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10 of the Best Small Towns in the U.S. for a Summer Getaway, According to Travel Experts

10 of the Best Small Towns in the U.S. for a Summer Getaway, According to Travel Experts

Yahoo12-05-2025
With summer on the horizon, it's high time to start plotting out your travel plans. While some travelers may be thinking about a grand European vacation, there are also plenty of options stateside—from national parks and beaches to buzzy cities and small towns. If the latter piques your interest, we're here to help narrow down your options. Maybe you're thinking of heading out West, to a small mountain town like Telluride or Jackson. Or perhaps you want a beach experience; if that's the case, St. Simons Island or Kennebunkport might resonate with you. No matter your preference, there's a small town that's perfect for your next summer trip.
Read on for the best small towns to visit for a summer vacation—a list filled with picks from Travel + Leisure A-list travel advisors (plus a couple of my own personal favorites).
'What I love about Jackson Hole, and what I think makes it so distinctive, is its unique juxtaposition. You can spend all day outdoors—fly fishing, searching for elk, moose, or bears, or taking a scenic float down the Snake River,' says Mary Cropper, a T+L A-list advisor and travel expert at Black Tomato. 'Then, when it's time for dinner, you can dress up and hit the town [of Jackson] for a pre-dinner aperitif to watch the sunset, followed by fine dining. And if you really want to get into the spirit of things, make your way to the Jackson Hole Rodeo, which is about as authentic as it gets.'
Summer is also a wonderful (if crowded) time to explore nearby Grand Teton National Park; Yellowstone National Park is also doable as a day trip with Jackson as your base camp. For a memorable stay in the heart of Jackson, book one of the rooms at The Wort Hotel or The Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa.
'Crested Butte truly feels like the last best-kept secret in Colorado, untouched and unhurried in ways many mountain towns just can't replicate,' says A-list travel advisor Kristin Diehl, who recommends staying at Scarp Ridge Lodge, one of the Eleven Experience Lodges. 'It's a restored 19th-century miners' saloon where they've thought of all the details. Their idea of a 'concierge' service means crafting your perfect day of guided hikes, mountain biking, fly fishing, or whitewater rafting, followed by wellness treatments and private-chef-prepared meals that feel well-earned following very active days.'
Plus, summer is also peak wildflower season in Crested Butte. Visitors are greeted by columbine, lupine, and mule's ear sunflowers—and the annual Crested Butte Wildflower Festival takes place in July.
Both Diehl and Cropper have the Kennebunks in Maine on their list—and it's not hard to see why. 'There's nothing quite like a New England summer, an experience everyone should try at least once in their lives,' says Cropper, who recommends visiting Kennebunkport. 'Located between Ogunquit and Portland, this charming seaside town is a perfect place to post up for a New England summer. With the beach just a short walk away and a downtown area perfect for dinner and drinks, it's a lovely spot to unwind and enjoy the coastal vibes,' says Cropper. 'Not to mention, the area serves up some of the best lobster rolls I've ever had, putting it on the map as a foodie destination.'
And if you want to elevate the experience, venture to nearby Kennebunk. 'Check into the White Barn Inn for a quaint coastal escape, perfectly charming and steeped in history. Spend your days indulging in spa rituals, learning the art of Maine cuisine in a chef-led cooking class, or cruising along the coast on a golden-hour sail,' adds Diehl.
'While everyone knows of St. Michaels when thinking of the Eastern Shore of Maryland—and I still recommend staying at the Inn at Perry Cabin—neighboring Easton, Maryland, is an unassuming, under-the-radar culinary hotbed,' says Diehl. 'Fueled by visionaries like Paul Prager and his Bluepoint Hospitality Group, the town is home to haute spots like Bas Rouge, helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Harley Peet, and The Stewart, a sultry Scotch bar redefining small-town sophistication.' Before tucking into an unforgettable meal, head to the Pickering Creek Audubon Center to hike, bike, or canoe around the marsh, or spend a couple of hours exploring the historic downtown area.
'While the Deep South may not top your summer travel list, St. Francisville, Louisiana, is a hidden gem of storybook charm and soulful Creole history beneath canopies of Spanish moss,' says Diehl. Before the sun gets too powerful, go horseback riding at the Tunica Hills Wildlife Management Area or tackle the 5.6-mile bike path and trail at West Feliciana Sports Park. Then get a break from the summer heat by popping in and out of the town's antique shops and boutiques; she recommends Deyo Supply and Sage Hill. 'A stay at the St. Francisville Inn is the cherry on top of this getaway teeming with Southern hospitality; the restaurant alone draws diners from all over southeast Louisiana for reservations,' she adds.
