ranches.

You can get a feel for the place by riding on horseback with Kahua Ranch or Paniolo Adventures. The culinary scene in Waimea also makes good use of that cattle at Waimea Butcher Shop and at the weekly farmers’ markets, which has pipikaula, local seasoned dried beef, and brisket sandwiches on ‘ulu bread.

Idaho: Sandpoint

From the top of Schweitzer Mountain, ski fans coming to the Sandpoint resort can look out at the state’s biggest lake before letting go down the broad slopes of the mountain’s over 2,500 skiable acres.

But this adorable town of 9,000, at the end of Idaho’s panhandle, a mere 60 miles from the Canadian border, is an excellent spot for its year-round seasonality and a site to explore both land- and water-based adventures.

Go on boat excursions on the nearly 150-square-mile Lake Pend Oreille, take a horseback ride up the 6,400-foot Schweitzer Mountain, and you can also take advantage of high-adrenaline snowmobiling and mountain biking.

Illinois: Galena

Galena sits in the state’s northern corner and was constructed in the mining industry in the 19th century. Nowadays, though, its downtown area has evolved into a hub with more than 100 places for eating, shopping, and strolling around.

But there’s a historical side to Galena, too. Cross the scenic Galena River to take a tour of the former home of Civil War general and former President Ulysses S. Grant. And anyone looking for a century-old forge that still works can swing by the Old Blacksmith Shop.

Indiana: Angola

Northeastern Indiana is endowed with over 200 tranquil lakes. The laid-back, adorable town of Angola, especially, is within a 15-minute drive of Lake James, Crooked Lake, and Pokagon State Park’s waters, a destination for fishing and kayaking.

After all that outdoor adventure, steer into town and toast a piney single hop IPA at beloved Chapman’s Brewing Co or check out the antique shops lining historic Maumee Street.

Adorable Town
Photo by Ralf Broskvar at Shutterstock

Iowa: Decorah

The 7,600-person adorable town of Decorah inspires boundless outdoor adventure. Kayaking, canoeing, and tubing the Cardinal Marsh and Upper Iowa River are popular ways to spend time on the water, or you can check out some waterfalls at Dunning’s Spring Park or Malanaphy Springs.

Rent some wheels from Decorah Bicycles and hit the 11-mile Trout Run Trail, capping your day with a beer at Toppling Goliath Brewing or Pulpit Rock. Green thumbs, rejoice! Decorah is the home of the Seed Savers Exchange, a 49-year-old nonprofit heritage farm and seed bank dedicated to sharing and preserving heirloom seeds.

Kansas: Lindsborg

Swedish immigrants established this adorable town of just under 3,500 at the end of the 1800s, earning it the moniker “Little Sweden, USA.”

From the multilingual street signs and handcrafted Dala horses scattered around to the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, which honors the eponymous Swedish American artist who lived and worked in Lindsborg, this adorable town is drenched in its history.

While here, order some pickled herring with knackebrot at Ol Stuga, be sure to catch a live performance by the Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers, and try to time your visit to arrive for Svensk Hyllningsfest, which is a biannual celebration of Lindsborg’s proud Scandinavian heritage with food, music, and folk dancing.

The Red Barn Studio Museum is another stop you shouldn’t miss, celebrating the folksy work of multimedia artist and toymaker extraordinaire Lester Raymer.

Kentucky: Bardstown

The “Bourbon Capital of the World” has more going for it than spirits, though obviously, that’s a big lure. Good luck getting out of this adorable town without paying a visit to Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark, Willett, Barton 1792, or one of the many other distilleries speckling its rolling blue-green hills.

The newly remodeled Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History does a wonderful job chronicling whiskey production in the United States.

At the same time, the 90-minute Bardstown Ghost Trek takes you on a darker side of tavern life. For families with children, there’s nothing like the hundred-year-old soda fountain at Hurst Discount Drug for a taste of an old-fashioned banana split or malt.

Louisiana: Breaux Bridge

Thousands of seafood-crazed visitors descend upon the adorable town of Breaux Bridge, the “Crawfish Capital of the World,” for its yearly Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival each May. But don’t worry! The culinary sweetheart of St. Martin Parish offers good food all year.

Check out Poche’s for smothered rabbit or Cajun Claws and pork backbone stew for some down-home seafood boils, then work some of that off two-stepping across the floor at La Poussiere, which is a 69-year-old dance hall soundtracked by live Zydeco and Cajun bands.

