Big cities and tourist hot spots have their well-earned appeal, but sometimes you just want to enjoy your coastal mansion in peace. It’s a sentiment baked into the smaller, quieter communities that share enough cultural DNA with their buzzier brethren, minus the hordes of travelers, skyrocketing room rates and ticket queues. To be clear: these well-trod locales are popular for good reason, and as aspirational as these bucket-list destinations are, it’s worth noting that you can have similar experiences without any of the hoopla by visiting an alternative nearby. From a mansion-clad dupe in Rhode Island, to a Wild West oasis in Nevada, hack the tourist traps with these small-town alternatives.
From Newport to Bristol
Ah, Newport. The quintessential Rhode Island town where “cottages” are actually mega mansions, and where yachts are a main mode of transport. Especially in the summer, folks flock here in droves, eager to catch a glimpse of celebrity, dine at posh restaurants and tour mansions, pretending like they’ve been personally invited by Taylor Swift. But a scant 30 minutes to the north, on a peninsula flanked by the Narragansett Bay, the comparatively chiller town of Bristol ticks all the same boxes, even if the chance of a Swift encounter is a flat zero. In the harbor, yachts make room for slightly more down-to-earth sailboats, while restaurants — like The Lobster Pot, a waterside institution since 1929 — are easier to get into, the main street is authentically quaint and even the mansions seem genuinely homey, uncluttered by crowds. Like Blithewold Manor, a onetime summer retreat for the Van Wickle family in the late-1800s, now available for tours and events. Come summer, Bristol hosts the oldest Independence Day parade and festival in the country (since 1785!), and Colt State Park is an evergreen destination for hiking, biking, fishing and paddling.
A Guide to the Loneliest Road in America
You’ve heard of Route 66, but what about Highway 50?From Burning Man to Ely
If it’s dusty desert vibes you’re after, you needn’t venture far in Nevada. But if you’d rather not spend thousands to potentially get literally trapped by mud at Burning Man, there’s a fitting alternative on the other side of the state, which swaps bougie elitism for authentic Wild West immersion. Ely, a small city in White Pine County in eastern Nevada, follows a formula that sounds right out of a John Wayne movie: in the 1800s, it was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express, after gold was discovered. By 1906, it was a full-blown boomtown, thanks to the additional discovery of copper, and the subsequent establishment of copper mines. In the Egan Mountains overlooking town, beehive-shaped charcoal ovens were built to process silver ore and later became hideaways for stagecoach bandits. Today, that site is Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, and just one of many preserved-in-time relics that make Ely such an enduring icon of Western lore. Perched on the eastern end of “The Loneliest Highway in America,” aka U.S. Highway 50, Ely is the kind of middle-of-nowhere vibe that Nevada excels at, except instead of orgy tents, there are ice cream floats and sandwiches at the Economy Drug & Old Fashioned Soda Fountain, slots and shots at the Prospector Hotel & Gambling Hall, and the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, with themed train rides like the Rockin’ & Rollin’ Geology Train and cowboy-clad Wild West outings. Nearby, you’ll find dozens of accessible ghost towns, like Hamilton and Osceola, as well as Great Basin National Park, among the most underrated in the country. Oh, and you can also eat steak in a jail cell at Hector’s Cellblock Steakhouse.
From Monterey to Morro Bay
From Old Fisherman’s Wharf to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, there’s a lot of beauty and history in Monterey, CA, but as anyone who has ever inched their way through Cannery Row can attest, there is also mild road rage. A convincing analogue, located a couple hours down the coast, is far less frustrating. About a third the population of Monterey, Morro Bay is way less crowded and way more casual. Interestingly, both communities have connections to Finding Dory, in that the Pixar movie “took place” in Morro Bay, at an aquarium inspired by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Animated fish aside, Morro Bay has the endearing grit of a fishing community, with ramshackle cottages (the real kind, not the Newport kind) overlooking the Embarcadero, lined with old-school seafood institutions like Galley Seafood Grill & Bar and Tognazzini’s. Wherever you dine, be sure and try grilled fish & chips, a local specialty. And wherever you turn, the sea is the star, from the Morro Bay Maritime Museum, to the mighty Morro Rock, a volcanic plug looming over the harbor, which makes for a mean sunset vista. And while you probably won’t find Dory here, you’re sure to find otters and seals aplenty, especially while aboard a sub sea tour with underwater windows.
