Wandering Well · Country

United States.

Less-touristed places, sorted by Wander Well Score.

Wallace, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Wallace

Shoshone County · United States

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…

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Ferndale, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Ferndale

Humboldt County · United States

A pocket-sized California village known for its dozens of well-preserved Victorian storefronts and homes, Ferndale sits on the edge of a wide plain near the…

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Lake City, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Lake City

Columbia County · United States

A compact Florida county seat where a domed courthouse, moss-draped lakeshores, lily-pad-covered water, and a streetscape of historic brick storefronts and V…

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Cumberland, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Cumberland

Allegany County · United States

A photogenic city on the Potomac River in Western Maryland, Cumberland has a compact centre with a concentration of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.

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Nevada City, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Nevada City

Nevada County · United States

This photogenic compact town in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, Nevada City sits along a waterway in mountain terrain with a compact central core…

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Crested Butte, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Crested Butte

United States

A compact Colorado mountain town spread across a snow-covered valley, with a dramatic peak rising directly behind it, a lively café and dining scene well abo…

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Mackinaw City, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Mackinaw City

United States

At the northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, this tiny village anchors the southern end of the Mackinac Bridge and serves as a ferry gateway to Mackina…

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Margaretville, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Margaretville

United States

This small village on the edge of Catskill Park in upstate New York, Margaretville sits on the water in mountain terrain and supports a modest but real café…

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Saranac Lake, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Saranac Lake

United States

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…

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Corning, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Corning

Steuben County · United States

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…

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Sandusky, United States
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Sandusky

Erie County · United States

Cedar Point, one of the world's most visited amusement parks, sits on a peninsula just outside this Lake Erie port city in Erie County, Ohio.

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Myrtle Beach, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Myrtle Beach

Horry County · United States

A resort city on South Carolina's Grand Strand — a long, continuous stretch of Atlantic coastline — Myrtle Beach draws visitors with miles of beach, a subtro…

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Yachats, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Yachats

Lincoln County · United States

Modest Oregon coastal village with a disproportionately strong café and restaurant scene and a photogenic shoreline right on the Pacific, Yachats sits at the…

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Ilwaco, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Ilwaco

Pacific County · United States

A small waterfront city on Baker Bay where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, Ilwaco sits at the southern tip of Washington's Long Beach Peninsula w…

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Libby, United States
Gold

Libby

Lincoln County · United States

Kootenai Falls, a natural feature on the edge of this small northwestern Montana city, has drawn film crews for productions including *The River Wild* (1994)…

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Republic, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Republic

Ferry County · United States

A tiny waterside village in Ferry County, Washington, Republic was once the largest mining camp in the Republic Mining District and home to the "Hot Air Line…

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Johnstown, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Johnstown

Cambria County · United States

Johnstown, a Pennsylvania steel town in Cambria County, is best known today for the catastrophic 1889 flood that devastated the city — an event commemorated…

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Damariscotta, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Damariscotta

United States

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…

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Port Angeles, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Port Angeles

Clallam County · United States

A waterfront town on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, Port Angeles sits on the Strait of Juan de Fuca with ferry service to Victoria, British Columbia, and mo…

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Boothbay Harbor, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Boothbay Harbor

United States

A photogenic coastal village in Lincoln County, Maine, with a waterfront setting and a café and restaurant scene that is unusually rich for its size.

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Wiscasset, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Wiscasset

United States

This tiny waterfront village on Maine's Mid Coast, Wiscasset is known for its early architecture, an unusual concentration of historic churches for its size,…

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Granville, United States
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Granville

Licking County · United States

Small Ohio village in the rolling Welsh Hills east of Columbus, Granville is home to Denison University and a walkable centre with cafés, restaurants, and a…

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Pawcatuck, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Pawcatuck

Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region · United States

Sitting on the Pawcatuck River across from Westerly, Rhode Island, this pocket-sized Connecticut village has a historic core — the Mechanic Street Historic D…

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Anaconda, United States
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Anaconda

Deer Lodge County · United States

Pocket-sized city in southwestern Montana at the foot of the Anaconda Range, with a photogenic historic core, a handful of cafés and restaurants, and more ch…

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Yreka, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Yreka

Siskiyou County · United States

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…

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Johnson City, United States
Gold

Johnson City

Washington County · United States

A compact brick-built city in the Tennessee uplands, Johnson City pairs a walkable downtown of historic churches and a lively café and restaurant scene with…

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Roanoke, United States
Gold
Hiking & national-park bases

Roanoke

Roanoke city · United States

Roanoke's most recognizable landmark is the Roanoke Star, an illuminated star atop a mountain within the city limits that has earned it the nickname "The Sta…

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Bandon, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Bandon

Coos County · United States

Little Oregon coastal town at the mouth of the Coquille River, Bandon draws visitors for its waterfront setting and regularly photographed scenery, with a co…

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Logan, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Logan

Logan County · United States

This small West Virginia city sits along the Guyandotte River in the mountains of Logan County, serving as the county seat.

