IDENTIFYING SMALL TOWNS WHERE YOU COULD....

Bath or Newbern, NC

Ocracoke or Outer Banks, NC

St. Mary's, GA

Oriental, NC

Savannah

Provincetown...?

This will be an interesting thread.

Manchester, Woodstock, or Stowe, Vt in the summer, fall, or winter.

Well, it's not a small town, but Quebec City's old town is quite compact. It has a real sense of history, loads of cafes and artists. It's French, but don't worry if you don't know the language -- that just adds to the exotic feel and everyone does know English, too. I would highly recommend it.

In my neck of the woods (southern Ontario), I'd suggest Stratford. It has the largest Shakespearean festival (from April to November) in North America, great restaurants, quaint and walkable town. Very close by are the Mennonite communities and their markets.

Or Niagara-on-the-Lake, with its Shaw Festival, pretty town, nearby winery tours and Niagara Falls. And it's an easy drive to Buffalo, if you want to take in the Albright-Knox Museum.

Out west, it's gotta be Banff. Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, it has a thriving art community, hot springs, wonderful restaurants and spectacular scenery. Side trips to all kinds of natural sights. Hotels to suit all budgets.

Neat, neat, neat....I shall begin my google search...and...educating my wife.

We can no longer drive for weeks, so hopefully, some of these towns are within a 100 miles or so from a major airport.

Chama New Mexico.

Ogunquit, ME...

I should mention that inland towns are OK.

Stag Hill Road...Mahwah New Jersey

Naperville, Illinois, is rated number 2 for living in the US.

Ladies and Gents, keep'em rolling in...

Bradenton Beach Florida. Hop skip and a jump from the Airports in Tampa or Sarasota. It's a very narrow key (one to two blocks between the Gulf and the Intercoastal. Seemingly zero crime as my friends there keep bicycles 10 ft from the main drag without chains. Doors left open at the B&B unless occupied (if you get in late, the key is in the ashtray and you can pay the next day). The place defines tranquility.

Kingston, Ontario (on the Thousand Islands, tons to see and do, an easy (and pleasant) train ride from either Montreal or Toronto

I'll throw another recommendation in for Quebec City

Halifax, Nova Scotia and environs

I'd have to say NOT Naperville. Moved away from there two years ago, much too mallish and suburban to be a good destination for what you're talking about, I think.

Crested Butte, CO is another nice one on the order of Banff.

soz, We lived in Naperville in the seventies, and loved it there. MONEY magazine rated Naperville number 2 in their Best Places to Live list.

I just remember the progressive dinners we used to have during the holidays, the band playing during the summer months in the park, and the good schools for our kids. It was an hour commute for me on the Burlington Northern into the Loop. It was definitely a different life-style than the one we have lived since the seventies in Silicon Valley, although our city is one of the safest in the US for populations over 100,000. Housing prices here are ridiculous.

It's changed a lot since the 70's.

I've written here before that my entire old block has been eviscerated, with cool old houses torn down and replaced with McMansions. This is widespread. And almost all of the privately owned stores downtown have been priced out (and replaced with the likes of Ann Taylor, Barnes and Noble, Gap, etc.)

I understand why it was rated as such by Money magazine. It was great for raising a small child with lots of free programs, and the riverwalk is nice, and crime was low. But the rest of it is just too cookie-cutter these days for what Mapleleaf seems to be going for.

Naperville? Nuh huh.

Mapleleaf, none of the towns in Vt I mentioned are near a major airport although there are direct flights into Burlington from Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Boston. All of them are within 100 miles of Burlington as is Montreal, Quebec which I would also add to the list.

Agreeing with RP on Ogonquit, ME.

The train ride to Kingston sounds tempting...is the train station far from the airport?

Ogunquit Maine is nice, but it's all tourists.

If you want the flavor of the people go to Portland Maine.

There are easy connections between the airport in Toronto and the train station. The same is the case in Montreal. If you're interested in more information, I can track some down for you after I get back from my vacation in Kingston, Mapleleaf.

I took about 60 photos this afternoon when Setanta and I took a free ferry ride over to Wolfe Island, past the military college, Old Fort Henry, and the war college, and then went to a free samba concert. Good times in the old town. Great holiday town.