Great Lakes Arts and Antiques Marine City History Dvd Nights
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There'south something about small towns that ignite our imaginations. Maybe information technology'due south the charming chief streets lined with century-old structures, now filled with artisan shops and cozy family-owned breakfast eateries, or the meandering rivers that run through downtown centers and majestic mountains that rise in the not-too-far distance, offering access to a world of action. Or perhaps it'due south one-of-a-kind museums, attractions and festivities that are brimming with hometown pride. This yr, we're not simply highlighting towns that embrace all these qualities, but those that are as well jubilant a milestone ceremony, marking a major historic upshot, or unveiling a new museum or festival (at that place's even one town on the listing that's been completely transformed by a telly show) that make visiting in 2022 particularly special.
As in the by, we've once again turned to geographical information company Esri to help sort through the country'south many small towns (those with a population under 20,000). From there, nosotros compiled a list of 20 that combine historic elements with distinct cultural offerings, natural beauty and everything from the country's oldest whitewater rafting festival to legendary pirate lore.
Our 2022 list includes the Pennsylvania town that gave usa Mr. Fred Rogers, a seaside village that sits at the doorstep of Northern California's coastal redwoods—the tallest living copse on Globe—and an Idaho resort boondocks that's been recognized for its clear night skies. Get ready to explore!
Corning, New York (Population: 10,925)
When what's now Corning Incorporated first relocated to this former lumber boondocks in New York's southern Finger Lakes region 150 years ago, no one quite knew the bear upon one of the world's biggest glassmakers would have on its surroundings. At present the hands-on Corning Museum of Glass is jubilant the "Crystal City's" legacy with a summer's worth of activities. Their mobile GlassBarge, which sets out from Brooklyn—where the visitor originated—at the end of the month, will retrace the outfit'due south move, a century and a half ago, up the Hudson River, west along the Erie Canal and to Corning on September 22. It'due south the city'south office in New York's larger Erie Canal Bicentennial anniversary.
Downtown's Gaffer District—"gaffer" is some other name for glassblower—is Corning'due south master hub, a five-cake walkable stretch of celebrated stone and brick buildings filled with antique stores, boutique and name brand shops, and dozens of diverse bars and restaurants like the step-back-in-time Hand + Pes, where craft cocktails, creative sandwiches and board games are par-for-the-course.
The city'south award-winning Centerway Walking Bridge doubles as a "suspended park" between the Gaffer District and the drinking glass museum across downtown'due south Chemung River, and is just ane of Corning's impressive cultural offerings. At that place's The Rockwell Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate housed within Corning'due south original City Hall building, which showcases the American experience through art—including a gallery devoted to Andy Warhol. Those interested in living history (and live blacksmith demos) should beeline for the Heritage Village of the Southern Finger Lakes, with most a dozen buildings including an 1850s log cabin and the historic 1796 Benjamin Patterson Inn that capture what area life was like during the 19th century.
Just outside of Corning, hikers have plenty to go along them satisfied with portions of both the 950-mile Finger Lakes Trail system and the overlapping Great Eastern long-altitude trail nearby. The boondocks sits on the cusp of iii rivers, making it especially pop for kayaking and canoeing. The wineries for which New York's Finger Lakes region is known make for a sweet aprés-adventure scene. Just a one-half-60 minutes drive away in Hammondsport are cellars like Dr. Konstantin Frank, with its Reisling pours and spectacular views of Keuka Lake.
Hanapepe, Hawaii (Population: 2,638)
Information technology's been 25 years since Steven Spielberg's epic blockbuster Jurassic Park first brought dinosaurs back to life on the big screen, but visitors to Kauai's Hanapepe—a town on the Hawaiian island's south shore—even so can't go enough of one of the film's most recognizable features: the opening scene'southward towering Manawaiopuna Falls. Each action-packed sequel, like this June'southward Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, ignites renewed interest, though the merely way to see these normally inaccessible 400-foot falls (they're located on individual country) is by air. Not only does Island Helicopters offer prime views of the iconic attraction; information technology'southward also the just operator permitted to land at its base.
Of course, "Kauai's Biggest Footling Town," as the locals call information technology, is an attraction in itself, one with a history that includes immigrant entrepreneurism and its early 20th-century years as a G.I. hub. Today the bulk of Hanapepe'southward original colorful and rustic near century-sometime wooden structures still stand, lending the maverick village an authentic Old West vibe. Hanapepe (the proper name ways "crushed bay" in Hawaiian) even served as inspiration for the Disney motion picture, Lilo and Stitch.
Restaurants run the gamut from traditional Hawaiian fare like huli huli craven (grilled chicken marinated in a sweetness pineapple, ginger and garlic sauce) to locally sourced Japanese-mode cuisine, and there are plenty of shopping opportunities. Hanapepe is domicile to the western-nigh bookstore in the U.s.a., a Hawaiian spice visitor, and Banana Patch Studio, a treasure trove of hand-painted pottery, art cards and ceramic tiles all created by more than than 20 artists in a quondam bakery and pool hall. In fact, Hanapepe is known as Kauai'south art capital, something that it highlights each week during Friday Night Art Walk, when more than a dozen art galleries open their doors and offer visitors the run a risk to talk with local artists.
For a fun thrill, take a walk across Hanapepe'due south precarious Swinging Bridge, and then chow downwardly on some of the best taro chips around from the town's Taro Ko Chips Mill to ease your adrenaline rush.
While area beaches are plentiful, Common salt Pond Beach Park (named for traditional Hawaiian salt collecting ponds—manmade salt flats created for ocean common salt harvesting) is a must for its shallow snorkeling pools and reef protected waters. Just outside of boondocks nigh Ele'ele's Port Allen Harbor is Glass Beach, covered in millions of $.25 of colorful sea glass in shades of blue, amber and aqua.