From Marfa to Round Top
In terms of quirky small towns in Texas, Marfa tends to dominate the conversation, for its offbeat photo ops, chic galleries, twee hotels and inexplicable lights. But the next time you’re road-tripping across the state, consider a less-known alternative that is just as big on quirky charm, but — somehow — far tinier. Round Top, located between Austin and Houston, holds the distinction of being Texas’ smallest incorporated town, with signs throughout the community proudly boasting its 87-person population. And while Marfa has long since been discovered by influencers, Round Top is practically as quiet as a library on most weekdays. Its main claim to fame is its springtime Antiques Fair, which attracts upwards of 100,000 people, but year-round, the town has warehouse-sized antique stores, stocked with everything from Vegas-worthy neon lights, zebra-print rugs and even French Chateaus, which have been disassembled for anyone willing to DIY their own villa. Additionally, Round Top boasts an array of restaurants and bars, like Italian-accented Lulu’s, the Ellis Motel bar and The Mark speakeasy, hidden within The 550 Market. Don’t miss Merritt Meat Co., dishing out real-deal Texas barbecue that can hold its own amongst the heavyweights. Visit Round Top soon, though, because travelers are starting to get wise. The inaugural Round Top Film Festival took place last year, The 550 Market started hosting Western-style fashion shows and the Round Top Festival Institute is a gorgeous musical institute — nestled in the woods — that has been educating and entertaining since 1971.
From Charleston to Beaufort
If bucolic lowcountry cities were Russian nesting dolls, Charleston would be the largest, followed by Savannah, before finishing with Beaufort, S.C. Located on a sea island between the two, the dramatically smaller coastal community has Southern charm for days, with Spanish moss billowing in the breeze and a pace of life that trickles as leisurely as the Port Royal Sound on which it sits. It’s so charming, in fact, that many seminal scenes from Forrest Gump were filmed here, including the Vietnam scenes that were actually on Fripp Island, and Forrest’s shrimp boat, “Jenny,” which belonged to a Beaufort fisherman. In addition to self-guided Forrest Gump tours, the idyllic town features Hunting Island State Park (home to one of the few lighthouses in South Carolina), African art and artifacts at the Gullah Geechee Visitor Center and an array of lowcountry architecture — a blend of Federal, Neoclassical, Greek Revival and Victorian styles — in the Beaufort Historic District. Slurp crab bisque at Saltus River Grill, swing on a bench at Waterfront Park and soak in sunset from the porch at Cuthbert House.
From Healdsburg to Guerneville
In Sonoma County, Healdsburg is an under-the-radar wine country town well worth the pilgrimage for oenophiles and foodies, but for something even further afield, head towards the Sonoma coast. Guerneville may be a Sonoma County town, but its comparisons to Healdsburg end there. Aside from the chateau-like Korbel Winery, you won’t find the same kind of vineyards elsewhere in the county, nor the dense concentration of Michelin-caliber restaurants and tasting rooms. Instead, you’ll find a bohemian, queer-friendly town in the redwoods, perched on the meandering Russian River, with funky cottages and inns strewn along the hills. Main Street boasts an array of eclectic, colorful businesses and eateries, like mezcal-soaked El Barrio, a gay saloon called Rainbow Cattle Company and Equality Vines, a “cause wine portfolio” that partners with Sonoma wineries to create altruistic labels like Stonewall Zinfandel, and Love Wines Blanc de Blanc. Have dinner at boon eat + drink, a seasonally driven California bistro owned by Guerneville’s resident celeb chef, Crista Luedtke, and stay at one of her two local inns, The Highlands and boon hotel + spa. Or for something totally unique, stay at Mine + Farm Inn, a stylish B&B that cultivates and harvests its own cannabis.
From Bar Harbor to Waterville
The gateway to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor swarms with both black flies and tourists in the summer and fall, which means a rush on lobster rolls, in-demand inns and inevitable traffic crawling all over Mount Desert Island. For a breath of fresh air, head inland to Waterville. Located about two hours west, near the state capital of Augusta, Waterville is a surprisingly bustling small town, thanks in no small part to its resident campus, Colby College. Bisected by the Kennebec River, lined with the Kennebec River Rail Trail and the Head of Falls Riverwalk, the town’s primary thoroughfares of Main Street and Front Street are absolutely loaded with quality restaurants, bars, boutiques and even the Waterville Opera House and the Maine Film Center, home to the Maine International Film Festival. Have dinner at Front & Main, located inside the swank Lockwood Hotel, where dishes run the gamut from blueberry-glazed duck confit bao buns to crab pappardelle with white bolognese, then pop across the street for live music and beer at Silver Street Tavern. Nearby, Pink Crow Collective is a wonderland of vintage treasures, and you can get your seafood fix — sans crowds — at 18 Below.