Cropper calls Telluride an 'ideal playground for outdoor adventure,' where 'summer temperatures stay comfortably cool' and there are endless opportunities to bike, hike, swim, paddleboard, and soak up all of the fresh air. 'If you're planning ahead, consider timing your visit around the Telluride Bluegrass Festival or the Telluride Film Festival—two standout events that showcase the town's vibrant cultural scene and bring its creative spirit to life,' she says.
If you want a classic summer beach vacation—the kind where you can spend every day swimming, reading, riding bikes, and taking everything at a slow pace—add St. Simons Island to your shortlist. One of Georgia's barrier islands and a longtime favorite of mine, St. Simons is just about as family-friendly as it gets. For a resort experience, book a stay at either The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort or The Inn by Sea Island, which has an outdoor pool and complimentary bicycles for guests. Hungry after a long day at the beach? You've got lots of options, but it's almost criminal to skip the hot chicken at Porch or the brisket at Southern Soul Barbecue.
'I'll take any excuse to visit Ketchum, Idaho; it's the best home base for exploring all of Sun Valley's great outdoors,' says Diehl. 'Stay at the Limelight or the iconic Sun Valley Resort, then spend your days fly fishing, rafting, biking, or horseback riding before ending the night under a canopy of stars.' If you're in the area for more than a couple of days, definitely try to see more towns in the area. 'I also always love a day trip to Stanley, Idaho. It's out of a postcard; the tiny downtown is set against the dramatic Sawtooths and wide-open sky,' she adds.
The small towns along the Jersey Shore are the type of destinations that ooze summertime nostalgia. Think wooden boardwalks, ice cream shops, amusement parks, and miles of gorgeous shoreline. There's one town in particular that stands out, though. Spring Lake is picturesque in every way—from its grand beachfront homes to its walkable downtown with one-of-a-kind eateries and shops (I always recommend sandwiches from Tom Bailey's and sweet treats from The Scone Pony). Just know that you will need a badge to access the beach; if you stay somewhere like The Ocean House Bed & Breakfast or the Johnson House Inn, they'll be able to help you out.
'If you're looking for a spot similar to Telluride but with a more off-the-beaten-path feel, check out Salida, Colorado,' says Cropper, describing the town as a 'hidden gem' and a 'little piece of heaven that hasn't been overrun by tourists.' Located on the Arkansas River, the town embraces both the outdoors and a creative nature. 'Salida is brimming with art galleries, live music, and festivals, with artists filling the streets. What really sets Salida apart is the town's easy-going, no-frills atmosphere. It's all about good vibes, fun times, and a relaxed pace,' she explains. As far as accommodations, Cropper recommends grabbing a tent or renting a camper—alternatively, you can stay at Salida's Amigo Motor Lodge or The Inn in nearby Buena Vista.
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'The volume market won't go to destinations that aren't known, so you get this bottleneck of cheap flights fueling the likes of Airbnb. The local population are quite right — it's out of control.' An Airbnb spokesperson said in a statement: 'Airbnb offers a different way to travel that better spreads guests and benefits to more communities. The fact is that overtourism is getting worse in cities where Airbnb is heavily restricted: in Amsterdam or Barcelona, the introduction of stringent restrictions on short term rentals have coincided with a steep increase in guest nights driven by hotels, and a surge in accommodation prices for travelers. Cities that want to have a significant impact on overtourism should embrace tourism that supports families and communities.' They added that 59% of 'guest nights' sold in the EU on Airbnb in 2024 are in destinations outside cities, while their research published in June shows that the majority of tourists still choose hotels. VRBO, another major short-term rental provider, did not respond to a request for comment. Pedro Homar knows this pressure well. As tourism director for Visit Palma, he's caught between visitors behaving badly in the Spanish city, and residents demanding action. 'We need to ensure that tourism is a sustainable industry, not just from an environmental point of view but also from a social and economic point of view,' he says. 'Our economy depends on tourism, so we either make sure we're physically sustainable or we will not have a future.' Since the pandemic, Palma has stopped promoting itself outright. Instead, it runs 'image campaigns' to shape perceptions — even running ads to call out antisocial behavior in certain resorts. In 2022, the city capped cruise ship arrivals at three a day, even though the port can handle six (Barcelona has followed suit, announcing in July that it will close two of its seven cruise terminals from 2026). It banned short-term rental apartments and Airbnbs in city-center residential buildings and has set a cap of 12,000 hotel beds: for a new hotel to open, another must close. Palma has also built up a 50-million-euro ($58 million) fund to buy and remove outdated hotels from circulation — typically cheaper properties that tend to attract budget tourists. 