For fresh air, go gator and birding peeping at the swampland of Lake Martin or glide through the cypress-rich canoe country of the Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge.

Maine: Belfast

Belfast was once known for poultry plants, shipbuilding, and sardine packing. But nowadays, its vibe is best exemplified by the progressive Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage, the United Farmers Market of Maine, and places like Chase’s Daily, which is a family-run flower bakery, farm, and vegetarian restaurant.

Also, check out the Colonial Theatre, which had its first show the day the Titanic set sail. There’s also a Laotian restaurant to add a bit of spice to the classic lobster shacks and the Only Doughnut, serving Maine’s conventional potato doughnuts.

And remember to book a wooden rowboat tour with Nicolle Littrell of DoryWoman Rowing for the most incredible view of the waterfront.

Maryland: Easton

Easton looks like many of the historic places on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. But there’s also a certain level of sophistication in this Quaker-founded adorable town that farmers and sea merchants once populated. The Academy Art Museum, for example, inhabits an 1820 schoolhouse.

Still, its curation is faced toward the future, with exhibits devoted to artists like the Oglala Lakota tribe member Marty Two Bulls, Easton also has a fantastic food and bar scene.

Other than the historic district, bird lovers flock to these regions for the Pickering Creek Audubon Center, where you can engage with the area’s feathered residents on the park’s hiking trails or in a kayak during the summer months.

Massachusetts: North Adams

A one-time factory town in the Berkshires, this adorable town churned out shoes, bricks, marble, and pig iron from the late 1700s.

Nowadays, the area’s output is way more creative: One of the nation’s most prominent contemporary art museums, Mass MoCA, is in a 16-acre complex of 19th-century mill buildings that are brimming with exhibitions by people like James Turrell and Sol LeWitt.

Continuing the postindustrial theme is Greylock Works, an ex cotton-spinning mill that’s now a locally sourced restaurant called the Break Room, it’s also a Distillery at Greylock Works, and makes gins with locally sourced botanicals like wild berries and black birch.

Michigan: Frankenmuth

The first thing travelers probably notice about Frankenmuth is its Bavarian-inspired, timber-framed structures. If the lebkuchen from the bakery at Zehnder’s or a chicken dinner at the 136-year-old Bavarian Inn Restaurant doesn’t clue you in, its German hints are beyond aesthetic.

Germans inhabited this adorable town of some 5,000 residents in the 19th century. And when visiting, you can learn more about aboard the Bavarian Belle. This two-story paddlewheel riverboat cruises along the Cass River.

Or during the keg tapping, German-themed parades, and wiener dog races of Oktoberfest. Remember to also stop by Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, which was established in 1945 and, at 27 acres, is known as the world’s largest Christmas store.

Minnesota: Ely

Right along the Canadian border, Ely is well-known as the entry to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is a million-acre reserve of interconnected lakes, rivers, and forests. The adorable town also boasts the world’s biggest concentration of dog sled outfitters per capita.

It’s the perfect place to test your mushing skills by joining a half-day fun run or backcountry trek with Chilly Dogs Sled Dog Trips. While in the canine spirit, stop by the International Wolf Center to meet its wolves and learn why wolf conservation is so significant.

You can also check out the Ely Folk School, which offers a range of immersive, skills-based classes like willow carving, needle felting, and animal tracking in the snow.

Adorable Town
Photo by Rob Hainer at Shutterstock

Mississippi: Oxford

Oxford ranks among the biggest adorable towns on this list, with a little over 25,000 inhabitants, but its vibrant literature and art scene is as intimate as they come. While here, you can tour the museum at Rowan Oak, the former home of Nobel Prize-winner William Faulkner.

And you can also attend a live recording of Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, which is a radio show that features weekly musical performances and author readings and then you can buy up some local titles at Square Books, a 45-year-old bookstore situated on historic Oxford Square.

Whatever you get up to, you’ll never go hungry: From down-and-dirty country-fried steak plates at Ajax Diner to the James Beard–caliber dishes at Saint Leo, Oxford delivers.

Missouri: Kimmswick

Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, the small but adorable town of Kimmswick is a mere half-hour drive from St. Louis.

Spend some time at the National Museum of Transportation’s Wabash and Pacific Railroad outpost to learn about the trains that ran through this adorable town, which today is home to the Anheuser Estate.

You can also get in some some shopping at the Spicery of Kimmswick and Mississippi Mud Gallery and Gifts before exploring the Mastodon State Historic Site. Scientists discovered the first evidence of North American mastodons coexisting with humans on this paleontological bone bed.