Dublin, Georgia (Population: 16,100)
It'southward been 50 years since shots rang out in Memphis, simply the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., continues to reverberate worldwide. This is specially true in Dublin, a central Georgia city midway betwixt Savannah and Atlanta where the futurity Ceremonious Rights leader gave his first public speech communication at xv years of age. King delivered "The Negro and the Constitution," his submission to an oratorical contest sponsored by the Colored Elks Clubs of Georgia, at Dublin'southward First African Baptist Church building, which is now part of its larger MLK Monument Park, with a colorful, interactive mural by Georgia artist Corey Barksdale and sound stops, including a young human being reading King's submission, opened final twelvemonth. The church is also part of the newly launched, self-guided Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Trail, chronicling Georgia's role in the Ceremonious Rights Move in 28 distinct stops statewide.
Historic and architectural landmarks permeate Dublin's downtown, and many of them are part of the city's downloadable audio walking tour, including Railway Park—which commemorates the function of railways in Dublin'southward development—and the metropolis's own Carnegie Library. It's also dwelling to some top-notch eateries, including Deano's Italian Grill, with its signature pan-seared shrimp and garlic cheese grits, and the only imported Italian woods oven in Georgia. Southern-fashion rotisserie bistro Company Supply occupies a completely restored 120-year-one-time dry good shop (and sports a full bar stocked with local micro brews), while Holy Smokes, dishes out award-winning barbecue from a stationary nutrient truck. Pair a meal with a testify at the renovated Theatre Dublin, a former Art Deco-mode picture palace that now hosts music and theatre performances as well.
Soak in a bit of natural reprieve at the River Bend Wildlife Direction Area, home to primitive campsites, pristine fishing waters, wild animals such as alligators and the elusive Swainson'due south warbler, and approximately 1,700 hiking and biking trails that current of air through remote cypress swampland. Or bed down at the Dublin Farm Bed and Breakfast, a four-guest room country retreat on 35 acres, complete with donkeys, horses and its ain restaurant, serving up ever-changing Northern Italian fare.
A local citizen named Dublin later his ain hometown in Ireland in 1812, then it makes perfect sense that the city's banner upshot is its almanac St. Patrick'due south Festival, a half-dozen-week-long celebratory extravaganza featuring more than than xl events, including its backyard-fashion Pig in the Park BBQ Title, an arts and crafts fair, and a family-themed St. Patrick'southward Day parade.
Pendleton, Oregon (Population: 16,791)
In the 150 years since what'southward now Eastern Oregon'south cultural centre received the proper name Pendleton, after former Autonomous Vice-President nominee George Chase Pendleton, this once trading post has flourished into one of America'southward best pocket-size towns. The Oregon Trail—which is marking its 175th anniversary this year—ran right through Pendleton'southward heart, and that aforementioned pioneering Wild W spirit still permeates its streets today.
Situated at the foot of the Pacific Northwest'southward sprawling Blueish Mountains, Pendleton's historic Old Town is brimming with unique stores selling antique heirlooms and western wear, from artisan cowboy boots to custom-made fur felt hats. Shop for locally handcrafted beaded belts and "fringe monsters" (fringe-layered handbags) at 23+, and don't miss Pendleton Woolen Mills, the factory-turned-retail shop where the globe-famous wool coating, shirt and coat manufacturer first took off.
September's annual Pendleton Round-Up is i of the town'south most exhilarating events, a more than century-old, week-long rodeo that includes a apparel-upwards parade, Native American tipi village and the Happy Canyon Dark Testify, a reoccurring pageant showcasing the American West's germination, from its original Native American inhabitants to the arrival of Europeans, and through the days of the Oregon Trail pioneers to its formation as a rip-roaring frontier boondocks. The Pendleton Round-Upward and Happy Coulee Hall of Fame pays homage to both the rodeo's and show's legendary and long-associated figures, such equally local African American cowboy George Fletcher, a fan-favorite who was denied the 1911 saddle-bronc title because of his skin color.
Notice the history, culture and impact of pioneer settlers on the area'due south native peoples at the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, or embark on a subterranean tour below Pendleton'south streets, where Chinese immigrants who'd come looking for piece of work later the land'due south railroads were generally complete faced bullying and discrimination from local cowboys, so took their businesses—which included legal shops equally well as illegal brothels and opium dens—literally hugger-mugger more than a century ago. It wasn't until that 1980s that the tunnels were rediscovered, when inexplicable potholes began appearing in the streets. The gratuitous Pendleton Middle of the Arts is simply one of the many stops along Pendleton'due south Amuse Trail, a self-guided way to create your own charm bracelet while visiting antique stores, museums and restaurants throughout downtown.
Pendleton River Parkway follows the Umatilla River in the centre of town, offering nearly 3 miles of apartment walking trail, while the town's outskirts are bursting with options for cycling, hiking and camping ground.
North Conway, New Hampshire (Population: 2,241)
President Woodrow Wilson start established New England's White Mountain National Forest in 1918, and this year the more-than 700,000 acres of protected woods and alpine peaks—including most of vi,266-foot-alpine Mt. Washington—is celebrating its 100th birthday with a year'south worth of centennial events. In the heart of the Mt. Washington Valley, N Conway makes the perfect hub for these festivities, specially since the picturesque village has a bevy of attractions all its own.
Earlier this year, North Conway became home to the Eastern Slope Branch of the New England Ski Museum, a new permanent gallery dedicated to the region'due south office in introducing skiing to united states. The resort town is oftentimes chosen the "Birthplace of Skiing," due to its early adoption from Europe in the 1930s and a combined interest from 3 main groups: local Scandinavian immigrants, the Dartmouth Outing Club, and members of the Boston-based Appalachian Mountain Club. Last year, a The states Today poll named Northward Conway the country'southward number one ski boondocks, with more than a dozen ski resorts inside a 30-infinitesimal drive. Skiing at the village'due south ain 56-trail Cranmore Mountain Resort, dates back to 1939, though these days the resort is known just equally much for its snowboarding terrain and tubing and mountain adventure park, where daredevils tin can zipline or ride a coaster up to 25 miles per hour down the mountain.
