Small-Town Weekend Getaways Across the U.S.

A roundup of U.S. small-town and regional getaways highlights historic river towns, lakefront resorts, suburban hubs and easy fall drives within reach of major cities. Northern Alabama’s Tuscumbia trades on steamboat and early-railroad history and offers museums, Ivy Green, nature preserves, waterfalls and local inns. In Wisconsin, Delavan centers on Lake Delavan and the Lake Lawn Resort while nearby Browns Lake (Burlington) provides a 397-acre recreation area with Fischer Park beach and lifeguards. New York options include East Durham’s Irish-themed lodgings and pubs, Cape Vincent on the Thousand Islands for St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario views, and Dobbs Ferry — a scenic Hudson River village about 22 miles north of Midtown Manhattan with frequent rail and bus service and easy access to Westchester, LaGuardia and JFK airports. Midwest picks range from Sioux City’s growing food scene and historic sites to Spirit Lake in the Iowa Great Lakes for year‑round outdoor recreation, plus Farmington Hills — a Detroit-adjacent suburb with an emerging arts scene and outdoor amenities. For fall getaways from Chicago, short drives offer bluff-top parks and lake beaches, Milwaukee’s lakefront neighborhoods, Michigan’s “Art Coast” and a scenic 100-mile Lake Michigan coastal route including Harbor Country towns with inns, galleries and boutique shopping.