Best Small Town Beer Scene (2025) - USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Photo courtesy of Nantahala Outdoor Center No. 10: Bryson City, North Carolina
Bryson City, located just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, is the perfect destination for any outdoor-loving beer fan. There's plenty of hiking, whitewater rafting, tubing, and exploring to fill your days and several popular breweries within walking distance of each other. In addition to Mountain Layers Brewing Company, beer lovers should be sure to visit Bryson City Outdoors, where they'll likely find a food truck to pair with the BCO taproom's well-curated selection of local and regional craft beers.
Photo courtesy of Chris Zebo / Travel Texas No. 9: Fredericksburg, Texas
Located in the heart of Texas Hill Country and one of the South's top wine regions, Fredericksburg also has a stellar beer scene. The two heavy hitters in town are Altstadt Brewery, a Bavarian-inspired brewery that uses only hops, barley, yeast, and spring water in their beers, and Fredericksburg Brewing Company, the oldest operating brewpub in the state of Texas.
Photo courtesy of Cody Yellowstone No. 8: Cody, Wyoming
You'll encounter pints of Outlaw Justice Pale Ale and Sage Creek IPA if you head out to Cody, Wyoming, to discover its burgeoning wild west craft scene. The taprooms at WYOld West, Pat O'Hara, and Cody Craft Brewing are in full swing, plus there's great craft beer to go with pizza pies at Millstone Pizza. Cody is no longer just the gateway to Yellowstone, but a place to stop and sip before and after you hit the trail.
Photo courtesy of DenisTangneyJr / iStock Via Getty Images Plus No. 7: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Rehoboth Beach has long been the home of Dogfish Head, whose Brewing & Eats brewpub was the smallest commercial brewery in the country when it opened in 1995. There's also Revelation Brewing, which has a spot right off the bike path where you can sit outdoors, and Thompson Island Brewing, named after an island in the bay, that boasts a beer garden with ping pong, cornhole, and 14 different taps of draft crafts. Rehoboth hosts the 86 Hook & Ladder Brew Fest each year, which donates proceeds to the town's volunteer fire department.
Photo courtesy of City of Fredericksburg, VA Tourism No. 6: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Pop into a brewery or download the Fredericksburg Area Beer Trail Passport to start exploring this brewing haven. Make sure to check out Red Dragon Brewery, known for its excellent collection of stouts, lagers, and even shandy drinks, the newly opened Port Oysteria & Brewery, and Strangeways Brewing Fredericksburg, where you can enjoy their unique offerings. The Fredericksburg Fairgrounds hosts an annual Frosty Brew Thru in January, Tacos and Beer Festival in May, and a Cigar Bourbon and Beer Festival in August, featuring numerous breweries and food vendors showcasing their latest creations. Don't miss the annual Fredtoberfest, held during the first week of October.
Photo courtesy of Eli Wilson / iStock Via Getty Images Plus No. 5: Littleton, New Hampshire
Littleton, New Hampshire, is the perfect spot to soak up the beautiful White Mountains and indulge in excellent craft beer. Downtown you'll find Schilling Beer Co., a European-inspired brewery known for its lagers and gorgeous setting overlooking the Ammonoosuc River, as well as Wildbloom, a taproom utilizing almost exclusively local ingredients. If, by chance, you like sampling craft beer while taking in the gorgeous oranges and reds of the changing fall leaves, Schilling Beer Co. hosts a happening Oktoberfest each year.
Photo courtesy of Traverse City Tourism No. 4: Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City has become a hotbed of craft beer action in the already beer-centric state of Michigan. The town features a sizable collection of breweries, taprooms, and brewpubs, including Jolly Pumpkin, North Peak Brewing Company, Brewery Terra Firma, Earthen Ales, and Right Brain Brewery.
Photo courtesy of Explore Boone No. 3: Boone, North Carolina
In the Blue Ridge Mountains, Boone is home to some of North Carolina's best hiking, skiing, canoeing, fishing, and other outdoor pursuits. It's also home to one of the best craft beer scenes in the state, perfect for après-ski or post-trail running. Check out Boonshine Brewery's hop-forward selections, have a Hipster Juice New England IPA at Lost Province, or settle in on the porch with a Boone Creek Ale at Appalachian Mountain Brewery. Additionally, every summer, Boone hosts the High Country Beer Fest, where over 40 breweries across the state serve beer samples to go with food, live music, and classes on fermentation.
Photo courtesy of Matt Wastradowski No. 2: Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon might only have 10,000 inhabitants, but it has enough craft beer to feed multiple armies 10 times over. This is the home of Rogue, whose public house in a former tuna fish cannery overlooking the Columbia River has been operating since 2007. Other top choices include Fort George, which looks out at the river and downtown and might be Oregon's most scenic pub, and Astoria Brewing Company, the oldest craft brewery in town. If you're a stout fan, put Astoria on your calendar for February, when Fort George hosts the Festival of Dark Arts, featuring 80 unique stouts.
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