8 Most Neighborly Towns In The Southern United States

The small towns of the South are home to the volunteer teams keeping historical legacies alive and downtown districts that ensure locals and their neighbors are well-fed, watered, and entertained. Get dressed up for a night out at the Granbury Opera House. Hear one of the stories at Jonesborough's International Storytelling Center. Pay tribute to American history in the Carolinas on the Great Pee Dee River, Sampit River, and Eno River. These are the eight towns in the Southern US where neighbors look out for one another, all the way from Texas to Virginia.

Granbury, Texas

Granbury centers its happenings around the Historic Granbury Square, the first Texas courthouse square put on the National Register of Historic Places, and the banks of the Brazos River and Lake Granbury. The square itself is great for simply walking around and admiring the late-19th-century architecture, such as the Hood County Courthouse tower, which was repaired after a tornado in 1968. Watch a show at the circa 1886 Granbury Opera House, a grand facet of the Historic Granbury Square. D'Vine Wine Granbury hosts open mic nights on Fridays and has their own Music, Massage & Merlot with a $1 per minute chair massage every other week, and the Silver Saddle Saloon pays tribute to Texas' Wild West roots with ice cream and bar drinks, complete with live music, a TV, table games, and even a poker table. If visiting over the weekend, catch a ride with the Granbury Trolley, covering six miles and over 20 stops on its route.

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Natchitoches' Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site has rebuilt the French settlers' 18th-century military fortress as a full-scale replica, while honoring the Native Americans in the area who were there first. The 1927 Texas and Pacific Railway Depot is another interesting spot, particularly historically significant, as it still has a segregated entrance, even after the dissolution of the rail service in 1965, one year after the US Civil Rights Act was passed. And the combined Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame & Northwest Louisiana History Museum downtown has exhibits on the state's celebrity athletes and their coaches, as well as the documentation of the past 3,000 years in Louisiana, from the Caddo Native Americans to the Colonial era to modern times. Tickets are $1 off for students, veterans, and seniors with ID, and visitors may recognize sports hall inductees like Shaquille O'Neal and Chanda Rubin. Down at Sibley Lake, the Mariner's Lakefront Restaurant gives the best views of the water paired with a delectable Cajun and Creole seafood menu.

Madison, Georgia

50-minute guided tours are available at the Greek Revival-style Heritage Hall through Georgia's Morgan County Historical Society, a staple of the Madison Historic District, which has stood since 1811. Up Main Street, Madison Produce serves up delicious sandwiches at their deli, and one block south, The Patisserie on Main bakes French-inspired goods, such as miniature cheesecakes and chocolate tarts. Visit The Town Spring, behind the Morgan County African-American Museum, a site that offers self-guided tours on the preservation of African-American culture in Madison, and hosts an annual Living Legacy Gala to celebrate the living members of the African-American community here. The Madison Town Park often hosts outdoor concerts when the weather is dry and boasts a Great Lawn, a Pennington Victorian Gazebo, the Cooke Fountain, and a bust of President James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers.

Jonesborough, Tennessee

The Jimmy Neil Smith Park is smack in the center of downtown Jonesborough, Tennessee. Named after the International Storytelling Center founder, Jimmy Neil Smith, the International Storytelling Center itself is directly in front of the park, an organization dedicated to conserving the art of storytelling through on-site events, like the National Storytelling Festival, which takes place here every year. Catch a play at the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre or a new flick at the Jackson Theatre, two doors down from the theater, to see the storytelling craft come to life. Across the street, visit the former establishment of Dr. William P. Chester at the 1797 Chester Inn State Historic Site, where US presidents Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson stayed, most recently restored in a state rehabilitation completed in the early 2020s.

Brooksville, Florida

The 1885 Brooksville Train Depot, open two days a week, details a late 19th-century office, freight room with two model train exhibits, and a dock with a bright red 1925 LaFrance Fire Engine. In other parts of Brooksville, the Florida Cracker Kitchen dishes out classic Southern grits and beef brisket, and the Victorian-era May-Stringer House takes willing visitors on a ghost tour through what is one of the most haunted houses in Florida. A supposed family cemetery may be on the site, but this has not been confirmed. On the outskirts of Brooksville, the 103-acre Tom Varn Park has a mile-and-a-half loop trail, a kids' playground, a splash pad, sandy volleyball courts, and much more to meet local residents' exercise and leisure needs. It is open from dawn until dusk and is on a piece of land that was once used for mining.

Georgetown, South Carolina

Georgetown proudly presents its historic waterfront district, home to the South Carolina Maritime Museum and the Rice Museum. These two places educate visitors about the town's deep maritime heritage and the rice trade that made Georgetown County one of the wealthiest in the country, thanks to its location on South Carolina's Winyah Bay. The Rice Museum's Prevost Gallery also supports local artists with rotating shows, including a Waccamaw Neck Arts Alliance exhibition that usually opens in November. The Kaminski House, built around 1769 by merchant Paul Trapier, has a fine collection of 18th- and 19th-century antiques that shaped life here in Georgetown. Docent-led tours run Monday through Saturday. East Bay Park sits on a peninsula where the Sampit River empties into Winyah Bay, which also takes in the Great Pee Dee River. Its nine-hole disc golf course and kayak launch make it a great place to watch locals at play.

Hillsborough, North Carolina

The Riverwalk Trail at Gold Park flows alongside the Eno River in Hillsborough. Spanning about two miles, this trail takes walkers, runners, and bikers through a section of North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which is a full 1,175 miles. Sip on the homemade beers at Eno River Brewing's riverfront location, established in the summer of 2023. Check out the Orange County Historical Museum and see their permanent exhibit chronologizing Hillsborough's past and people, not to mention their temporary exhibition, United We Stand, Divided We Fall, which discusses six subjects: the environment, commerce, service, health, learning, and the arts. Then there is the Nash-Hooper House on West Tryon Street, a 1772 home that once belonged to William Hooper, one of the signers of the US Declaration of Independence. This is a beautiful property, a two-story frame house with a gable roof, though it is a private residence and not open to the public.

Lexington, Virginia

Boxerwood Nature Center & Woodland Garden takes those loyal to Lexington outside into the wide-open Virginia woodlands. Here, there is a woodland garden and a meadow, where Boxerwood's non-profit aims take shape through the flourishing flora and fauna. But in the historic district, the Jackson House Museum showcases Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's house to the public, with his grave several blocks south in Oak Grove Cemetery, the final resting place of many other historical figures, including two Virginia governors. Go to the University Chapel & Galleries at the Washington and Lee University Campus to see exhibits that explore Lexington's history in more detail, with portraits of George Washington and other prominent politicians hung on the walls. If you need to take a breather somewhere, take a seat in Brew Ridge Taps and try their signature "wafflewich," a combination of a sandwich and a waffle.

Greet the South with Open Arms

There is nothing quite like Southern hospitality. Grits from Brooksville's Florida Cracker Kitchen, tours of Madison's early 19th-century Heritage Hall in Georgia, and a massage with wine from D'Vine Wine Granbury southwest of Fort Worth. No matter whether watching a musical, indulging in seafood, or taking a trip to a nature center, these eight towns take the cake when it comes to neighborly gestures in the Southern US.