13 Small Towns In The United States To Visit For A Weekend Getaway
While there are several locations around the world that are great to visit for the weekend during the winter season, like Reykjavik, Iceland, and Yellowknife, Canada, the continental United States has its own share of excellent places, locations with phenomenal attributes that are unique to the state in which they can be found. From Rockland, Maine to Leavenworth, Washington, and from Dahlonega, Georgia to McCall, Idaho, these thirteen small towns possess a flair for entertaining visitors during the winter. From the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, these quaint, picturesque towns are ideal for that special weekend getaway.
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania - Carbon County
The picturesque town of Jim Thorpe, located just north of Allentown, is home to Flagstaff Lodge. This exceptional lodge offers some awesome outdoor amenities, including outdoor firepits, wood-burning stoves, and easy access to nature trails. Several comfortable suites await the traveler at Flagstaff Lodge as well, like the Woodland Suite, which blends nature with comfort.
Downtown Jim Thorpe is also worth visiting, especially for historical purposes. From the Old Jail Museum, final home to the Molly Maguires, twenty Irish coal miners hanged in the 1800s, to Stabin Museum, displaying the awe-inspiring works of famed Victor Stabin, this small town in Pennsylvania has a strong history flowing through its veins.
Corydon, Indiana - Harrison County
Home to O’Bannon Woods State Park, offering unique attributes, like eighty miles of scenic horse trails and a great horse camp, the small town of Corydon, on the southern border of Indiana, has its own natural amenities. O’Bannon Woods offers a variety of camping choices as well, for those planning on staying the weekend, as well as several outdoor activities, like hiking, fishing, boating, and even cave tours.
Downtown Corydon, 35 miles west of Louisville, is home to some remarkable indoor attractions, as well. Corydon Capitol State Historic Site offers informational tours of the Federal-style limestone building first built in the early 1800s, while the Harrison County Discovery Center has several interactive galleries, providing children with a sense of how the Civil War affected the southern part of Indiana.
Breckenridge, Colorado - Summit County
Hidden within the mountains of Colorado, around eighty miles west of Denver, the small town of Breckenridge is home to several resorts, including Breckenridge Ski Resort, located just west of downtown. Breckenridge Ski Resort has access to five different peaks, with more than 180 trails, as well as a phenomenal lodge offering elegant yet quaint suites and rooms.
Breckenridge is also home to several attractions ideal for the entire family. The Hearthstone Restaurant, inside a 125-year-old house, provides a sense of Victorian charm, as well as farm-to-table Colorado cuisine. Other outstanding attributes of Breckenridge include Isak Heartstone, a 15-foot wood-carved troll, the High Line Railroad Park, and the 10-mile-long Blue River Parkway, running from Breckenridge to the town of Frisco.
Sisters, Oregon
The picturesque northwestern town of Sisters, named after the Three Sisters mountains, which are in close proximity to downtown, is situated around 150 miles southeast of Portland. From restaurants like the Open Door and Sisters Depot to lodging options like the FivePine Lodge & Spa, this quaint town of fewer than four thousand residents is ideal for that weekend getaway.
Also home to several awesome natural attractions, from waterfalls like Sahalie & Koosah Falls, to scenic drives like the McKenzie Pass - Santiam Pass Loop, the area around Sisters is ideal for the outdoor enthusiast, especially if they like exploring the wilderness of Oregon. Plus, if you choose to stay at Sisters B&B Inn, there are several scenic places, like Village Green City Park, to enjoy a picnic with the family.
Rockland, Maine
On the opposite side of the country, along the coast of Maine, the picturesque town of Rockland is home to the Harborline Hotel. This fabulous hotel has nine different unique types of rooms, including the King Balcony Room, offering a private balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, a flat-screen television, and free wi-fi. The Harborline is also close to several fantastic attractions, like the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.
Some other great features of Rockland include the Farnsworth Art Museum, the Sail Power & Steam Museum, and the Maine Lighthouse Museum. While the cultural Farnsworth Art Museum showcases Maine’s role in American Art, the historic Sail Power & Steam Museum has a plethora of unique photographs and memorabilia to view. The Maine Lighthouse Museum, if you get the chance to visit, has the most significant collection of life-saving artifacts in America.
Dahlonega, Georgia
Hidden at the top of Georgia, just above Lake Lanier, the small but quaint town of Dahlonega is home to some extraordinary attractions that make it worth visiting, especially during a weekend getaway. Along with the Consolidated Gold Mine and the Crisson Gold Mine, Dahlonega is home to the Dahlonega Gold Museum, which is housed within the 1836 Lumpkin County Courthouse. Guests to the museum can view a gold nugget that weighs more than five ounces.
Dahlonega is also home to several natural attractions, including Lake Zwerner Trail, looping around Yahoola Creek Reservoir, and Bartrum Trail, leading to Dick’s Creek Falls. Plus, for those who want to stay the entire weekend, the Dahlonega Resort & Vineyard offers cozy lodging, fine dining, and even the opportunity to plan a wedding or other special event.
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Home of Dollywood, a 165-acre theme park offering everything from amusement rides to specialized festivals, the picturesque town of Pigeon Forge, in Tennessee, may be as famous as Nashville. Plus, along with the amusement park and a thrilling water park, Dollywood has two phenomenal resorts. Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort has more of a comfortable, cozy feeling to it, while Dollywood’s HeartSong Resort possesses more sophistication and a touch of elegance.
