7 Of The Most Welcoming Towns In The Southern United States

The American South has an outsized reputation for hospitality, and in many small towns throughout the region, that reputation is well earned. Explore seven Southern towns where community life, rather than a single attraction, serves as the main draw, like the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival on Mobile Bay, repertory seasons and benefit performances at the Barter Theatre, and the volunteer-led spectacle of "Nights of Lights" in St. Augustine, alongside farmers market traditions, parade routes, and university-sponsored arts weekends. Delve deep into this list to discover how the local communities in the South work to turn regional visitors into welcomed guests with their trademark southern charm.

Beaufort, South Carolina

Beaufort’s calendar is anchored by events that celebrate its history, working waterfront culture, and the coastal community that supports it. Each October for two days, the Beaufort Shrimp Festival brings together chefs, volunteer groups, and performers at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park for a weekend of live music, cooking demonstrations, and an educational fair focused on the region’s marine ecology and shrimping industry. The festival’s mix of culinary competition, 5K runs, and interactive exhibits has made it a point on coastal South Carolina’s event map, attracting day visitors and weekenders from other parts of the state and region. The Beaufort community also hosts educational events at the Waterfront Park and offers guided heritage tours led by volunteers who focus on the town’s Gullah-Geechee connections and maritime history. Those Gullah-Geechee connections are celebrated through community events like The Original Gullah Festival of SC, which uses music, food, arts, crafts, and storytelling to honor the culture.

Fairhope, Alabama

Fairhope is known as the friendliest small town in Alabama and functions as a regional gathering point on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, where seasonal festivals and civic events animate downtown and the waterfront. The annual Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival transforms the town in March into a three-day celebration of local and visiting artisans, live music, and community booths that often raise money for the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival Foundation. The town also keeps a steady roster of community-led happenings such as the Fairhope Museum of History Speaker Series, the weekly Fairhope Outdoor Farmers Market, and occasional events like the Fairhope Mardi Gras Parade that funnels visitors into the downtown core.

The Fairhope Municipal Pier and the award-winning rose garden near the pier operate as natural meeting places where residents host charity walks and art crawls, drawing people from Baldwin County and cities across Alabama. Fairhope’s civic organizations and volunteer-run events consistently emphasize local fundraising, and the Arts and Crafts Festival specifically benefits schools and service groups while drawing visitors from across the Gulf Coast.

Abingdon, Virginia

Abingdon is known for having a big heart, and its social life is organized around civic culture and theatergoing. The Barter Theatre, America’s longest-running professional theater, has anchored downtown since it opened in 1933 and has become a regional magnet, bringing more than 160,000 visitors each year for productions, special benefit performances, and the annual Barter Days celebration. The theater began during the Great Depression when patrons sometimes paid in produce, and the town has preserved that tradition in contemporary food drives and community benefit nights that continue to fund local charities. Abington also hosts a Town-Wide Yard Sale that is known to bring together locals and visitors from the surrounding area to hunt for antiques, collectibles, and handmade goods. Beyond its arts and events, Abington has also developed a widely-known reputation as a foodie destination, having been named #3 on USA Today’s Best Small Town Food Scene list in 2025. Local hotspots like The Tavern, Foresta, and Mamma Mia’s are absolute must-try locations for visitors looking to take in some food tourism.

Oxford, Mississippi

Oxford centers much of its public life on the Historic Courthouse Square, which functions as the town’s civic living room during major events. The Double Decker Arts Festival and the Oxford Film Festival transform the Square into a multi-day celebration of visual art, live music, independent film, and local food vendors. These gatherings are organized through partnerships among downtown merchants and volunteer-run arts organizations that deliberately design programming to appeal to visitors from across Mississippi and neighboring states. Several non-profit fundraisers, alumni-organized events, and music showcases, like the musical festival Sarahfest, also happen around the University of Mississippi (also known as Ole Miss) campus, which helps boost visitor numbers and provides a steady stream of community programming for residents. Not to be forgotten is the legendary tailgating culture for the Ole Miss Rebels on football game days. These events are counted among the best in the country and bring thousands of alumni, locals, and visitors to Oxford. It is no wonder the town is known as the best college town in the state. The Square’s outdoor concerts, gallery openings, and pop-up craft markets create repeated opportunities for civic engagement, while organized volunteer efforts ensure that proceeds often support local scholarships, arts education, and historical preservation projects.

Dahlonega, Georgia

Dahlonega’s identity as the site of the early 19th-century Georgia gold rush is an organizing theme for community events that both honor local history and fund philanthropic work. Each October, the Gold Rush Days Festival, produced by the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Jaycees, takes over the downtown streets with parades, living history demonstrations, artisan booths, and a scholarship-focused fundraising model that supports graduating seniors from Lumpkin County High School and Mountain Education Charter High School. The Jaycees estimate large seasonal attendance, and festival proceeds are explicitly returned to the community through scholarships, seasonal charity drives, and the Empty Stocking Christmas project. Dahlonega is also in the heart of Georgia Wine Country, thanks to having the highest concentration of wineries and vineyards in Georgia. Visitors from around the region and neighboring states travel to experience the Dahlonega Wine Trail and get more than a taste of the area’s unique vineyards and wine experiences. The town’s culture of wine culminates every May in the award-winning Dahlonega Arts & Wine Festival and marks the official start of summer.

Fredericksburg, Texas

Fredericksburg celebrates its immigrant roots and local institutions through a packed events calendar that includes family-run festivals and volunteer-led traditions. The downtown MarktPlatz has functioned as the town’s social hub for centuries and becomes a focal point for Oktoberfest in October, where music, dancing, cultural performances, and volunteer-run children’s activities draw both locals and visitors from around the Hill Country. Beyond Oktoberfest, Fredericksburg lists hundreds of annual events on its civic calendar: monthly Trade Days brings hobbyists and antique collectors to town; the Fredericksburg Farmers Market attracts artisans from the surrounding areas to sell their products; while historical reenactments at the National Museum of the Pacific War are put on by the living history volunteers of Company K and are a must-see for any history buff. The result is a town whose civic infrastructure is designed to welcome out-of-town guests while keeping event proceeds and volunteer energy tied directly to community priorities.

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine pairs deep historic roots with civic spectacles that draw visitors across Florida and the Southeast. The city’s Nights of Lights holiday display decorates the historic district with more than three million white lights and includes volunteer-led tours, local business promotions, and partner programming that keeps restaurants, museums, and heritage organizations open late. The seasonal light display encourages residents to join in volunteer duties, host nightly walking tours, and staff charity events, so the festival’s popularity actively supports local organizations and small businesses. St. Augustine also stages community parades, historical reenactments of cannon and musket firings at the Castillo de San Marcos, and the family-friendly St. Augustine Lions Seafood Festival every March. The latter festival is particularly community-minded as its profits go to benefit local charitable causes and individuals in need. The combination of long-standing historic interpretation and community-organized spectacle has made St. Augustine a national example of how heritage tourism can be shaped by the people who live there.

Where Community Meets Travel

These seven towns show how community life can be the main attraction. From theatrical benefit performances and food-centered fundraisers to history-rooted festivals that return proceeds to local charities, each place demonstrates a different model for welcoming visitors while reinforcing civic bonds. Whether the draw is the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival, Barter Theatre performances, Gold Rush Days, or Nights of Lights, attendees find events powered by volunteers, organized by local nonprofits, and designed to share local identity with guests from across the state and the country.