Camping, kayaking and canoeing, and hiking opportunities permeate the surface area, which is also known for its fall leaf peeping and September's annual Mud Football Championship, bringing together approximately ten all-male, New England teams to compete knee joint-deep for the championship title at North Conway'south Squealer Coliseum—a natural amphitheater filled with White Mountain loam that's then doused with thousands of gallons of water.
Depression-stung structures line North Conway's Main Street at the edge of the White Mountains, filled with outdoor retail and specialty shops like Zeb's Full general Store, stocked with more than v,000 New England-fabricated specialty foods and featuring its own penny arcade. Local eateries include Delaney'due south Hole in the Wall, a popular hangout that's known for its varied option of sandwiches and—more surprisingly—some of the state'due south best sushi; and The White Mount Hotel & Resort's Ledges Eating house, sporting incredible views and a superb Sunday brunch.
Hop aboard the Conway Scenic Railroad for a journey aboard vintage railway cars parting from the village's iconic xanthous train station, or experience the Mount Washington Observatory Weather condition Discovery Center, the country'southward just museum dedicated entirely to climate and weather.
Gering, Nebraska (Population: viii,439)
For pioneers making their way forth the rugged Oregon Trail 175 years ago, the steep hills of Western Nebraska's Scotts Bluff National Monument served equally a landmark of hope along their journey. The same rang truthful for Native Americans and immigrants along the California and Mormon trails. Gering lies just east of the monument, and offers its own reasons for making the trip to this hub of the Sometime West.
Although Gering wasn't founded until the tardily 19th century, it still honors the region'south celebrated past with Oregon Trail Days, an annual July weekend celebration with a chili cook-off, street trip the light fantastic, parade, mud volleyball tournament and a 1.half dozen-mile bicycle colina climb to the top of Scotts Bluff National Monument. Since 1950, downtown's Gering Bakery has been blazing a trail of its own with succulent cream-filled Long John donuts, frosted peanut butter soft pretzels and cabbage burgers (sometimes known as a runza), and serves as a modern-twenty-four hours beacon thanks to its fabled neon sign.
Observe the history of the Nebraska prairie at Gering's Legacy of the Plains Museum, which highlights the lives of pioneer settlers through agricultural artifacts and fifty-fifty a working farmstead that harvests a featured ingather each yr (terminal year it was potatoes). Nearby Fort Mitchell Laissez passer offers a glimpse into America's Western Expansion. This ground forces outpost, ane of hundreds the U.S. Army congenital to protect settlers, and later used to monitor traffic along the Oregon Trail, was abandoned afterwards the war.
Natural monuments abound in the Gering area. The iconic pillar of Chimney Rock, 20 miles southeast of Gering, appeared in the diary entrees of thousands of pioneers, representing a new phase of their journeys. There's also the narrow Robidoux Pass, a gap that travelers used to traverse the Wildcat Hills and get their first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains. Wagon ruts and pioneer graves serve equally reminders of the arduous journey, every bit does the reconstructed Robidoux Trading Postal service, in the spot where a Frenchman with the surname Robidoux built the original post that sold goods and blacksmithing services to travelers.
Explore the 1,100 piney acres of Mutiny Hills State Recreation Area and Nature Center, spread across a rocky escarpment inside a region of ascent canyons and forested buttes. The area is dwelling to big horn sheep, wild turkeys and one of Nebraska's only permanent cougar populations. You lot'll observe more than hiking and mount biking trails in the remote Buffalo Creek Wild fauna Management Area, a place of tree-topped ridges and rolling prairies.
For manmade outdoor beauty, play a circular at Gering'south 18-hole Monument Shadows Golf Class, with stunning background views of Scotts Bluff National Monument.
Laurel, Mississippi (Population: 18,355)
Information technology'southward been merely over a year since Erin and Ben Napier, stars of HGTV's "Home Town," introduced their beloved Laurel, Mississippi, to the TV masses, and since then this Southern small town with big charm has taken off. Situated in southeast Mississippi's Pine Belt, the quondam mill city and oil town is today known for its Oak-lined sidewalks, brick roadways and a splendid mix of innovative restaurants and specialty shops.
Laurel is home to A Street Auto Named Desire's fictional Blanche DuBois, equally well every bit the Lindsey 8-Wheeled Wagon, which native Mississippian John Lindsey manufactured at the town's Lindsey Log Wagon Company during the plow-of-the-20th century (1 is on display within the Laurel Welcome Centre). It's also where y'all'll find the Napiers' own Laurel Mercantile, a shop that's home to Scotsman Co., Ben's ain brand of manus-worked, reclaimed article of furniture and gentleman's piece of work wearing apparel, as well every bit American-manufactured heirloom wares that often feature in the celebrated Laurel homes the couple restores.
At downtown'due south Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, housed in a stunning, early on 20th century Georgian Revival construction, works run the gamut from Hudson River School paintings to Japanese woodblock prints. The Laurel Niggling Theatre puts on customs-led plays and musicals within a 1927 silent movie house.
Sip sour beers and "spontaneously fermented wild ales" at Slowboat Brewing Visitor, or dine on New Orleans-inspired gumbo at downtown'southward signature Cafe la Fleur. For dark-brown bag lunches of custom-cut meats paired with Knight Carbohydrate Fudge, finish past Laurel's Knight Butcher.
Each calendar week through the cease of June, experience Downtown Th, which combines an evening farmers market place with a family-friendly outdoor movie dark. Other customs events range from October's Loblolly heritage festival to the February Chili Cook-Off, where 1 type of ticket for the all-you-can-eat stew comes with a keepsake bowl made past a local potter.
Easton, Maryland (Population: xvi,573)
It's been 200 years since the nascency of renowned abolitionist leader, author and orator Frederick Douglass in Maryland's Talbot County, and Maryland's governor has declared 2022 "The Twelvemonth of Frederick Douglass." The state is commemorating his many lifetime achievements with everything from a self-guided driving bout to a Juneteenth celebration, marking the abolition of slavery in Texas, in Easton, merely 12 miles s from where Douglass was born. At that place'southward signage mark the spot along Maryland Route 328.