Pigeon Forge is also home to some fantastic attractions outside of Dollywood, like Parrot Mountain & Gardens, which has four acres of landscaped gardens with thousands of flowers and hundreds of brilliantly-colored tropical birds. And, if you want to try some delectable cuisine while in Pigeon Forge, the Old Mill Restaurant is just down the road from Dollywood and Parrot Mountain & Gardens.
Polson, Montana
Along the banks of Flathead Lake, one of the cleanest lakes of its size and type, the quaint town of Polson, in Montana, possesses a variety of attractions, including Finley Point State Park and Point Salish Park. Finley Point offers visitors the opportunity to hike several miles of scenic nature trails and swim, boat, or fish in magnificent Flathead Lake. Guests can even camp for the entire weekend, if that is their wish.
Downtown Polson is also home to several great historic attractions. The Miracle of America Museum, situated on Memory Lane, has some fabulous exhibits, with over seventy antique motorcycles, over thirty military vehicles, and a fantastic display of weapons and firearms, including some from the Revolutionary War. And, quite near to the museum, guests to Polson can stay for the entire weekend at Red Lion Ridgewater Inn on Ridgewater Drive.
Oglesby, Illinois
The picturesque town of Oglesby, a hundred miles outside of Chicago, has some exceptional state parks. Starved Rock State Park, situated along the Illinois River, and Matthiessen State Park, just east of town, are both great. While Matthiessen offers an awesome picnic area and a variety of nature trails, Starved Rock offers hiking, fishing, and boating, as well as some of the most remarkable camping available.
Oglesby is also home to Starved Rock Lodge, which offers some great amenities. Not far from the lodge, guests can photograph the “Chief Walks with the Wind” statue, created by Peter Toth in 1989, or check out the Grand Bear Falls Indoor Waterpark, which is just north of Oglesby in the town of North Utica, Illinois. They have slides and wave pools, as well as a 15-person hot tub, on-site.
Leavenworth, Washington
The town of Leavenworth is home to the Leavenworth Wenatchee River Bridge, which spans the Wenatchee River, the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm, and Icicle Creek, and is located in the central part of the western end of the state of Washington. These, and some other outstanding attractions, like Tumwater Canyon and Icicle Ridge Trailhead, provide a great ambiance for the winter season.
There are several phenomenal lodges in the vicinity of the Wenatchee River Bridge, as well. Snowgrass Lodge offers picturesque views of the Cascade Mountains, while Grand River Lodge and River’s Edge Lodge provide more of an ambiance reflecting seclusion in nature. There is even Cashmere Mountain Lodge Bed & Breakfast, situated just east of Leavenworth. This fantastic lodge offers elegance and grace inside a truly rustic setting.
Mammoth Lakes, California
Home to Wild Willy’s Hot Springs, which is only one of several hot springs in the area, Mammoth Lakes is truly an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. Some other natural attractions include some phenomenal views of Obsidian Dome and Minaret Vista. Wild Willy’s Hot Springs is not only open year-round, but also has two heart-shaped pools, some remarkable views of nature, and the water is heated to around a hundred degrees fahrenheit, naturally.
Situated in the center of California, east of San Francisco, the town of Mammoth Lakes is also home to a plethora of awesome trailheads, including the Mammoth Rock trailhead, the Duck Pass trailhead, and the Crystal Lake trailhead. Plus, not far from these scenic trails, Juniper Springs Lodge and Edelweiss Lodge both offer some fabulous overnight lodging, tasty food, and excellent service.
Rockport, Massachusetts
The coastal town of Rockport, located in eastern Massachusetts, on a section of landscape named Cape Ann, is home to Halibut Point State Park, which has some phenomenal attributes. Along with an engaging history from the granite produced there for World War II, Cape Ann and Halibut Point also offer some spectacular vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Maine, and the Isle of Shoals.
Downtown Rockport is home to several exciting attractions, as well. The Shalin Liu Performance Center and the Paper House are both situated in downtown Rockport. And, quite close to the Paper House, which is a building made mostly out of paper in 1922, a variety of great lodging choices, including the Rockport House on Pleasant Street, offer great service, excellent cuisine, and fantastic amenities.
McCall, Idaho
On the opposite side of America, in the northwestern state of Idaho, the quaint town of McCall has its own extraordinary attractions, like Burgdorf Hot Springs and Ponderosa State Park. While Ponderosa offers kayaking along the Payette River and camping for the weekend, Burgdorf is a secluded, rustic resort that is phenomenal. Along with the hot springs, they offer individual cabins, panoramic views, and a tranquil atmosphere.
There are also several attributes in downtown McCall for those not searching for peace and seclusion. McCall Greenway & Walking Path is situated just south of downtown McCall, offering a pleasant hike for the entire family, and Brown Park is not only situated downtown but also along the banks of Payette Lake, offering the landscape for an ideal picnic with family or friends.
The continental United States, from the Pacific Ocean off the majestic coast of Washington to the Atlantic Ocean off the rugged coast of Maine, has a plethora of phenomenal small towns that are perfect for sheer excitement, natural attributes, and even some peaceful seclusion from society. From Rockland, Maine, to Mammoth Lakes, California, there is a perfect town within the United States that is ideal to get away from the hustle of ordinary life for the weekend, either with friends, family, or even alone.
