Small-Town Getaways: Saratoga, Fruitland, Gadsden, Copperton

Saratoga Springs, New York, shifts from its summer racing bustle to a quieter autumn of artisanal shops, parks, morning horse training at the Oklahoma track and abundant fall foliage, making it an under-the-radar Upstate getaway. The city’s long-standing hospitality — embodied by the 1870 Saratoga Arms — and overall quality of life helped earn Saratoga a top-1% placement in WalletHub’s 2025 rankings, with an overall score of 69.49. In Idaho, Fruitland (population about 7,000) sits on the Snake and Payette rivers and is prized for orchards, parks and roughly hour‑long drives to Boise and neighboring Ontario, Oregon, though in-town lodging options are limited. Gadsden, Alabama, framed by Appalachian foothills and the Coosa River, highlights outdoor draws such as 500-acre Noccalula Falls Park — with trails, a pioneer village, botanical gardens and a 90-foot waterfall — and year‑round recreation at Coosa Landing; near Salt Lake City, Copperton is a compact, historically company-built mining town at the mouth of Bingham Canyon’s open‑pit mine that remains a small living community appealing to travelers interested in mining history and nearby attractions.