Many RVers get caught up in visiting large cities and popular tourist destinations. Overlooked by many, small towns are easier to navigate and often provide the greatest insights into local culture. Here, life is lived at a slower pace and locals are happy to engage visitors.
During 20+ years of living the snowbird lifestyle, we’ve visited 25 states and camped at hundreds of RV parks and campgrounds. Here are 10 of our favorite small towns in America. Each town earned its spot for individual reasons. We hope you enjoy it!
Midway, Kentucky
Some of our most pleasant moments always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else. So it was when we unexpectedly came upon the historic town of Midway. Located midway between Frankfort and Lexington, Historic Midway was the first town in Kentucky founded by a railroad (1832). During the railroad’s heyday, the 1930s, and 40s, up to 30 trains, a day rumbled through the middle of town. The passenger trains dwindled until the old depot was closed in 1963. Now, Historic Midway once again thrives and enjoys its present reputation as one of Kentucky’s favorite spots for antiques, crafts, gifts, restaurants, and clothing.
Amador City, California
One of California’s smallest incorporated burghs, Amador City has a lot to offer. The original mining-era buildings are now home to unique shops including Victorian clothing, custom quilts, locally handmade gifts, a kitchen store, shops offering unique house and garden items, garden art, and antiques and books from the Gold Rush Era. You will also find wine tasting, an old-fashioned soda fountain and lunch counter, an artisan bakery, and gourmet lunches and dinners. The Imperial Hotel (from 1878) affords visitors an opportunity to stay the night and enjoy Amador City’s Gold Country small-town way of life.
Montpelier, Vermont
Montpelier, the smallest capital in America with a population under 8,000 people, is a charming historic town with the largest urban historic district in Vermont. The crown jewel is the impeccably restored State House. The gold leaf dome includes real gold and offers a spectacular contrast with the wooded hillside of Hubbard Park in the background. Montpelier is a walking city. The heart of the downtown is three blocks from the State House. Downtown Montpelier is a vibrant center of interesting, independently owned shops and restaurants.
Urbanna, Virginia
Turn off the main road or cruise up the Rappahannock River from the Chesapeake Bay to the charming and friendly historic Colonial port town of Urbanna. Home of Virginia’s Official Oyster Festival (November), more boats than folks and laid back innkeepers, shopkeepers, chefs, and townspeople. You will see where tons of tobacco were loaded into ships to sail back to Europe and the Famous Mitchell map is displayed at the visitor center located in the James Mills Scottish Factor Store.
Nappanee, Indiana
Many of the towns in Amish Country date back 150 years or more. Among these is lovely Nappanee, a bustling community of woodworking shops that has been dubbed one of America’s “Top 10 Small Towns”. Nappanee is home to numerous woodworking shops, restaurants, antique stores, and Amish Acres, a restored 80-acre Old Order Amish farmstead. The historic complex consists of 18 restored buildings including the quaint farmhouse, a pair of log cabins, a smokehouse, and an enormous barn-turned restaurant where meals are served family-style with seating for 500.
Related: Experience the Past in the Present along the Amish Country Byway
Wetumpka, Alabama
The name is a Creek Indian word meaning “rumbling waters” describing the sound of the nearby Coosa River. The Coosa River flows through the middle of Wetumpka dividing the historic business district from its residential counterpart. Bibb Graves Bridge, a focal point of the City was built in 1937. Proceeding across the Bridge to the largely residential west side discover a number of historic and beautiful homes and churches within a five-block area mainly on Tuskeena Street. On the largely historic business district east side, the Wind Creek Casino overlooks the beautiful Coosa River.
Helen, Georgia
The year was 1969, and Helen, Georgia, once a thriving lumber town, had fallen into decline. Jobs were scarce and the desolated main street did little to attract the attention of new investors and residents. Just when things were at their bleakest, three local businessmen hatched a scheme to renovate the business district to inject new energy into the town. They called on a local artist who recast the town in a new alpine light and within months many of the old buildings had new German-inspired facades that began to inspire the imagination of tourists. Almost 50 years later, Helen is the third most visited town in the state of Georgia, and yet this little piece of Bavaria in Appalachia is home to little more than 500 residents.
Altavista, Virginia
A relatively young town by Virginia standards, Altavista was founded in 1905 by the Lane brothers. In 1912 the Lane family opened a box plant, today known for its cedar chests and furniture. Steeped in railroad history, the town is part of the Virginia Railway Heritage Trail and the state’s Historical Railway Trail. Housed in the 1901 Queen Anne Victorian home of Revolutionary War soldier Col. Charles Lynch, the Avoca Museum features Native American artifacts and Civil War items. An arboretum, an antique log cabin, and a Lynch family cemetery are on the grounds. Guided tours of the restored African-American cemetery located about 50 feet from the former plantation house are available.
Panguitch, Utah
Panguitch captures the enduring pioneer spirit of Utah with its welcoming rural charm and a strong sense of heritage. Much of the town’s main drag sits on the National Register of Historic Places and offers quaint, Western-themed local shopping and dining options. Panguitch is an important base camp for many of Southern Utah’s top natural attractions including Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks, two vast expanses of national forests (Fishlake and Dixie), two national monuments (Cedar Breaks and Grand Staircase-Escalante), and several state parks.
Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown keeps its small-town feel with a Victorian-style downtown. The town prides itself as the possible home of bourbon, and though not all may agree with that claim, you can still enjoy that heritage by sampling locally crafted spirits. At Georgetown’s Toyota manufacturing plant take a tram tour and see a car constructed from the ground up. If horses are your preferred form of transportation, you’ll enjoy Old Friends Farm, a thoroughbred retirement facility that’s home to 100 retired horse racing champions.
Worth Pondering…
This is not another place.
It is THE place.
—Charles Bowden