American lakeside and river towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed lakeside and river towns in America, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Wallace
Photogenic pocket-sized city in Idaho's Silver Valley mining district, Wallace sits alongside the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River and carries a notable…
Cumberland
A photogenic city on the Potomac River in Western Maryland, Cumberland has a compact centre with a concentration of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.
Saranac Lake
The largest community within New York's Adirondack Park, Saranac Lake sits on Lake Flower — a wide stretch of the Saranac River — with mountain terrain on al…
Corning
This small city on the Chemung River in upstate New York, Corning is best known as the headquarters of Corning Incorporated, the Fortune 500 glass and cerami…
Johnstown
Johnstown, a Pennsylvania steel town in Cambria County, is best known today for the catastrophic 1889 flood that devastated the city — an event commemorated…
Damariscotta
This compact Maine village on the Damariscotta River, known for its oysters and a café and restaurant scene that holds a surprising number of options for its…
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…
Yreka
The county seat of Siskiyou County in northern California, Yreka sits near the Shasta River in mountain terrain and holds the Klamath National Forest Interpr…
Logan
This small West Virginia city sits along the Guyandotte River in the mountains of Logan County, serving as the county seat.
Monroe
A Louisiana city on the Ouachita River with a concentration of historic churches and a streetscape that draws regular visitor photography, Monroe is also the…
Clarkston
Small Washington town on the Snake River, Clarkston sits across the water from Lewiston, Idaho, with a compact central core of cafés and restaurants and easy…
Portsmouth
City on the north bank of the Ohio River in southern Ohio, Portsmouth is known for a 2,200-foot floodwall mural painted by artist Robert Dafford.
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…
Lebanon
Modest Oregon city on the South Santiam River, Lebanon sits at the eastern edge of the Willamette Valley with a compact centre of cafés and restaurants, a ne…
Wawona
This little community situated entirely within Yosemite National Park, Wawona sits alongside the South Fork of the Merced River with mountain scenery in ever…
Buckhannon
A little West Virginia city on the Buckhannon River, known for the West Virginia Strawberry Festival held each May and home to West Virginia Wesleyan College.
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…
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…
Glenville
This compact county seat in the West Virginia mountains sits along the Little Kanawha River and holds an unusual concentration of churches for a village its…
Red River
This small resort town in New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Red River sits along the river that shares its name and offers a café and restaurant scene…
Milton
A compact Ohio River village in Trimble County, Kentucky, connected to Madison, Indiana, by the Milton-Madison Bridge — the only road crossing between the tw…
Needles
This modest Mojave Desert city on the western bank of the Colorado River, Needles sits at the California border with Arizona and Nevada, with mountain views…
Cottage City
This compact Maryland village beside the Anacostia River, Cottage City offers tree-lined streets ablaze with autumn color, a modest local dining scene, and e…
Sierra City
Small hamlet in the canyon of the North Yuba River in California's Sierra County, Sierra City sits at high elevation along State Route 49, close to the mount…
Lava Hot Springs
This pocket-sized Idaho resort town on the Portneuf River draws visitors to its natural hot springs, which feed pools suited for bathing, and to a turbulent…
John Day
This little city in Grant County, Oregon, serves as the largest settlement in the county and sits at the junction of two major US routes, with scenic surroun…
Watkins Glen
This compact village on the southern tip of Seneca Lake in New York's Schuyler County draws visitors for its waterfront setting, scenic surroundings, and the…
Salmon
A pocket-sized Idaho county seat on the banks of the Salmon River, a tributary of the Snake, with a central core of cafés and restaurants and an unusual numb…
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…
Parkersburg
Sitting at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers in West Virginia, Parkersburg is a town-sized city with a compact centre, a concentration of…
Vermilion
This compact Lake Erie town in Ohio, west of Cleveland, with a walkable central core of cafés and restaurants, a waterfront position, and an unusual number o…
Fort Plain
This modest village on the Mohawk River in Montgomery County, New York, with a surprising number of churches and a modest café and restaurant scene for its s…
Walker
This compact lakeside town in northern Minnesota with a lively main street of outdoor-gear shops, cafés, and local restaurants that caters clearly to water-s…
Tiffin
This compact Ohio city on the Sandusky River, Tiffin is the county seat of Seneca County and home to two universities — Heidelberg University and Tiffin Univ…
Spencer
The county seat of Roane County, West Virginia, Spencer sits alongside Charles Fork Lake in mountain terrain and hosts the annual West Virginia Black Walnut…
Conneaut
A small Ohio town on the shore of Lake Erie, Conneaut sits at the mouth of Conneaut Creek in the far northeast of the state.