Montana: Whitefish

This is the place where you’ll see that eagles occasionally swoop overhead, trees climb higher than the buildings, and sparkling snow-capped mountains protrude from the horizon over Whitefish, making this small, adorable town feel almost unreal.

But the laid-back ski town vibes and lively Central Avenue showcase Montana’s authentic version of this reality. Most people come for the proximity to Glacier National Park. But nearby Flathead Lake and the trails through the Whitefish Range extend the outdoor opportunities.

Nebraska: Aurora

For a place with less than 5,000 residents, Aurora has a vibrant town center. The two-block radius around the Square includes a bookstore, flower shops, a cinema, a butcher shop, spas, salons, and a bunch of independently owned boutiques. Rath’s Cafe serves ham salad sandwiches, barbecued meatballs, and other comfort foods.

Educational fun for families include Edgerton Explorit Center, one of the Midwest’s leading experiential science centers, and the Plainsman Museum, which is a 50,000-artifact-strong nonprofit focused on the periods of pioneers.

And in the dog days of summer, kids can enjoy the lazy river and waterslides at the Aurora Aquatic Facility and then cool off with Italian ice from JoJo’s Gelato & Grill. Or they can join the adults for a fun-packed day on Pioneer Trails, which is a recreation area with trails for hiking, biking, and even horseback riding.

Nevada: Virginia City

The unearthing of the Comstock Lode back in 1859 was the first silver ore discovered in the US, and the money it made built Nevada and a large chunk of California. Virginia City grew, and this adorable town in northwestern Nevada continues to draw in people, but now it’s for its history.

Guided tours can explain the historic structures in town. While the 15 comedy shows, comedy shows, museums, and even the bars all emphasize history. The hillside cemetery will offer you another way to explore the legacy of this intriguing corner of the state.

The elaborate graves show off the divisions of the town, with sections for people of different classes, races, organizations, and religions. Tourists can also ride on the incredible century-old Virginia and Truckee Railroad steam engines from the adorable town’s original 19th-century depot.

New Hampshire: Sugar Hill

Sugar Hill was only established in 1962. Before then, when it was part of neighboring Lisbon, it was home to the nation’s first resort-based ski school, named Peckett’s on Sugar Hill, where Austrian-born Sig Buchmayr began schooling the East Coast elite about Europe’s terrific new way to get down a mountain.

Nowadays, this adorable town is a spot where you can take it slow, whether you’re grabbing breakfast at the 86-year-old Polly’s Pancake Parlor or picking up a block of the famous white cheddar from Harman’s Cheese & Country Store.

The best time to explore this span of the western White Mountains is in June, when the hills come alive with wildflowers and are celebrated with an annual festival.

New Jersey: Asbury Park

This Victorian seaside resort dropped in the late 20th century because of urban flight and race riots, but it’s been steadily recapturing its old charm. Its boardwalk is again vibrant, with a retro beach bar with, a renowned dog-friendly Yappy Hour and a pinball machine museum.

The Stone Pony, which is a music venue that started the careers of Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, celebrated its 50th anniversary afew years ago, and its outdoor summer stage now hosts the likes of the Pixies and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Nearby, you’ll find incredible restaurants like Talula’s, where the sourdough pizzas come with unique toppings like squash blossoms and okra, and Glide Surf Co., which sells wet suits and custom surfboards.

While Asbury Park is only about an hour’s drive from the Big Apple, accommodations like the Asbury and the Asbury Ocean Club Hotel basically beg you to stay overnight.

New Mexico: Taos

Defined by the natural beauty of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and Rio Grande Gorge, this adorable town exudes healing with its high desert air at 7,000 feet above sea level.

But while Taos shares a lot with many other of the most adorable towns in the nation, including a great ski resort, plenty of sun, chill artistic vibes where turquoise and silver jewelry fills the local galleries, there’s no mistaking the smell of sopapillas or the adobe structures for belonging to any other state in the US.

While here, you can learn more about the history at the Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where Indigenous people still carry their traditions and let travelers visit the 1,000-year-old adobe homes.

New York: Hudson

A former whaling epicenter nearly 120 miles upriver from NYC, Hudson has steadily grown since 2010, when indie rocker Melissa Auf der Maur altered a historic foundry and transformed it into the arts venue Basilica Hudson.

Nowadays, downtown Warren Street is streaked with some of the area’s best-preserved architecture. Grevival, federal, colonial revival, second empire, and its storefronts are filled with antique shops, art galleries, and delights like Culture Cream.

