American coast and islands off the beaten path.
Less-touristed coastal towns and islands in America, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Ferndale
A pocket-sized California village known for its dozens of well-preserved Victorian storefronts and homes, Ferndale sits on the edge of a wide plain near the…
Lake City
A compact Florida county seat where a domed courthouse, moss-draped lakeshores, lily-pad-covered water, and a streetscape of historic brick storefronts and V…
Mackinaw City
At the northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, this tiny village anchors the southern end of the Mackinac Bridge and serves as a ferry gateway to Mackina…
Myrtle Beach
A resort city on South Carolina's Grand Strand — a long, continuous stretch of Atlantic coastline — Myrtle Beach draws visitors with miles of beach, a subtro…
Yachats
Modest Oregon coastal village with a disproportionately strong café and restaurant scene and a photogenic shoreline right on the Pacific, Yachats sits at the…
Ilwaco
A small waterfront city on Baker Bay where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, Ilwaco sits at the southern tip of Washington's Long Beach Peninsula w…
Port Angeles
A waterfront town on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, Port Angeles sits on the Strait of Juan de Fuca with ferry service to Victoria, British Columbia, and mo…
Boothbay Harbor
A photogenic coastal village in Lincoln County, Maine, with a waterfront setting and a café and restaurant scene that is unusually rich for its size.
Wiscasset
This tiny waterfront village on Maine's Mid Coast, Wiscasset is known for its early architecture, an unusual concentration of historic churches for its size,…
Pawcatuck
Sitting on the Pawcatuck River across from Westerly, Rhode Island, this pocket-sized Connecticut village has a historic core — the Mechanic Street Historic D…
Bandon
Little Oregon coastal town at the mouth of the Coquille River, Bandon draws visitors for its waterfront setting and regularly photographed scenery, with a co…
Punta Gorda
Waterfront town on Florida's southwest coast, Punta Gorda has a walkable centre with a real café and restaurant scene along the harbour.
Raymond
A small waterfront city in Pacific County, Washington, with a modest café and restaurant scene and several historic churches for a place its size.
Red Bluff
This compact California city on the upper Sacramento River, Red Bluff served as the last steamboat stop — the so-called Head of Navigation — during the Gold…
Centralia
Compact Pacific Northwest town midway between Seattle and Portland, Centralia's tree-lined main street mixes late-19th-century brick storefronts with antique…
Trinidad
This tiny California coastal hamlet sits directly on the Pacific, with ten public beaches, offshore rocks protected as part of the California Coastal Nationa…
Tybee Island
A barrier island off Georgia's Atlantic coast, Tybee Island is a long-established beach getaway for Savannah residents that has grown into a broader vacation…
The Dalles
A compact inland port town on the Columbia River in Oregon, The Dalles sits within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, with cafés and restaurants…
Munising
Sitting on the southern shore of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Munising is the western gateway to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, with scen…
Toledo
A pocket-sized Oregon town on the Yaquina River with a walkable central core of cafés and restaurants, Toledo sits a short drive from the beaches of the Cent…
Montesano
This grand Beaux-Arts courthouse with a clock-topped dome anchors this tiny Washington county seat, where wooded hills, waterside setting, and a compact down…
Gulfport
Founded in 1887 as a railroad terminus on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, Gulfport grew into the largest lumber export city in the United States before transitioni…
Hyannis
The commercial hub of Cape Cod and widely called its "Capital," Hyannis is a pocket-sized Massachusetts village with a walkable downtown on Main Street, a wo…
Port Townsend
Port Townsend's Victorian streetscapes, concentrated along the northeast tip of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, earned the city's historic district designati…
Port Gibson
This compact Mississippi city on the western edge of Claiborne County, Port Gibson sits along the Mississippi River with an unusual concentration of churches…
Eagle Harbor
This modest Lake Superior harbor community on Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, Eagle Harbor was historically a first stop for supply boats traveling between Sa…
Sand Island
This wind-swept sandy beach fronts vivid turquoise Pacific waters at this small Honolulu Harbor island, where palm trees line an open shoreline park just min…
Escanaba
Pocket-sized port city on Little Bay de Noc in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Escanaba has a walkable central core with cafés, restaurants, and an unusual conce…
Rock Island
Rock Island sits at the confluence of the Rock and Mississippi rivers in Illinois, one of the Quad Cities alongside Moline, East Moline, Davenport, and Bette…
South Bend
A modest waterfront city on Washington's Pacific County coast, South Bend is the county seat and widely known for its oyster production, with mountain views…
Depoe Bay
This pocket-sized Oregon coast village sits directly on the Pacific, beside what it bills as the world's smallest navigable harbor — a compact bay that draws…
Arcata
Walkable California coastal town on Humboldt Bay, Arcata has a café-dense centre, a concentration of historic churches, and easy access to mountain terrain i…
Coos Bay
The largest city on the Oregon Coast, Coos Bay sits where the Coos River meets the Pacific, giving the compact downtown direct access to the water.
Ludington
A little Lake Michigan city at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River, Ludington is the home port of the SS Badger, a vehicle and passenger ferry that crosses…
Sault Ste. Marie
The Soo Locks — a set of ship locks connecting Lake Superior to the Lower Great Lakes — draw visitors to this small city on the St.
Gold Beach
A small coastal city on the Oregon shore, Gold Beach sits where the Rogue River meets the Pacific — mountain terrain rising behind it, water directly in front.
Menominee
This modest city on the north bank of the Menominee River where it meets Green Bay, with waterfront access, a central core of cafés and restaurants, and an u…
Bay City
A pocket-sized Texas Gulf Coast city and county seat, Bay City sits right at the water and features a walkable downtown with a notable concentration of histo…
Eureka
Eureka's walkable waterfront and Victorian streetscapes make it one of the most photographed cities on California's North Coast, with the entire city designa…
Marquette
A walkable Lake Superior port town with a photogenic waterfront, a centre full of cafés and restaurants, and a concentration of historic churches, Marquette…
Aurora
Aurora, Illinois, earned the nickname "City of Lights" in 1908 after becoming one of the first cities in the United States to install an all-electric street…
Manistique
This pocket-sized city on the north shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manistique River, where breakwaters and the Manistique East Breakwater Light f…
Hancock
Small city on the Keweenaw Waterway in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Hancock is considered a cultural capital for Finnish Americans, home to the Finnish Americ…
Morristown
Pocket-sized St.
Mystic
Mystic Seaport, the largest maritime museum in the United States, anchors this tiny Connecticut village on the Mystic River, where more than 600 ships were b…
Lake George
Compact village in the Adirondack mountains of New York, right on the lake that shares its name, with a concentration of cafés, restaurants, and scenic viewp…
South Haven
Pocket-sized Lake Michigan port town at the mouth of the Black River, South Haven draws visitors to its recreational harbor, beaches, and café-lined centre.
West Cape May
A pocket-sized waterfront village on the Cape May peninsula in New Jersey, West Cape May sits at the southern tip of the northeastern United States with scen…
Port Henry
This small Adirondack-edge village on Lake Champlain, Port Henry draws visitors with its handsome stone-and-timber railroad depot, a vintage locomotive on di…
Bridgeport
Sitting on the Ohio River directly across from Wheeling, West Virginia, this tiny Ohio village offers scenic water views and a surprisingly active dining and…
Bay St. Louis
A tiny Gulf Coast city in Mississippi with a walkable central core of cafés and restaurants, a heritage-dense streetscape of listed buildings, and direct acc…
Ocean Springs
This small Mississippi Gulf Coast city with a compact downtown lined by live oak trees and home to art galleries, restaurants, and bars, Ocean Springs has a…