Easton sits on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Due north America'south largest estuary, and is a significant stop forth the Frederick Douglass route—including the grounds of the Talbot Country Courthouse, where Douglass gave his famous "Self-Made Men" spoken language in 1878. Information technology'south as well home to "The Loma," believed to be the country's oldest continuously-inhabited free African American settlement.
As Talbot's largest town, Easton offers a blend of history, arts and civilization. Each month, the boondocks hosts First Weekend, in which its many art galleries open up their doors to the public with extended hours and new exhibits. Locals also get their cultural fix at Easton's Academy Fine art Museum, known for its varied artworks spanning more than two centuries and a top concert and lectures series; too as the Avalon Theatre, a historic vaudeville and picture palace that now showcases alive music and drama.
Easton's big historic district features approximately 900 Colonial- and Victorian-era structures, many of them now housing antiquarian and collectible shops, coffee houses and restaurants offering a diverse mix of eats, such as the modern European offerings of Bas Rouge and Hunter Tavern's dear crab cakes. This mannerly waterfront boondocks and its tree-lined streets are also home to a wealth of B&Bs, including the Victorian-style Bishop's Firm, blending modern amenities with period effects.
Of form, Easton's prime number Chesapeake Bay location assures it has no shortage of outdoor offerings. Rent a bicycle and enjoy miles of cycling trails through breathtaking villages and marshland, explore local tributaries via kayak, canoe or paddleboard or become crabbing in the bay.
Kodiak, Alaska (Population: 6,281)
One hundred years ago, President Woodrow Wilson created the Katmai National Monument in what was then the territory of Alaska, to protect an area rocked and rattled by the 1912 eruption of Novarupta Volcano. Today, what'due south now known as the Katmai National Park and Preserve is a still-active remote landscape teeming with forests, lakes and more than 2,000 brown comport. Located on Alaska's mainland, it'southward ane of the state'due south prime spots for viewing them as they frolic and feed on salmon in their native habitat.
Katmai is as well only beyond the Shelikof Strait from Alaska'south Kodiak Island, the second largest island in the U.S. and home to a vibrant seaport and arts community of the same name. Surrounded by towering mountains and narrow fjords, Kodiak is itself a sight to behold. Many visitors make their mode via the Alaska Land Ferry—which runs from Bellingham, Washington, to Homer, with Chenega Bay existence the closest end east of Kodiak (14 hours distance)—to explore this once Russian-stronghold that morphed into a U.S. war machine outpost during Earth State of war Ii. Abandoned post-state of war, the purposely built Fort Abercrombie is today a state historical park filled with historic ruins, bandbox forests and waterfront cliffs overlooking pounding surf and tide-pools—along with a tiny, volunteer-run military history museum housed in a former armament bunker.
Only Kodiak'southward history dates back much earlier, something visitors can explore with a stop at the Baranov Museum. Occupying the oldest-continuing building in the state, the museum'south fascinating exhibits include stories on the island's Native Alutiiq people, Kodiak's in one case-lucrative fur trade, and the devastating Good Friday Earthquake of 1964, which nearly wiped out the town.
Enjoy some fourth dimension wandering along downtown'south St. Paul Boat Harbor and exploring its Kodiak Maritime Museum, a walkable "museum without walls" with exhibits that bridge the sidewalks. Talk with local fishers, get to know the area'south best fly fishing spots and secluded campgrounds, or volume a guided kayaking tour along protected inlets with a adventure to encounter upward-close migrating whales, with June through Baronial being the best months. Exterior the urban center, the Kodiak Wild fauna Refuge is an incredible natural resource that is known for its angling, kayaking, deport-viewing and camping. It occupies two-thirds of Alaska's "Emerald Isle," and is merely accessible past flying (including air taxis or boat) but makes for an piece of cake day trip or lengthy backcountry excursion.
Dine on beet borscht soup or housemade pastries at Monk'southward Rock Coffeehouse & Bookstore, then peruse their pick of Russian-themed souvenirs. Kodiak Island Brewing Brewing Co. is the place for imbibing pints of Snowshoe, a hoppy IPA with a smooth finish. Bring a picnic of your own (or food from one of Kodiak's local restaurants) and get tasting.
Continue on your calendar for next yr the almanac Kodiak Crab Festival, a Memorial Twenty-four hours weekend extravaganza that features everything from a fish toss to a survival suit race (an immersion adjust to protect against hypothermia) through frigid waters.
Mystic, Connecticut (Population: four,168)
Always since securing a spot in the annals of Hollywood movie history with a starring office in the motion-picture show of the same name (and a young Julia Roberts), Mystic Pizza has been luring hungry fans in droves. Thirty years later, the dearest pizzeria and its surrounding seaside hamlet are still buzzing with the delights of distinction. Mystic is even welcoming its own countdown picture show festival this October.
The Connecticut coastal town, which sits at the rima oris of the Mystic River, offers a wonderful combination of rich maritime past and charming New England allure, the same that it has for decades. Hollywood royalty Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall chose the Inn at Mystic for their 1945 honeymoon. The village is ripe with seafaring history: old sea-captain'south domicile even so stand riverside forth Mystic's outskirts, and centuries-old ships dock beside kayaks and standup paddleboards in its waters. Downtown, mystic's iconic Bascule Bridge stretches across the Mystic River, and is open up to pedestrians too.
Learn virtually the village's role in shipbuilding and as a safe haven for alpine ships at Mystic Seaport, the largest maritime museum in the U.S. It's abode to the world's merely surviving wooden whaling ship, besides as the coal-fired steamboat Sabino, which offers downriver cruises. Subsequently, stop by Mystic Aquarium to meet some of North America'southward just beluga whales. Some of Connecticut's best country beaches are nearby too.