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Monroe, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Monroe

Ouachita Parish · United States

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…

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Harrisonburg, United States
Gold

Harrisonburg

Harrisonburg city · United States

This walkable university city in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, Harrisonburg has a centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, shaped in part…

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Marion, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Marion

McDowell County · United States

Founded in 1844 and named for Revolutionary War general Francis Marion — the "Swamp Fox" of guerrilla warfare — this pocket-sized North Carolina county seat…

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Clarkston, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Clarkston

Asotin County · United States

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…

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Punta Gorda, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Punta Gorda

Charlotte County · United States

Waterfront town on Florida's southwest coast, Punta Gorda has a walkable centre with a real café and restaurant scene along the harbour.

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Portsmouth, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Portsmouth

Scioto County · United States

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.

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Raymond, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Raymond

Pacific County · United States

A small waterfront city in Pacific County, Washington, with a modest café and restaurant scene and several historic churches for a place its size.

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Nichols Hills, United States
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Nichols Hills

Oklahoma County · United States

A compact Oklahoma City suburb with a handsome red-brick civic core, tree-lined streets, a walkable cluster of cafés and restaurants, and a notable concentra…

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Red Bluff, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Red Bluff

Tehama County · United States

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…

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Medford, United States
Gold
Bustling market & commercial towns

Medford

United States

A walkable city in southern Oregon's Jackson County with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Medford sits along Bear Creek and within reach of nearby mou…

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Centralia, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Centralia

Lewis County · United States

Compact Pacific Northwest town midway between Seattle and Portland, Centralia's tree-lined main street mixes late-19th-century brick storefronts with antique…

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Lebanon, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Lebanon

Linn County · United States

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…

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New Harmony, United States
Gold

New Harmony

United States

Founded in 1814 by German Lutheran separatists under George Rapp, and later purchased by Welsh industrialist Robert Owen for a utopian social experiment, thi…

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Pittsfield, United States
Gold
Bustling market & commercial towns

Pittsfield

Berkshire County · United States

The county seat of Berkshire County in western Massachusetts, Pittsfield sits on the water with mountains close by and a compact centre dense with cafés, res…

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Weston, United States
Gold
Bustling market & commercial towns

Weston

Lewis County · United States

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia give this pocket-sized county seat in Lewis County, West Virginia, two d…

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Trinidad, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Trinidad

Las Animas County · United States

A compact Colorado city on the historic Santa Fe Trail, Trinidad sits in mountain terrain at the edge of Las Animas County and is home to Trinidad State Coll…

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Ely, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Ely

White Pine County · United States

Founded as a stagecoach station on the Pony Express and Central Overland Route, Ely is a little county seat in the mountains of White Pine County, Nevada, th…

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Wawona, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Wawona

Mariposa County · United States

This little community situated entirely within Yosemite National Park, Wawona sits alongside the South Fork of the Merced River with mountain scenery in ever…

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Trinidad, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Trinidad

Humboldt County · United States

This tiny California coastal hamlet sits directly on the Pacific, with ten public beaches, offshore rocks protected as part of the California Coastal Nationa…

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Marion, United States
Gold
Bustling market & commercial towns

Marion

Perry County · United States

A tiny Alabama county seat with an ornate white-columned City Hall, a notable concentration of historic churches, and two colleges giving this compact town a…

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Tybee Island, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Tybee Island

Chatham County · United States

A barrier island off Georgia's Atlantic coast, Tybee Island is a long-established beach getaway for Savannah residents that has grown into a broader vacation…

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Buckhannon, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Buckhannon

Upshur County · United States

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.

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The Dalles, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

The Dalles

Wasco County · United States

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…

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San Luis Obispo, United States
Gold
Wine country

San Luis Obispo

United States

This walkable California town with a dense food-and-drink scene, vineyards in the surrounding area, and hiking terrain on its doorstep — including Cerro San…

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Washington Court House, United States
Gold
Bustling market & commercial towns

Washington Court House

Fayette County · United States

The county seat of Fayette County in Ohio, Washington Court House was first settled by Virginia veterans of the American Revolution who received the land as…

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Munising, United States
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Munising

Alger County · United States

Sitting on the southern shore of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Munising is the western gateway to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, with scen…

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Toledo, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Toledo

Lincoln County · United States

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…

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Glenville, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Glenville

Gilmer County · United States

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…

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Sutter Creek, United States
Gold

Sutter Creek

Amador County · United States

A compact Gold Rush-era main street lined with two-story wooden and brick storefronts, covered balconies, and colorful facades makes this modest California f…

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Red River, United States
Gold
Mountain villages

Red River

Taos County · United States

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…

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Milton, United States
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Milton

Trimble County · United States

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…

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More places in United States below the top of the list — pagination coming.