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100 Best Midwest Small-Town Getaways

Produced by Trevor Meers. Reporting by Barbara Morrow, Kendra L. Williams, Katie Knorovsky and Heather Loeb

Midwest Living editors have been visiting the region's small towns for more than 20 years. Here are our top 100 places to escape for a little shopping, sightseeing and relaxing.

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The Midwest's best small towns

The Midwest has about 8,500 towns with populations less than 20,000. Midwest Living® writers and editors have been looking for the best ones since the magazine's first issue in 1987. For this list of the best small-town getaways, we added another layer of research that spanned several months and ranked towns in terms of attractions, vibe, scenery, walkability, shopping, dining, lodging, arts scene, outdoor activities, proximity to major cities, multiday potential and special events.

We excluded suburbs, and we didn't consider livability factors such as education or employment. It took us years to compile this list of the best places to visit, but you'll only need a weekend in any of these to see why we did. (Pictured at left: Marshall, Michigan.)

Comments

Comments ( 6 )

rakesner wrote:

My husband and I spent a few days in Madison, Indiana at the Historic Broadway Hotel. It is a bed and breakfast. The room we stayed in was on the third floor and did not have a telephone or television. If was one of the best trips we have ever taken. The tavern in the hotel had live music and a very gracious staff. I recommend it to everyone!

3/18/2010 06:37:38 PM Report Abuse

cok1404351 wrote:

It would be very helpful if every time you mention a town you could show a map of the state, and its major cities, and a dot where the town is located in that state. Thank you!

3/17/2010 11:49:50 AM Report Abuse

cmegowac wrote:

I would like to add Waconia, Mn. to the list. We have the best of both worlds here. We're only 30 mi from the twin cities and still maintain the small town atmosphere. Our town surrounds a beautiful lake with and island and we have some great shopping. Our big community celebration is "Nickle Dickle Day" held in Sept. We feature a car show, duck races, bull riding, 3 on 3 basketball, music and crafters in the park, great deals around town and much more. Come check us out

3/17/2010 11:05:11 AM Report Abuse

jbschutz wrote:

I would like to add Winona, Minnesota as a summer destination, too. In June-July, Winona is host to a Shakespeare festival, a Beethoven festival, a sprint and international distance triathlon (Trinona.com) and boasts some of the most beautiful Mississippi River scenery in the area.

3/17/2010 10:23:05 AM Report Abuse

travelintwo wrote:

We have visited the first 5 Midwest's best small towns and are scheduling our 6th town, Nashville IN for this May. We have thoroughly enjoyed every one. Thank you Midwest Living for this well thought out & researched list.

1/31/2010 03:17:28 PM Report Abuse