At that place'due south delightful events in every season. Weekends throughout summer and fall the village springs to life with everything from a commemoration of local eats to a child-friendly "pirate invasion." An autumn highlight is joining the crowds lined upwards for fresh apple tree cider and donuts at B. F. Clyde's Cider Mill, the country'south last-remaining steam-powered cider mill. In winter, Mystic'due south Holiday Lighted Boat Parade illuminates the night with a procession of busy ships, and Santa arriving by tugboat.
Mystic'south nutrient and drink scene ranges from riverside seafood shacks to ingenious wine confined like M/Bar, housed in a restored gas station. Travel + Leisure voted Mystic's boat-to-table Oyster Guild equally one of America's All-time Oyster Bars, while locals and visitors akin flock to the French-inspired Sift Broil Store, where co-owner and pastry chef Adam Immature recently competed for 'All-time Bakery in America' on the Nutrient Network's "Leap Baking Title."
Perham, Minnesota (Population: 3,335)
On your marker, go prepare, and become straight to central Minnesota for Perham's 40th annual International Turtle Races, a weekly occurrence in this "middle of Otter Tail Canton" on Wednesday mornings, June through Baronial. Perham's shelled reptiles and their out-of-land competitors are local icons, vying against each other for turtle bragging rights all summertime long. Turtles first out in the center of a paved ring at Turtle Park, located next door to Perham'due south area chamber, and must be start to maneuver their way to the outside ring to win. Heat winners then compete against one another for the top 3 slots. Each annual season kicks off with a June Turtle Fest, complete with a (human) half-marathon and thou parade. It's all merely a bit of the pocket-sized-town allure that makes Perham special.
Otter Tail Canton is an all-season destination that's home to more lakes that any other county in the country—over 1,100 of them—with Perham nestled among them. The county is celebrating its 150th anniversary this twelvemonth, hosting numerous events that include walking tours and September plays honoring the area'south history and heritage and held in numerous towns, including Perham.
Downtown Perham is filled with unique specialty shops and eateries: places like Nest, part-kitchenware retailer, part-cafe, with its own drive-through java window; and the two-story Gathering Grounds Coffee Shoppe, hailed for its soup and sandwich lunches, also as the choice of jewelry, books and antiques at its gift shop—all housed in a two-story century-erstwhile downtown structure. For Minnesota craft beers and burgers, be sure and cease by locally owned Mash Ales & Eats.
Perham is home to the land's only museum based entirely on the oral history of American veterans, and the Perham Middle for the Arts, an art, music and theater venue, occupies the city's century-old, former Saint Stanislaus Cosmic Church. A downtown must-encounter is Perham'due south Waves of Discovery Mural, comprised of diverse $.25 of mosaics, agates, fossils and fused drinking glass, and featuring more than 50 hidden symbols, from ane of the many artists' initials to a series of dragon flies. Small-town pride is axiomatic in everything from June'south annual Rib Melt-Off to a December Parade of Lights, complete with floats and a lighting of boondocks's Christmas tree.
The greater Otter Tail area offers a ton of outdoor activities as well—from wing line-fishing holes to more than two dozen campgrounds and resorts. Snowmobiling is specially popular, with over 250 miles of trails winding effectually lakes and through forests of maple and birch, equally is cross country skiing. The county'southward Otter Trail Scenic Byway meanders past Native American hunting grounds, over oak-tree-covered hills and alongside vast wetlands.
Skowhegan, Maine (Population: 6,207)
It's pretty impressive that 200 years afterwards Skowhegan held its inaugural country fair what'due south now known as the country's "oldest continuously running agricultural fair" is still going strong. The seat of Somerset County will be marker that milestone in August, only non before novice and professional moose-callers perform their all-time cow calls and bull grunts at the city'south first-ever Skowhegan Moose Festival this June.
Things haven't ever been easy for this former mill boondocks, nestled in Central Maine'southward scenic Kennebec River Valley, at the gateway to the land'due south Due north Maine Forest. Peachy-eyed visitors may recognize the urban center's 19th-century brick and granite structures from the 2003 HBO mini-series "Empire Falls," aptly depicting a struggling New England customs. But this hasn't stopped Skowhegan from persisting. Information technology's no wonder Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman always to serve in both houses of Congress, was a Skowhegan native.
Repurposed buildings in the urban center'south celebrated Flat Iron District now house article of furniture shops, antique stores, and artisan eateries like the Bankery, where forth with succulent pastries and lunch specials, the staff whips up custom cakes from scratch, and the onetime bank's old vaults are at present walk-in refrigerators. Their baked goods—along with a option of local craft brews—are also on the carte at Showhegan's riverside Old Manufacturing plant Pub, a onetime-mill-turned-restaurant. Local wholesale manufacturer Maine Grains is reviving New England'south grain economy with its traditional stone milling process. Meet it for yourself during tours of their gristmill (in what used to be the Somerset County jail), and so taste some samplings at the subcontract-to-table Miller's Table buffet next-door.
Wander outdoors among 21 folk-manner sculptures—including the iconic 62-foot Skowhegan Indian—that are Skowhegan'south role of the Langlais Art Trail, a state-wide showcase of artworks by incredibly imaginative Maine artist Bernard "Blackie" Langlais.
August'south almanac Skowhegan River Fest showcases another possible transformation: that of the metropolis's Kennebec River Gorge into a focal point for whitewater recreation. The town of Skowhegan'due south proposed Run of River projection would transform the area into a tourist destination, consummate with a 3-feature whitewater park that could be used by anybody from kayakers to boogie boarders, a slalom course, river promenade and 300 acres of surrounding trails.