The sorbets and ice creams in this ice cream parlor include ingredients like kombucha and kefir.

The food scene here is so impressive that it tends to draw in notoriously discriminating New Yorkers for weekend pilgrimages to sites like Lil’ Deb’s Oasis and the peacefully radical Cafe Mutton, which serves dishes like stuffed duck neck, monkfish brandade, and collard green and manchego pie.

Adorable Town
Photo by Kevin Ruck at Shutterstock

North Carolina: Black Mountain

Located in the captivating Blue Ridge Mountains, this folksy, adorable town of about 8,500 is only a 20-minute drive away from Asheville but feels a world apart.

After strolling around Lake Tomahawk or hiking the 9-mile, out-and-back Graybeard Trail in nearby Montreat, you can shop for handcrafted jewelry and candles at Seven Sisters Craft Gallery, enjoy a pottery or weaving exhibit at the Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center, or go into carb-load overdrive at the Blue Ridge Biscuit Company.

However way you decide to fill your day, there’s no better way to end it than with an old-timey Appalachian jam session at the White Horse Black Mountain and a wild session IPA from Blk Mtn Brewing.

North Dakota: Medora

Medora might be one of the smallest adorable towns on this list, but it’s the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the incredibly beautiful Badlands, an area that our nation’s 26th president said dramatically shaped his ideas on conservation.

Watching the Old West–themed Medora Musical, which is an outdoor production hosted at the Burning Hills Amphitheatre, is a must have summer experience, and so is seeing the live-fire grilling of 12-ounce New York strip steaks at the adorable town’s annual Pitchfork Steak Fondue.

You can learn about the region’s ranching heritage at the renowned North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame while you’re here, too.

Ohio: Yellow Springs

Suppose you get a distinctly bohemian vibe bouncing around the excellent bookstores, the artisan-focused pottery shops, and the internationally minded restaurants of this southwestern Ohio town. In that case, you have Antioch College to thank for it.

The school has long been a junction for social justice and environmental activism, which is a feeling that has spread throughout this adorable town of 3,702. Check out Little Art Theatre for indie movie screenings, the Yellow Springs Arts Council for cultural events and captivating gallery shows, and Yellow Springs Brewery for a few pints with a side of progressive politics.

To soak up the four seasons, you can take on a cliff-side hiking trail at the 752-acre John Bryan State Park, keeping a lookout for red-tailed hawks and chimney swifts, or take a leisurely stroll on the multi-use Little Miami Scenic Trail, which runs for roughly 75 miles and crosses with the Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve.

Oklahoma: Medicine Park

With just under 500 residents, Medicine Park’s distinctive streets are lined with nationally registered cobblestone structures built using granite from the Wichita Mountains. For a closer look at these peaks and a chance to see American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and prairie dogs, take a drive to the three-mile Wichita Mountains Scenic Byway.

The thoroughfare curves through the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, a spot beloved by fishermen, hikers, rock climbers, and stargazers. Back in this adorable town, you can order right-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls at Mrs. Chadwick’s Bakery and then check out Bath Lake, a century-old granite swimming hole fed by the waters of Medicine Creek.

Oregon: Hood River

Fans of adventure sports and artisanal foodways can definitely find common ground at Hood River, where the Columbia River Gorge channels ferocious winds across the water feeds the fertile valley.

This corner of the Cascade Mountains and the powerful Columbia creates a base for mountain bikers, kiteboarders, and skiers who want to spend time sipping on some biodynamic wines at Analemma Wines and tasting paired courses at Hiyu Wine Farm.

In the 1980s, Hood River’s Full Sail Brewery pioneered the craft beer movement, and nowadays, Pfreim Family Brewers still carries the industry forward with experimental combinations of Pacific Northwest and Belgian brews.

Pennsylvania: New Hope

Every year since 1939, theater lovers have flocked to this corner of Pennsylvania in the summertime to catch a quick show at the Bucks County Playhouse.

Lodged in an 18th-century grist mill that was saved from demolition, the theater has attracted performers like Liza Minelli, Grace Kelly, and Robert Redford. Everything here comes with history, like the Oldestone Steakhouse in a converted 1872 stone church.

Elsewhere around this incredibly walkable colonial town, you can get a taste of cognac-barrel-aged ciders at Manoff Market Gardens and blackberry and cidery wine at New Hope Winery, take a leisurely stroll through the lovely Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, or hop on board the New Hope Railroad for an epic adventure. This historic locomotive takes riders through the beautiful Bucks County countryside.

