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As numerous people songs and flicks clarify, America’s small cities are nice locations to discover on lengthy, meandering highway journeys. However what in case your most well-liked mode of transport doesn’t contain a automotive?
Because of rail routes, ferry traces, and pint-sized regional airports, loads of small cities might be reached with out driving — and these 10 are a few of the nation’s greatest. Whether or not you’re an urbanite who by no means obtained a license or only a traveler who prefers that another person do the navigating, you’ll discover heaps to take pleasure in in these locales, which provide the proper mixture of transit entry, walkability, and quaint village dwelling. From the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Massachusetts, learn on to seek out the most effective small cities in America for car-free journey.
Jackson, Wyoming
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There’s a cause why billionaires have flocked to Jackson in recent times for his or her second (or third) properties: In contrast to most Wild West cities, it’s obtained a bustling business airport. A 15-minute taxi journey by means of Jackson’s picturesque outskirts will convey you from JAC to the city sq., the place dozens of motels sit inside strolling distance. Keep on the luxurious Cloudveil or the affordable-but-trendy Anvil Lodge to be steps from all of the motion. If you’re prepared to soak up the encompassing Teton Vary, lease a motorcycle or e-book an tour — outfitters like Jackson Gap Wildlife Safaris can come proper to your resort doorstep to choose you up for a personal or group tour.
Winter Park, Colorado
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For ski bums trying to hit the Colorado slopes with out slogging by means of I-70 visitors, there’s no higher vacation spot than Winter Park. Every ski season, the village is served by Amtrak’s Winter Park Categorical, departing a number of days every week from Denver’s Union Station. The practice drops riders proper on the foot of Winter Park Resort’s 12,060-foot mountain, making this the one place within the Rockies the place you will get from massive metropolis to recent powder with out setting foot in a automotive.
Traverse Metropolis, Michigan
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Michigan’s most well-known pedestrian hotspot is Mackinac Island, which has forbidden vehicles since 1898. Insiders know, although, that the island is near-impossible to achieve with out first driving to the mainland’s far-flung ferry ports. For a neater expertise, journey as a substitute to Traverse Metropolis, two hours south. This charming city of 15,000 comes with its personal airport, in addition to a walkable, beachfront downtown that’s loaded with fudge outlets, boutiques, and fashionable lodgings. TC can be an out of doors lover’s paradise, providing all the pieces from kayaking on Grand Traverse Bay to mountaineering and biking on the TART Trails community, which crisscrosses nearly the entire Leelanau Peninsula.
Laurel, Mississippi
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Let’s face it: The South isn’t precisely recognized for its walkability or its transit entry. Proudly bucking each these traits, although, is Laurel, Mississippi, positioned 90 miles southeast of Jackson. The city of 17,000 has gained nationwide consideration because the setting of HGTV’s Residence City, however the structure and outlets created by the present’s Erin and Ben Napier aren’t the one issues to see right here. From town’s many downtown Airbnbs, you may stroll to a world-class artwork museum and a park designed by the agency of Central Park architect Frederick Legislation Olmsted. Laurel additionally boasts a downtown Amtrak station, making it a straightforward rail vacation spot — notably from New Orleans, a three-hour journey away.
Pink Wing, Minnesota
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Seasoned car-free vacationers are in all probability used to reaching their locations by practice or airplane. Some cities, although, are greatest reached by cruise ship — and Minnesota, of all locations, has one of many nation’s most interesting small-town ports. Mendacity simply southeast of the Twin Cities, the Mississippi River city of Pink Wing has procuring (sure, Pink Wing Footwear are headquartered right here), historic motels (strive the St. James), and a wealth of mountaineering, biking, and fishing alternatives. Not arriving by boat? Pink Wing additionally lies on Amtrak’s new Borealis line connecting Chicago and St. Paul.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
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California’s Central Coast is world-famous for its scenic driving, nevertheless it’s simply as gorgeous to discover on foot. The storybook city of Carmel particularly prizes walkability, with a one-square-mile downtown that’s laced with pedestrian-only lanes. Take a stroll alongside the seashore earlier than tucking in for dinner on the Michelin-starred Chez Noir and an in a single day at L’Auberge Carmel. The Monterey Regional Airport is a 10-minute Uber journey away, making Carmel simple to fly into, however formidable hikers and cyclists can even entry the city by way of the California Coastal Path, a statewide community that features 144 miles of trails right here in Monterey County.
Rosemary Seaside, Florida
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Okay, so attending to this teensy Panhandle village requires some effort — it’s a 30-minute drive from the airport in Panama Metropolis. When you’re right here, although, you’ll see why it’s definitely worth the extra-long Uber. Rosemary Seaside was constructed from scratch in 1995 with a walkable, New Urbanist grasp plan, and its 105 acres are explorable totally by foot, bicycle, or golf cart. Keep in one of many city’s plentiful luxurious trip leases, and also you’ll be strolling distance from distinctive spas, vigorous eating places, and a few of the nation’s biggest white-sand seashores.
Edgartown, Massachusetts
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With its densely packed cities and powerful rail programs, New England is chock-full of pedestrian-friendly locations — and Edgartown could also be its best possible. This centuries-old village has all of the historic allure and pure magnificence which have drawn vacationers to Martha’s Winery for generations. However, because the island’s largest group (inhabitants simply over 5,000), it additionally has the sort of infrastructure that may maintain a customer entertained for days with out ever leaving city. Fly or float in by way of the native airport and ferry terminal, then take pleasure in windswept seashores, galleries, and upscale eating places all inside steps of Predominant Avenue. To be proper within the clapboard-sided middle of all of it, keep in any of the six buildings that make up Faraway Martha’s Winery.
Hudson, New York
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Simply upstate from NYC lies the Hudson Valley, a stretch of countryside that’s dwelling to a few of the most transit-accessible outside recreation in the USA. To discover the area’s highlights, arrange camp in Hudson, a trendy riverfront city reachable by a dozen trains a day from Manhattan. The group is such a favourite amongst New Yorkers that many who’ve bored with metropolis life have moved right here completely — which implies the city of 6,000 boasts such cosmopolitan choices as kombucha sorbet at Tradition Cream and Frette linens at motels like The Amelia. To take your journey past the city limits, kayak upriver in a rental from Hudson Paddles or head to the multi-use Empire State Path, which has an entry level simply blocks from downtown.
Friday Harbor, Washington
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On condition that Friday Harbor lies miles off the coast within the rugged San Juan Islands, driving right here is arguably tougher than arriving by another means. Whether or not you go for a seaplane, constitution boat, or a combo pack of buses, trains, and ferries, your journey will take you thru a few of the Pacific Northwest’s most gorgeous surroundings — and land you in certainly one of its most welcoming cities. Friday Harbor’s walkable core is filled with Airbnbs; keep in any of them to be minutes away from museums, espresso outlets, and the harbor, the place you may (and may) embark on unforgettable whale-watching excursions.