Latrobe, Pennsylvania (Population: 8,086)
He may have been everyone's favorite neighbor, but the modest western Pennsylvania town of Latrobe was lucky enough to have Fred Rogers equally its own, at to the lowest degree during his younger years (he eventually moved to nearby Pittsburgh). With the 50th anniversary of the debut of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," and the documentary coming out this summer, fans may want to visit the big-hearted TV personality's real-life hometown to pay homage. At the Fred Rogers Annal, a public interactive exhibit located inside the Fred M. Rogers Heart on the campus of Saint Vincent College—where the Pittsburgh Steelers concur their training camp—visitors can relive their childhood past seeing the children show's original Neighborhood Trolley, scripts from actual episodes and approximately xvi,000 other items detailing his life and career. Mr. Rogers is buried nearby at Latrobe's Unity Cemetery.
Pro-golfer Arnold Palmer was also built-in in this sometime railway town (he and Fred Rogers were actually classmates), as were ii others greats: Rolling Rock beer, and the banana divide, which Latrobe celebrates annually at its Swell American Assistant Divide Celebration in Baronial. The drug shop where pharmacy amateur David Strickler invented his at present-iconic ice foam dessert no longer exists, though both a plaque and a giant assistant split statue stand in its place.
Although the groomed fairways on which Palmer learned to play the game are private, golfers can channel "The King" at Latrobe's Glengarry Golf game Links public course. For outdoor enthusiasts of a dissimilar kind, the 50-acre Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve (Winnie was Palmer'south wife of 45 years), features walking trails through meadows and forests.
Learn about the country'due south first coast-to-coast highway, which runs just south of Latrobe, at the town'south Lincoln Highway Experience Museum, or sample site-brewed beers while listening to live music Friday and Saturday evenings at Latrobe's Iv Seasons Brewing Company & Pub. There's also Di Salvo'south Station, an old train station that'due south been transformed into an Italian restaurant and cigar bar.
Salida, Colorado (Population: v,610)
Tucked into the centre of Colorado's Rocky Mountains amongst the country's "Assistant Chugalug," laid-back Salida enjoys surprisingly mild temperatures as well as an incredible assortment of outdoor sports. In fact, this historic mountain boondocks features some of the all-time whitewater rafting in the state—a quality it showcases with June's annual FibArk (First in boating on the Arkansas) Festival, America'south "oldest and boldest" whitewater festival—at present in its 70th year. Many of FibArk's events—things similar freestyle kayaking and a raft rodeo—take place on the Arkansas River, which runs through the eye of town and is home to Salida Whitewater Park, with manmade moving ridge features and holes.
Greater Salida has an upper hand when it comes to natural avails, with everything from recreational hot springs to mountains ripe for bicycling, along with the highest concentration of 14,000-pes-or-taller peaks ("14ers" as Coloradans telephone call them) in the state. Information technology'south home to Colorado'southward largest aeriform course, family- and ski-bum-friendly and Monarch Mountain Ski Resort and the state's newest national monument, boasting 21,586 acres of rivers, canyons and backcountry wood.
Downtown Salida is every bit as enticing. The once-thriving railway town's historic district (Colorado'south largest) now houses boutique shops selling handcrafted guitars, high-end bicycles and art aplenty, including the colorful reverse glass paintings of Art & Save. Salida was named Colorado's first certified "Artistic District," a stardom information technology showcases during its annual Art Walk each June.
Wine and charcuterie, pocket-size-batch spirits (at Woods'southward Hig Mountain Distillery, endemic by Salida's own mayor, no less), and artisan coffee sold alongside locally made bespoke goods are all function of the Salida experience, as are unique lodgings ranging from a historic Poor-Farm-turned-renovated-guesthouse to downtown's historic Palace Hotel, dishing out home-baked muffins daily.
Nearby Buena Vista'southward countdown Seven Peaks country music festival takes place over Labor Day weekend, consummate with outdoor camping ground and activities like a stand-upwards paddle board tour.
Luray, Virginia (Population: iv,794)
L years ago, U.Southward. Congress passed both the National Trails System Human activity and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, promoting the preservation and enjoyment of the country's outdoor areas, equally well as some of its greatest rivers. The former likewise led to the cosmos of two national scenic trails: one being the two,190-mile Appalachian Trail, which forever changed the course of Luray—a small Virginia boondocks that's one of the trails access points, as well as the headquarters of nearby Shenandoah National Park, known for its waterfalls, secluded wooded hollows and stunning natural beauty.
For Appalachian Trail through-hikers, Luray is a godsend, beginning with its informative Luray-Page Canton Visitors Centre. Downtown'southward Appalachian Outfitters stocks a wealth of hiking gear, and—forth with enough of paintings, pottery and diddled glass to peruse—its Warehouse Art Gallery offers complimentary outdoor camping infinite specifically for A.T. hikers. Spots such as Principal Street Bakery fifty-fifty sell backpacked-sized meals to go.
With its perch right near the Thornton Gap entry to Shenandoah's spectacularly breathtaking 105-mile-long Skyline Drive, Luray is a hub for all kinds of outdoor activities, including bicycling, canoeing and kayaking, and autumn foliage peeping. Explore the largest cavern system in the eastern U.S. with a visit to Luray Caverns, marker 140 years since its discovery. Their almanac Discovery Day commemorates this event each Baronial with a G Illuminated Bout, in which menstruation-dressed guides lead visitors through sections of the caverns that are lit up with thousands of candles, all the while sharing stories nearly its unearthing. This vast subterranean system features 140-foot-tall natural columns, wondrous stalactites and an actual organ that turns the entire infinite into a musical instrument. The caverns have some unrelated attractions besides, such equally a vintage automobile museum and a maze synthetic from 8-feet-tall hedges.
Brick structures dating back to the 19th century line the sloping streets of downtown Luray, which is both a VA Main Street Community and designated Arts & Culture Commune, along with being a National Historic Commune. Fuel up with a frozen Kona mocha or Virginia's own Old Hill Hard Cider at Gathering Grounds, besides serving breakfast, lunch and weekend dinner. For skillful ol' Virginia barbecue, Triple Crown BBQ is a winner.