Puerto Rico: Guavate

Drive about an hour away from Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, and you’ll land in Guavate, an adorable town of about 2,000 in the central region of Cayey. Be sure to arrive hungry because it’s where you’ll find la ruta de lechon, a snippet of Highway 184 dedicated to serving up lechon asado.

The history of these eateries depends on who you ask, but this has become the best place to eat pork. Try the dish at eateries like El Rancho Original and Lechonera Los Amigos before declaring a favorite, and enjoy the mountain vistas and winding roads that come with the territory.

Rhode Island: Charlestown

Charlestown is an adorable town best known for its hiking and biking trails, golden-sand beaches, and the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, a big draw for migratory birds.

Perhaps the funkiest spot in this adorable town is the Fantastic Umbrella Factory, which is a historic farmstead that was transformed into a shopping complex with a bamboo forest, gardens, and a menagerie that includes emus and chickens.

Significantly noteworthy is the complex’s Native American–owned Purple Shell boutique, which sells handcrafted wampum jewelry created from quahog clam shells.

South Carolina: Beaufort

The antebellum estates and towering oaks lining the streets of Beaufort have some serious Hollywood cred: The Prince of Tides, The Big Chill, and Forrest Gump were all filmed here.

For tourists, the appeal goes even more in-depth. Notable landmarks like the 226-year-old Arsenal on Craven Street, with its varied and rich military past, and the John Mark Verdier House, this adorable town’s only planter’s house open to the public, fascinate history buffs. Still, Beaufort also has a strong Gullah Geechee impact.

You can learn how descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the Sea Islands and Lowcountry coastal areas have preserved their unique culture and language through a Gullah-N-Geechie Mahn Tour of Hilton Head and St. Helena islands or Gullah Heritage Trail Tour.

You’ll be able to try fried okra, gumbo, and other Gullah dishes at Sandies at the Gullah Jazz Cafe or the Gullah Grub.

Adorable Town
Photo by Fine Art Photographs at Shutterstock

South Dakota: Spearfish

There’s no better base camp for exploring the Northern Black Hills, including Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore, than Spearfish.

After checking off your bucket list for the aforementioned postcard sites and strolling through Bridal Veil Falls in Spearfish Canyon, make sure you also pay a visit to the DC Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and learn about rainbow trout or High Plains Western Heritage Center to get a bigger grasp of what defined the American cowboy.

But artsier travelers can find enriching experiences, too. You can grab some tickets to a bluegrass jam session or cabaret show at the Matthews Opera House and Arts Center or explore the spherical paintings at Termesphere Gallery, the by-appointment-only showroom of artist Dick Termes.

Tennessee: Paris

Surprisingly, this adorable town’s biggest claim to fame isn’t its 70ft replica of the Eiffel Tower. It’s the fact that the town of just 10,000 people, two hours away from Nashville, is home to the world’s biggest fish fry, which is an all-you-can-eat affair usually scheduled for the last week of spring.

Meanwhile, Late March through May is bass and crappie season at Paris Landing State Park, where visitors can golf, hike, swim, or ogle the cormorants and coots, flanking its paved picnic loop.

Also noteworthy in this adorable town is the Paris City Cemetery, the final resting place of John Wesley Crockett, the son of Davy Crockett, and Sweet Jordan’s, a bakery established by Jordan St. John, a man with Down syndrome who hires staff with special needs.

Texas: Fredericksburg

While Greater Lubbock grows around 90% of Texas’s grapes, the Hill Country American Viticultural Area is a more leisurely weekend getaway for Austin and San Antonio visitors. Just make sure you start off in Fredericksburg to experience Messina Hof, which is the most awarded winery in the state.

If time permits, learn about this adorable town’s early German immigrants at the massive Pioneer Museum or boot scootin’ at the Luckenbach Texas General Store, Bar and Dance Hall. This is when you’re not busy strolling around this stunning part of the US.

Utah: Kanab

Just a bit north of the Arizona border, in the spectacular red-rock sandstone cliffs of the Southwest desert. Kanab’s landscapes have earned it a role in 20th-century westerns like Gunsmoke.

The adorable town is perfect for those wanting to explore the area’s vistas, sitting an hour’s drive from Zion National Park and an hour and a half from the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Closer to the adorable town, hikers can hit the Belly of the Dragon cave tunnel, a jaw-dropping rounded red-orange striations of the Wave, and the aptly called Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.