'It's a way of taking out of the market all these obsolete and old hotels that are no longer competitive and not the kind of product that we want for the destination,' Homar says. Palma's approach raises a question: Who has the 'right' to travel? Some destinations have long used high costs to deter mass tourism. Bhutan charges a $100-a-day 'sustainable development fund' fee. A gorilla-trekking permit in Rwanda costs $1,500 per person. Even Venice's 10-euro day-tripper fee has drawn criticism from locals for selling the city to the wealthy. Homar argues that destinations should have the right to choose their visitors, likening it to deciding whom to invite to dinner. 'I really do believe that as mature destinations, we have the right to choose the tourists that we want, and don't want,' he says. 'We want tourists that respect our personality, our way of living, our traditions. 'If you are thinking of coming over without a respectful point of view, we say, respectfully, we don't need you.' Josephides is blunter. 'They don't want the rabble anymore,' he says. 'It sounds awful to say so, and everyone's entitled to a holiday, but the numbers just keep growing. The whole thing is out of control. I can understand the democratization but it's up to the destination if they want clients without any money,' he adds. 'I'd like to drive a Ferrari, but I can't afford it.' For now, he says, most European destinations seem focused on capping numbers rather than pricing out budget travelers entirely. Restoring the goodwill of residents is just as important as tackling the crowds. 'A city where residents are not satisfied is a city that doesn't work,' says Ruben Santopietro, CEO of Visit Italy, a marketing company for various destinations across the country. 'It loses its identity completely. Residents feel excluded and neighborhoods become touristic.' Born in Naples, which saw protests over lack of housing and growing short-term rental numbers in March, Santopietro has watched his hometown surge in popularity — and housing prices — over the past decade. He warns that if growth continues unchecked, 'in five years, 50% of the città d'arte (Italian cities of culture) will become inaccessible.' Rome, Florence and Naples, he says, are already 'suffocated by tourism' almost to the point of no return. Visitors, he adds, actually want locals around. 'Venice belongs to the Venetians. If locals aren't there, they won't go. Putting residents at the center of tourism models is the only way to preserve our cities from becoming open-air museums.' Homar agrees, echoing the same phrase — 'putting residents at the center of the tourist strategy' — when talking about Palma's new five-year plan, adopted in 2023. Some hotels the city buys will be replaced with green spaces or converted to housing. In November, Palma will launch free cultural activities for locals — organ recitals, children's days in the old atelier of artist Joan Miró, theater concerts organized by Spanish national radio stations, guided architectural walks around the city — to 'uplift the sense of belonging and the pride of being a citizen.' 'All these initiatives will be in spaces that residents for some reason believe are just for tourists,' he says. 'We're seeing that the sense of belonging that residents used to have about being in Palma, they were slowly losing that and we need to change that dynamic.' Redistributing visitors can also help. The problem in Italy, Santopietro says, isn't that the country can't handle the numbers — it's that everyone goes to the same places. This summer, his agency launched a campaign, 'The 99% of Italy,' encouraging travelers to visit lesser-known destinations from Genoa to Tropea (some of which were their clients, but not all). 'We used social media platforms as they have created these imbalances,' he says, adding that they expect tangible results in the long term, as regional marketing campaigns take longer to take effect. Santopietro says that even in the busiest destinations, steps can be taken to disperse visitors. He suggests incentives — for example, discounted tickets to Rome's Colosseum for those who've already visited the ancient coastal town of Ostia Antica. In the short term, protests are likely to spread, says Estrella Diaz Sanchez, associate professor of marketing at Spain's University of Castilla-La Mancha. 'Some locals are frustrated about the number of tourists they receive, but I think the main factor is skyrocketing rents, driven by short-term holiday lets, pushing locals out of the housing markets,' she says. 'The solution isn't to reject tourism; it's to make it more inclusive and respectful.' Even Josephides, the tourism industry doomsayer, thinks recovery is possible. He points to Estoril, on the Lisbon coast, which in the 1970s was a mass-market destination. Authorities decided to push it upmarket, and succeeded. 'You can recover, but it takes time,' he says. 'It's much easier for a destination to control its growth rather than repair it afterwards.' See Full Web Article

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