Black bears, coyotes, and bobcats reside in the forests of Shenandoah National Park, while more than 250 exotic animals that were neglected, abandoned or unwanted have plant new life at Luray Zoo, an educational zoo that's home to everything from kangaroos to monkeys, tigers and porcupines.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas (Population: 2,114)
In 1968, a controversial former politician named Gerald 50. K. Smith opened his "Great Passion Play" at an outdoor amphitheater (ane that he'd carved out of a mountainside) in Eureka Springs, well-nigh a 7-story Christ of the Ozarks he too erected. Fifty years later, this almanac summer reenactment of Jesus Christ's terminal days is considered ane of the country's largest attended outdoor dramas.
However, it's far from the only draw this picturesque mount town has going for information technology. Tucked into the centre of northwest Arkansas' Ozark Mountains, Eureka Springs boasts everything from luxurious spas to the jaw-dropping Thorncrown Chapel to a nearby river ripe for canoeing, every bit well as one-of-a-kind boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. Its entire downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the family unit-friendly city has received many accolades, including those from the American Planning Clan and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Although Eureka Springs has been drawing those interested in its natural spring waters for centuries, its popularity as a resort town boomed in the belatedly 19th century when locals claimed that they had healing properties. Today the metropolis's undulating center is brimming with historic Victorian structures in a wash of intriguing architecture styles, including cliff-hugging Queen Annes, towering bricks with iron balconies, and cozy residential bungalows. Walk (or hop a trolley) around its historic 3.v mile "Loop," which winds, climbs and descends its way around downtown'due south well-nigh scenic features. In this town, quirky street fine art like the 500-pound Humpty Dumpty that sits on a wall in the middle of the historic commune, century-old hotels and resident ghosts at places like the Basin Park Hotel are standard fare.
Artistic souls flock to this creative hub, a place known for its functioning art, with everything from live music variety shows to an interactive sound-creating sculpture park. Whether it'southward a Mardi Gras Extravaganza, 1 of the town'south many LGTBQ festivities, or a UFO conference, Eureka Springs has it covered.
Sipping and swirling are the norm at the nearby Railway Winery @ Trestle 71-7, a stop along the Arkansas Wine Trail. For gourmet eats, endeavour hidden downtown breakfast gem Oscar's Cafe or the French-inspired fine-dining at Le Stick Nouveau.
Embark on a scenic journey back in time aboard the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway. Just outside of boondocks, the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge provides a safe oasis for rescued exotic animals, including lions, tigers and bears, as well as guided walking and trolley tours, keeper talks and its own overnight safari lodging.
Trinidad, California (Population: 359)
Each year, hundreds of thousands of visitors brand their mode along Northern California's rugged coastline to marvel at the largest trees on Earth, cheers in large part to the conservation efforts of Save the Redwoods League, which is jubilant its 100th ceremony with "free second Saturdays" at more than than 40 Redwood Land Parks throughout 2018. This year also marks 50 years since the U.S. government established Redwood National Park, which is really comprised of several parks that together with its state parks protect 45 per centum of all remaining coast redwood old-growth forests on the planet. The tiny seaside hamlet of Trinidad sits right in their backyard.
Located in California's laid-dorsum Humboldt County, Trinidad is a working angling village perched on a bluff 174 feet higher up the waters of Trinidad Bay. It is known as the identify where the "Redwoods meet the Sea," as well as for its spectacularly wild coastline and more than a dozen nearby public beaches. Trinidad is a popular spot for crabbing and angling for rockfish and salmon, equally well as lagoon and ocean kayaking. The greater Trinidad declension is also a notable California Coastal National Monument Gateway for its remarkable ocean bounding main stacks, home to one of the state'south most diverse seabird colonies—approximately 11 species such equally tufted puffin, fork-tailed storm-petral and mutual murre.
Pick up the catch-of-the-24-hour interval or snackable tins of smoked salmon at Katy's Smokehouse, a community stalwart since the 1940s. Katy's also stocks Humboldt County's famed Larrupin Mustard Dill Sauce, created past the folks at Trinidad'south Larrupin' Cafe. The cozy eatery serves up a carte du jour of mesquite barbecued dishes and local arts and crafts brews, including those from the nearby family-owned Redwood Curtain Brewing Co.
Go on an center out for grey whales and other marine mammals along the clifftop ane.4-mile-long Trinidad Head Loop Trail, or head to Trinidad State Beach Park during low tide for tide pools filled with body of water anemone and starfish. Get a handle on these and other local sea creatures with a visit to the touch tank at Humboldt Country University'south Marine Lab.
Just outside Trinidad, Sumeg Village is a reconstructed village that provides insight into the lives of the region's native Yurok people. Explore its family-style homes, built with traditional materials; sweat lodge; and a dance house where local Yuroks perform occasional cultural ceremonies.
Ketchum, Idaho (Population: 2,573)
Stargazers have much to be happy nigh in Idaho, where Ketchum recently became the state's first city to earn the moniker of International Dark Sky Community—a designation that the International Night-Sky Association gives to communities dedicated to curbing their own lite pollution. The onetime frontier outpost is also part of the even newer 1,400-square-mile Key Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, a commencement-of-its-kind in the U.S. The finish of July is the best time to catch Mars at its brightest in years, while August 12 brings the almanac Perseid shooting star shower, which can produce up to 60 shooting stars an hour.
Ketchum got its start in silvery mining, so switched to sheep aircraft before it became a yr-round recreational resort boondocks along with adjacent Sun Valley, both of which sit down at the human foot of south key Idaho's Bald Mountain—a 9,150-foot-tall top covered with world-grade ski runs—in the forested Wood River Valley. It's nirvana for outdoor enthusiasts, who along with the 4-season Sun Valley Resort come to indulge in the hiking trails, fly fishing spots, whitewater rafting opportunities, and natural hot springs of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, just northward of town.