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From Minneapolis to La Crosse
No offense to the Twin Cities, which have their fair share of destination-worthy cultural amenities, but a quick drive down the Great River Road reveals a dizzying array of adorable river towns, culminating with the singular allure of La Crosse, WI. That road, a national scenic byway that spans 250 miles along the Mississippi River, is a scenic spectacle in and of itself, but the small city of La Crosse, lined with craggy bluffs and cross-country ski trails, is a wonderland of Midwestern beauty at its most bucolic. With a population around 50,000, it’s the Goldilocks of cities: not too small, not too big, with the exact right amount of high-caliber restaurants (pair pastas with butter-washed Old Fashioneds at neo-supper club Lovechild) and old-school ice cream shops (pair Mississippi Mud ice cream at The Pearl Ice Cream Parlor with views of the Mississippi River down the block). Drive up to Grandad Bluff, a 600-foot-tall city park overlooking La Crosse, and keep your eyes peeled for bald eagles — the National Eagle Center might be slightly up-river, but they flock here en masse along the river. While on the river, stay at the Hatchery Riverside Hotel, an art-filled boutique in a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, complete with an on-site cocktail lounge.
From Boston to Portsmouth
Nestled along the New Hampshire coast, just over the Piscataqua River from Maine, Portsmouth has all the hallmarks of a historic colonial city, a la Boston. It’s got brick buildings and cobblestone streets. It’s got Italianate churches and soaring steeples. It’s got killer restaurants, cozy pubs and fresh seafood galore. What it doesn’t have is the gnarly traffic and incessant car horns of its big-city counterpart to the south. Start your day at Elephentine Bakery, a Mediterranean-inspired cafe specializing in breads, pastries and breakfast fare (get the Egg Simit, a jammy egg sandwich with hummus and beet-pistachio spread on Turkish simit bread). Meander around the labyrinthine streets and alleyways, getting lost in boutiques like Pickwick’s Mercantile and Off Piste, or venture back in time at the Strawberry Banke Museum, located in the oldest neighborhood in the state to be settled by Europeans. Later, feast on elevated American comfort food at Cure, where bleu cheese-stuffed dates and IPA-stewed mussels are fan favorites, and finish with live music and a pint at upscale pub, The Press Room. All this and you didn’t even need to take out a loan for parking.
From Aspen to Snowmass
Aspen is an all-season playground for the rich and famous, but just down the road, less than 10 miles away, another mountain town beckons those looking for something a little more modest. Despite its close proximity, the two towns feel wholly distinct, with Snowmass offering a more relaxed reprieve and its own distinct history. The Snowmass Mall, for instance, feels utterly frozen in time (in the best way), home to enduringly cozy restaurants like il Poggio and The Stew Pot, while the newer Snowmass Base Village offers modern amenities, like recently open Latin-inspired Mawita. On Snowmass Mountain, you’ll find all-season activities, including an alpine coaster, a ropes course and mountain biking, plus Jeep tours up-mountain for campfire dinners and s’mores. In the winter, Snowmass recently amped up its own programming as part of ever-expanding Aspen Gay Ski Week, and in addition to nearly 100 ski trails, snow bunnies can go tubing and snowshoeing. Beyond the slopes, annual festivals help set Snowmass apart from its famous sibling up the street, including the Snowmass Balloon Festival and the Snowmass Rodeo, which celebrated in 50th anniversary in 2024. No matter the time of year, be dazzled by the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, a historic sheep-herding barn that’s been turned into an arts campus and residency program, with public-facing classes, lectures and events.
From Arches to Castle Valley
Nowadays, Arches can feel more like a theme park than a national park. Cars routinely line up at the entrance, with timed ticketed entry required during peak seasons, and queues up to an hour long. The red rock wonderland is worth the hassle, surely, but nearby, an alternative part of Moab offers similar grandeur with zero wait time. Castle Valley is a 20-mile stretch north of Moab, far enough from the congestion of the small touristy town and its natural attractions, but no less lacking in scenic beauty. Carved by the Colorado River, and lined with UT-128 W, it’s a staggering drive to behold, dotted with hiking trails, riverside campgrounds and lodges, like Red Cliffs Lodge, equipped with a horse ranch, cabins with hot tubs, a Western movie museum, and its own fleet of rentable Ford Broncos. The Valley is popular for white water rafting and rock climbing, but the serenity is the main draw, all while still being conveniently close enough to all the action in Moab and Arches.
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