This hideaway in the Cascade Mountains of central Washington state looks like something out of a German fairy-tale. Leavenworth is stylized after a traditional Bavarian town, with alpine buildings and German beer and food halls. The town was remodeled this way in the 1960s to attract more tourists, and now hosts year-round festivals and events dedicated to Bavarian holidays and traditions.

South Carolina’s southern coastline region is referred to as Lowcountry, and Beaufort sits at the heart of it. Beaufort was established in 1711, making it the second-oldest town in the state after Charleston. The town is the birthplace of Frogmore (or Beaufort) stew, better known in other parts of the U.S. as Lowcountry Boil — featuring heaps of seafood, sausage, corn, and potatoes.

The most recognizable landmarks in Jackson, Wyoming, are its four elk antler arches, each containing over 2,000 antlers and weighing 12,000 pounds. These arches are a tribute to the residents of the nearby National Elk Refuge, which is the final stop of the second-largest elk migration in the country. Aside from its famous horned residents, the valley of Jackson Hole is also known for its ski resorts and nearby Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

Eureka Springs was founded on July 4, 1879, but people have flocked to the area for centuries to take advantage of its healing mineral springs. The town is located in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, an area known for its natural beauty and ample outdoor activities. Eureka Springs is home to only 2,000 residents, giving it a true small-town feel, and many of the buildings still feature Victorian-era architecture from when it was founded.

You can almost imagine Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane walking through the streets of Deadwood, South Dakota — in fact, the infamous duo is buried in the town’s Mount Moriah Cemetery. The town boomed in the 1870s following the discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills. Its current population of around 1,000 people depends largely on tourism — including Wild West reenactments, museums, and casinos.

Stowe, Vermont, is famous for its fall foliage, cross-country skiing, and quaint New England atmosphere. The town is located just east of Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in the Green Mountain State, and 45 minutes from Burlington, the state’s most populated city. From summertime hiking to wintertime skiing, Stowe’s historic downtown attracts year-round visitors.

Though Moab, Utah, is only home to about 5,000 year-round residents, this desert town sees nearly 2 million annual visitors thanks to its proximity to two popular national parks: Arches to the north and Canyonlands to the southwest (along with Dead Horse Point State Park, located near Canyonlands). The natural wonders are a major draw for camping and hiking through the spectacular scenery.

Located on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, Forks is primarily famous for rainfall and vampires. Forks is the rainiest town in the lower 48, receiving an average of 120 inches annually. Though its proximity to Olympic National Park and the Hoh Rain Forest are major attractions, it’s also the vampires that draw visitors in. The town is the fictional setting of the “Twilight” vampire series, and it now hosts an annual Twilight Festival dedicated to the series.

The Union Pacific Railroad Company set out to boost rail travel in the 1930s by building a high-end, European-inspired ski resort in the West. Sun Valley Lodge opened in Idaho in 1936, complete with the world’s first chairlifts, which were a huge hit with visitors. Today, Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain sees 3,500 skiers per day during the season — a striking comparison to the less than 2,000 year-round residents in the town.

Solvang, California, bills itself as the “Danish capital of America,” and for good reason. Danish immigrants founded the town in 1911, and many of the houses, schools, and churches were built to reflect Danish architecture. Visitors come from around the country for seasonal activities and festivals — not to mention the 120 wineries in the surrounding Santa Ynez Valley.

St. Augustine was founded by the Spanish in 1565 — 55 years before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock — earning its coastline the nickname, the “First Coast.” Home to about 14,000 people, the city is located on the northeastern coast of Florida, south of Jacksonville. The vacation town is known for its beaches, museums, and historical landmarks.

Sedona is located in the Upper Sonoran Desert between Phoenix and Flagstaff in central Arizona. Visitors from around the world travel here to see its unique red sandstone formations, especially those at Red Rock State Park. Sedona became famous in the 20th century as a popular filming location for Hollywood Westerns. Today, Sedona is also known for its art scene, spiritual connections, and luxury spas.

Located northwest of Portland near the Tillamook Forest is the village of Cannon Beach, home to a little over 1,500 residents. It’s often recognized as one of the most unique and beautiful beaches on the West Coast thanks to its unusual basalt rock formations. The largest of these sea stacks, Haystack Rock, towers 235 feet over the coastline

In central Clarksdale, Mississippi, stands the “Blues Crossroads” — where singer Robert Johnson “sold his soul to the devil” in the mid-1930s in exchange for mastery of the guitar, according to legend. Some even consider Johnson the first-ever rock star. Today, Clarksdale is a pilgrimage site for blues music fans; its Historic Blues District is known as Blues Alley.

Located between Richmond and Norfolk, Williamsburg is a 300-acre town frozen in time — it looks much like it did in the 1700s. Williamsburg was once the capital of the colony of Virginia and also played a pivotal role in the American Revolution. Today, it is celebrated as America’s largest “living” museum. The town is filled with museums, shops, restaurants, and actors dressed in colonial garb to give visitors an idea of what 18th-century life was like.

Telluride grew as a mining town in the 1800s but later saw a decline in population after the mining boom ended. In the 1970s, Telluride reinvented itself as a world-class ski town and a destination for multiple arts festivals. Most notable is the Telluride Film Festival, taking place every Labor Day Weekend and attracting Hollywood stars and film buffs from around the world.

Marfa, Texas, is located near the Mexico border, just north of Big Bend National Park. The small desert town is now famous for the “Marfa Lights,” a unique phenomenon in which mysterious glowing orbs appear randomly after dark. The mystery has puzzled locals for years — it is unclear what they are, or if they even exist at all. Nevertheless, the town holds an annual Lights Festival to celebrate its claim to fame.

Kitty Hawk is a quaint beach town with a population of less than 4,000, located on a sandy barrier island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright chose Kitty Hawk’s beaches as the location of their flight experiments, which resulted in the first-ever successful powered flight in an airplane. Today, a monument stands to commemorate the famous event in aviation history.

On February 2, North America observes Groundhog Day. The holiday — headlined by Phil the groundhog, live from Gobbler’s Knob — originated with German immigrants in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, which is now world-famous for the celebrations. Though the population of Punxsutawney is less than 6,000, upwards of 30,000 people visit for the weekend-long annual festival.

Tucked away in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, the picturesque ski town of Lake Placid is home to less than 2,500 year-round residents. For such a small town, hosting the Winter Olympics is a huge undertaking — and they did it twice. Remnants of the 1932 and 1980 Olympics can still be seen in Lake Placid, including many venues like the Olympic Center and Olympic Jumping Complex.