Smithsonian names 20 best small towns to visit

Smithsonian has unveiled its annual list of the top 20 small towns to visit. To be considered, towns had to have a population under 20,000 and were judged based on cultural attractions, historical sites, nature opportunities and food-and-drink destinations, "then researched to find the places commemorating important anniversaries, openings, renovations, recoveries and other milestones in 2015," Bess Lovejoy reports for Smithsonian. "Think of this list not as a ranking but as a menu, with something for every taste—whether it’s country bluegrass, Florida’s white beaches or Alaska’s blue mountains." (Corbis photo by Richard T. Nowitz: Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo.)

The list, in order from No. 1 to No. 20, is: Estes Park, Colo.; Nantucket, Mass; Stuart, Fla.; Traverse City, Mich.; Cooperstown, N.Y.; Port Townsend, Wash.; Calistoga, Calif.; Sevierville, Tenn.; Boonville, Mo.; Saint Simons Island, Ga.; Edenton, N.C.; Bayfield, Wisc.; Nashville, Ind.; Put-in-Bay, Ohio; Whitefish, Mont.; Thibodaux, La.; Custer, S.D.; Stowe, Vt.; Homer, Alaska; and Vernal, Utah.