These days, Ketchum is too known for its fashionable bazaar stores sporting designer threads and sheepskin coats, and art galleries that showcase everything from western bolo ties to modern works by Picasso and Matisse. Creativity pumps through the veins of this scenic identify, perhaps a gift left backside by Ketchum's nigh famous former resident, Ernest Hemingway. The legendary novelist lived, worked and died here—fans tin can even pay their respects at Ketchum Cemetery's Hemingway Memorial, or book Suite 206 at the nearby Sun Valley Resort, where the famed imbiber completed his nearly-Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Each year (commonly around early September) Ketchum'southward Community Library hosts a weekend filled with Hemingway-centric events, while other annual boondocks festivities include an outdoor curated public sculpture exhibit that runs through summer and Labor 24-hour interval weekends and Wagon Days, the Pacific Northwest'due south largest procession of non-motorized vehicles.
Delve into the local history of miners and ranchers, area artists and local athletes with a visit to Sunday Valley Museum of History, or discover high-altitude flora at Sawtooth Botanical Garden. For Rocky Mountain home-style breakfasts, Ketchum'southward western-kitsch Kneadery is a must.
Ocracoke, Due north Carolina (Population: 948)
Avast, ye mateys! This Oct marks the 300th anniversary of Blackbeard's historic last battle on Ocracoke Island, a narrow reconsideration on the southern tip of Northward Carolina's Outer Banks. The legendary pirate met his fateful end at the easily of Britain'southward Royal Navy, later boarding the ship of Lieutenant Robert Maynard, who—along with his crew—took down Blackbeard with shots and sword.
This Oct, at the annual Blackbeard's Pirate Jamboree, Ocracoke Hamlet and its well-protected Silver Lake will exist singing with bursting cannons and swashbuckling buccaneers, though tales of the sinister sea robber and his crew abound beyond the isle: from stories of withal-buried treasures at Springer's Indicate to Pamlico Sound, a windsurfing and kiteboarding haven where the epic end-of-life battle took place.
The proper name Ocracoke is believed to have originated as a mispronunciation of Woccocock, the island's first residents, and a few long-time locals still retain their distinct High Tider (think "hoi toider") brogue. Ocracoke Village centers around Ocracoke Harbor—known for its stunning waterfront sunsets—where boat charters offer angling tours and sailing cruises. Along the waterfront, art galleries and specialty shops lure in onlookers with their colorful window displays, while a range of dining and drinkable establishments are spread both in and on the outskirts of town. For locally sourced Southern seafood dishes and wood-fired pizzas to go, swing by lively Daijo. On the edge of the village is the new 1718 Brewing, serving up hand-crafted sodas and flights of their domicile brews, while Pony Island Restaurant has been Ocracoke's beloved breakfast hub since 1959.
For more local history, pay a visit to the Ocracoke Preservation Order Museum, or bicycle over to Ocracoke Light Station. Keep an eye out for ocean turtles and their nests (common in the summer) forth local beaches, near of which are run past the National Park Service every bit part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Ocracoke is also home to wild ponies—the descendants of horses that shipwrecked explorers cast overboard—that reside in a protected pasture up Highway 12.
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (Population: xiii,628)
Michigan's oldest urban center has quite a history, from its part as a "crossroads of fishing and trading" among Native Americans to its more than than 140 years spent under French dominion (it wasn't until after the War of 1812 that the U.Due south. gained control). This year it's celebrating its "Semiseptcentennial"—that's 350 years—with a bevy of events, culminating with the week-long 350th Anniversary Festival in July.
Sault Ste. Marie sits on the northeastern tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, straight across the St. Marys River and the U.S.-Canada Border from its twin urban center, Ontario'southward Sault Ste. Marie. The Sault Ste. Marie International Span connects the two, serving as the only vehicular crossing betwixt Michigan and Ontario for hundreds of miles. Nearby Lake Superior'southward rocky and forested coastline offers loads to explore, though the city has plenty of its own attractions.
Almost notable is its legendary Soo Locks, two parallel locks opened in 1897 to assistance ships navigate the 21-foot drop betwixt Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Today it's one of the planet'due south largest and busiest waterway traffic systems. Run across this magnificent feat of engineering—along with the massive freighters and tiny tugboats traversing its waters—in action, both from an observation platform overlooking the locks or aboard an heady boat tour.
A few of the city's treasured eateries also offer up-close views of the locks, including the Lockview Eatery, a long-fourth dimension seafood stalwart with an old-school nautical feel, and the newer Karl's Cuisine, serving up locally sourced New American eats, wines and brews.
Sunbathers will want to head to Sherman Park along St. Marys River, home to the metropolis'southward simply public beach. For wintertime sports, the urban center'southward Sault Seal Recreation Area is a convenient practice spot for downhill skiing, and a hub for snow tubers. Sault Ste. Marie is peculiarly popular with snowmobilers, with the area's 50th annual I-500 Snowmobile Race taking place before this twelvemonth. Both cross country skiers and snowshoers caput to the nearby Algonquin Trail for roaming among pristine, snowfall-covered forest.
Nearby Tahquamenon Falls State Park is a year-round favorite, with the foamy, cedar-colored waters of its 200-human foot-wide Upper Falls. While here, swing by Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub for fresh Lake Superior whitefish paired with a pint of its ain Black Bear Stout or Porcupine Pale Ale, then choice upwardly a bottle of Upper Peninsula-made pure maple syrup at its Camp 33 Souvenir Shop.
The waters effectually Sault Ste. Marie have long been a prominent place for shipwrecks, and therefore lighthouses, like the 72-step Signal Iroquois Light Station, and a flake further afield, Whitefish Bespeak Lighthouse. The latter is habitation to the merely museum devoted to shipwrecks on the Swell Lakes, also as the bell from the legendary Edmund Fitzgerald, which sunk in a storm off the declension. The signal itself is a premier bird migration hot-spot, nearly notably for rough-legged hawks, and the incredibly preserved ships lost beneath its frigid waters are a boon for defined.
Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/20-best-small-towns-visit-2018-180969125/
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