Just south of this adorable town, the free Red Pueblo Heritage Museum offers an exceptional array of gifted artifacts from Indigenous communities and early settlers.

Vermont: Waterbury

The beginning of the scenic Green Mountain Byway in Waterbury is probably best known to visitors as the home of the Ben and Jerry’s Factory. And even though the ice cream is so delicious in these parts that there’s even a graveyard of retired flavors, there are many other reasons to plan a food-focused getaway here.

Try Hen of the Wood, where dinner includes crispy skate cheeks with cider aioli. Then there’s also Prohibition Pig, with its smoked meats and around-the-corner brewery. And you’ve gotta stop by Zenbarn, which doubles as a live music venue.

North of the historic district, you’ll find Little River State Park, which includes the remains of an old pioneer town and a Civilian Conservation Corps–built reservoir where you can go swimming, boating, or fishing for trout or bass.

Virginia: Chincoteague

Chincoteague is the perfect way to enter Assateague Island National Seashore, renowned for its wild ponies and red-and-white-striped lighthouse that have roamed this land for centuries.

Visitors flock to the adorable town every summer in July for the Chincoteague Island Pony Swim, where they’re herded across the channel, to cross the natural Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for migratory birds and waterfowl, including great egrets, osprey, and piping plovers.

Swimming and beachcombing are popular attractions, or you can explore the coastal waterways and marshes via kayak or canoe. And at night, head back to the beach to experience a bit of Milky Way magic: With black skies, Chincoteague is a top-ranking spot for East Coast stargazing.

Washington: Langley

Due to Langley’s nest on the bluffs overlooking the Saratoga Passage, visitors slurping fresh local oysters could luck out and spot a couple of orcas over clams and chorizo. Green space stripes one side of the main street as it follows the turn of the waterfront of Whidbey Island, and boutiques and galleries line the other.

At night, a musician may play guitar in Seawall Park for the people in line while waiting for locally made ice cream at Sprinklz Ice Cream Parlor.

Remarkable animals can be found in the air here, like the local population of bald eagles, and on the dinner plate, as in the famous Penn Cove mussels from the northern tip of Whidbey that grace almost every menu on the island.

West Virginia: Fayetteville

Less than 3,000 folks call Fayetteville home, but the adorable town has seen an uptick in tourists since the rugged New River Gorge National Park and Preserve was named the country’s 63rd federal park a few years ago. Rock climbers, whitewater rafters, and mountain bikers have surrendered to its appeal for decades.

Still, the rest of the world is waking up to this uniquely biodiverse area. Its forest alone facilitates over 1,500 species of plants. For sweeping canyon views, aspiring photographers usually run for the New River Gorge Bridge, one of the planet’s longest single-span arch bridges.

And hikers like the Endless Wall Trail, a moderate two-and-a-half-mile trek that zigs along vertical sandstone cliffs. The adorable town itself also has plenty to charm the less outdoorsy types, including breweries and artisan-first shops such as Lost Appalachia Trading Co. and Studio B.

Wisconsin: Viroqua

Amish farms and Fly-fishing streams are scattered throughout this area. But Viroqua is a hotbed of culinary creativity, partially thanks to the over 200 organic farms in the region.

Try a savory biscuit sandwich from Wonderstate Coffee, which is a solar-powered roastery and cafe housed in a ’40s gas station, or settle in for a meal at the Driftless Cafe, where co-owner and PBS host Luke Zahm gets his bounty from the hundreds of organic farms speckling Vernon County.

For dessert, you can cobble together your very own Dairyland cheese plate from the Viroqua Food Co-op. If the sun is shining, be sure to stop by the Driftless Angler fly shop and book a guided trout-fishing lesson or take a DIY tour of Viroqua’s myriad murals.

Adorable Town
Photo by Debby Ford at Shutterstock

Wyoming: Cody

Buffalo Bill Cody opened his stage show in this adorable town at the end of the 19th century to take advantage of the excellent hunting, impressive scenery, and steady stream of folks heading into nearby Yellowstone National Park.

Over a century later, these qualities still bring travelers to his adorable town, as do the world-class fishing and the attractions unfurled by Cody himself. Nightly tours and rodeos of the historic local establishments carry on the original spirit of the adorable town.

For a more serious side of the area’s history, the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center concentrates on the Japanese incarceration center that functioned there between 1942 and 1945.

So which of these do YOU think is the most adorable town? Remember to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Meanwhile, I highly recommend also checking out: 6 Most Colorful Vacation Spots in America


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