Cornwall-on-Hudson
A modest Hudson River village in Orange County, New York, with scenic mountain terrain in the surrounds and a waterfront position on the west bank of the river.
Oakland
This modest county seat in western Maryland sits close to Deep Creek Lake and the Wisp Ski Resort, with a historic district that makes it one of the more wal…
Rocky River
This walkable Lake Erie suburb of Cleveland with a café and restaurant scene in the centre, Rocky River sits where the Rocky River meets the lake on Cuyahoga…
Milledgeville
Georgia's former state capital from 1804 to 1868, Milledgeville sits on the Oconee River with a downtown grid modeled on Savannah and Washington, D.C.
Kingston
This compact Pennsylvania borough sits on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes-Barre, with a café and restaurant scene that punches abov…
Marietta
Founded in 1788 as the first permanent U.S.
Binghamton
Sitting at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers in New York's Southern Tier, Binghamton is a mid-sized city with a walkable, café-lined cent…
Hammondsport
Sitting at the south end of Keuka Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region, Hammondsport is a pocket-sized village with a wine and brewing scene that punches w…
Quechee
Quechee Gorge, carved by the Ottauquechee River, is the centerpiece of this compact Vermont village in Windsor County.
Oil City
Oil City, in Venango County, Pennsylvania, sits at the bend of the Allegheny River where Oil Creek meets it — a setting that shaped one of the most consequen…
Warren
Compact Midwestern county seat along the Mahoning River, Warren rewards a stroll down its main street with a row of well-preserved late-19th-century brick co…
Cullowhee
This compact university town on the Tuckasegee River in North Carolina's Jackson County, Cullowhee is home to Western Carolina University, whose 12,000 stude…
Bonners Ferry
A compact Idaho city on the Kootenay River with a modest café and restaurant scene and several historic churches for a place its size, Bonners Ferry is the c…
Stanley
This pocket-sized Idaho hamlet in the Sawtooth Valley sits on the Salmon River, the main tributary of the Snake, making it a base for water access in mountai…
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…
Omak
A small city on the Okanogan River in north-central Washington, Omak serves as the gateway to the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and sits within reach of…
Corvallis
A walkable college city on the Willamette River in central western Oregon, Corvallis has a food-and-drink scene concentrated in its centre alongside a notabl…
Romney
One of the two oldest towns in West Virginia, Romney was established in 1762 along the South Branch Potomac River, with the Appalachian highlands close by.
Salida
A pocket-sized Colorado mountain town on the Arkansas River with a café and restaurant scene that outpaces the town's size, Salida is the county seat of Chaf…
Helper
Small Utah city along the Price River at the western end of the Book Cliffs — described as the longest continuous escarpment in the world — Helper is home to…
Greenville
The county seat of Pitt County, North Carolina, Greenville sits on the Tar River and serves as the region's hub for health, education, and entertainment.
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…
Susanville
Susanville, the county seat of Lassen County in northeastern California, sits along the Susan River at high elevation in the Sierra Nevada foothills, with mo…
Bayfield
Sitting on the shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin, this tiny city serves as the gateway to the Apostle Islands and draws visitors with waterfront access, sc…