Midwestern States Small Town Gems

North Dakota
Medora, North Dakota
Medora, North Dakota

1. Medora

2. Jamestown

3. Valley City


South Dakota
Deadwood
Deadwood

1. Deadwood

Hot Springs, South Dakota
Hot Springs, South Dakota

2. Hot Springs

Custer, South Dakota
Custer, South Dakota

3. Custer


Nebraska
1. Seward
2. Plattsmouth
3. Nebraska City

Kansas

1. Cottonwood Falls

2. Lindsborg

Eisler Bros. Old Riverton Store
Eisler Bros. Old Riverton Store

3. Kansas Old Route 66 towns (Galena, Riverton, and Baxter Springs)


Missouri

1. Ste. Genevieve

Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum
Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, Hannibal, Missouri

2. Hannibal

Murals of Cuba
Murals of Cuba

3. Cuba (Missouri Old Route 66 town)

Saint Charles Historic District
Saint Charles Historic District

Honorable mention to St. Charles, which is too large for our “small towns” definition.


The Chocolate Haus
The Chocolate Haus, Amana, Iowa
Iowa

1. Amana Colonies

2. Riverside

3. Pella


Illinois

1. Galena

Paul Bunyon Hot Dog Statue, Atlanta
Paul Bunyon Hot Dog Statue, Atlanta

2. Illinois Old Route 66 towns (e.g., Pontiac, Atlanta, Lincoln)

Grafton, Illinois
Grafton, Illinois

3. Great River Road towns of Illinois (e.g., Nauvoo, Grafton, Alton)


Indiana

Bartholomew County Courthouse and the Commons, Columbus, Indiana
Bartholomew County Courthouse and the Commons, Columbus, Indiana

1. Columbus

Bridgeton Covered Bridge and Bridgeton Mill, Parke County, Indiana
Bridgeton Covered Bridge and Bridgeton Mill, Parke County, Indiana

2. Parke County covered bridge towns

Town of Nashville
Town of Nashville

3. Nashville


Ohio

1. Zoar

Peninsula Depot, Peninsula, Ohio
Peninsula Depot, Peninsula, Ohio – Cuyahoga Valley National Park

2. Peninsula

Yellow Springs
Yellow Springs

3. Yellow Springs


Michigan

Huron Street, City of Mackinac Island
Huron Street, City of Mackinac Island

1. Mackinac Island

National Blueberry Festival, Downtown South Haven
National Blueberry Festival, Downtown South Haven

2. Michigan Riviera towns (e.g., New Buffalo, St. Joseph, South Haven, Saugatuck)

Fish Town, Leland, Michigan
Fish Town on the right bank, in Leland, Michigan, port to the Manitou Islands of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

3. Sleeping Bear Dunes towns (e.g., Glen Arbor, Leland, Northport, Suttons Bay) and nearby Traverse City


Wisconsin

Egg Harbor, Door County
Egg Harbor, Door County, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay, Door County
Sturgeon Bay, Door County, Wisconsin

1. Door County towns

Downtown Wisconsin Dells
Downtown Wisconsin Dells

2. Wisconsin Dells

Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Mineral Point, Wisconsin

3. Mineral Point


Minnesota

1. Stillwater

2. Red Wing

3. New Ulm