Smithsonian magazine releases its annual list of 20 best American small towns to visit

Smithsonian magazine announced its third annual list of America's Best Small Towns to visit, concentrating this year on towns with fewer than 15,000 residents that have "particular strengths in history, music, visual arts, learning, food, theater and science," according to the magazine. "It's not solitude we're seeking—the fruits of human creativity are best shared—but, rather, enrichments unbothered by the growl of our increasingly urban lives." (Photo of Woods Hole, Mass., by Marianne Campolongo)

The 20 towns are: Chautauqua, N.Y.; Healdsburg, Calif.; Williamsburg, Va.; Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Woods Hole, Mass.; Marietta, Ohio; Beaufort, S.C.; Sedona, Ariz.; Nebraska City, Neb.; Lanesboro, Minn.; Spring Green, Wis.; Havre de Grace, Md.; Columbia, Pa.; Mount Dora, Fla.; Ketchum, Idaho; Montpelier, Vt.; Harrodsburg, Ky.; Silver City, N.M.; Decorah, Iowa; and The Dalles, Ore. (Read more)