They still grow hops, and theyre taken right from the farm and thrown into the beers for an unbeatable experience of what a beer is supposed to taste like. Look, Rhode Island's tough here, considering the Ocean State is basically the state equivalent of a small town. As the gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Bayfield is a can't-miss small town in the Badger State. One of the best-known Midwest destinations is Wisconsin's Door County, a jagged thumb of a peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan on the state's eastern side. From sports bars to European pubs, Wisconsin has every type of venue imaginable for a memorable day and night out. Bar Harbor Its hard to top a 9,000-square-foot pool with a swim-up bar like the one at the Sand Bar. Now, all that elbow grease has paid off: The place is thronged with visitors and locals alike, who flock to the rebirthed building to take in a steady roster of music and gaze upon what can happen when a man with a dream and some creative ideas of how to repurpose a bunch of disused farm equipment decides to open the bar of his dreams. Population: 350 Grab a Jell-O shot or a beer, order a burger, and bask in the sunlight under the high ceilings: This is North Dakota lake life at its finest, and might just change naysayers' minds of what the state has to offer. These days, the "Gris," as it's known, sits on its laurels as the oldest continuously operating tavern in America, doling out bubbling bowls of hot clam chowder alongside proper pints, stiff martinis, belly-warming whiskey drams, and live music every night. There are fried apps that riff on Jersey classics (pork roll fries!). Sure, Gatlinburg is a tourist town thanks to its proximity to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort, but it's also arguably one of the best small towns in Tennessee, and here the moonshine-loving locals flock to Hogg's. It's a piece of big city cool in small-town Vermont, a place you won't want to tell anyone about but still feel like bragging that you discovered. Even when it's not scrapple season (that's a phrase we'll admit we just made up), the burgers and the booze bring 'em in. Population: 939 Spending a day in a tasting room in Chelan for the local wines would be an exercise in tasteful endurance. Jerome Saddle up, cowboy, you're in for a wild ride. This small town in Door County may be one of the most walkable vacation spots in all of Wisconsin. Terlingua This spot is everything you'd expect from the oldest bar in Nevada. Visitors come to Eureka Springs for the big cat refuge, the ghost tours and chance to explore Onyx Cave, but youll find the locals drinking it up at Eureka Live, Eurekas only downtown underground video dance bar & beer garden the website says (were not sure there was a lot of competition for that title). It's a perfect mix of all things northern Wisconsin. Well send you our daily roundup of all our favorite stories from across the site, from travel to food to shopping to entertainment. Picking up on the theme here? You may never go back to your real life. That's the magic of Galena. When you get too hot, wade into the pool that doubles as the bars centerpiece. Clarksdale Tybee Island Wisconsin truly has everything, from epic natural wonders to dynamic cities to a thriving farm-to-table scene. Between the Ole Smoky distillery, Doc Collier Moonshine and Sugarlands Distillery, youll have plenty of unaged whiskey to taste while in Gatlinburg, a town perched on the edge of the Smoky Mountains. It is a great place for a quiet escape, but also has plenty to do, including scenic kayaking on Green Bay. For a perfect getaway, stay at the famed Osthoff Resort, dine at the Paddock Club or Lake Street Cafe, and enjoy a sunset beverage at the Tiki Bar at The Shore Club. Population: 1,264 And because this is Colorado, there's always beer made in-state, from Denver Beer Co. to Avery to Station 26 to Stem Ciders, for the beer-averse. Population: 178 Duluth's 135-foot-tall Aerial Lift Bridge (pictured) rises more than 20 times each day for sailboats and skyscraper-length ships traveling between Lake Superior and Duluth Harbor. Tuthilltown Spirits was the first distillery to revive distillation in New York state since Prohibition and it Hudson Whiskey has became a staple at many a cocktail bar, so visiting it is a rite of passage for anyone who enjoys the growing category of New York spirits (or just generally enjoys some Northeastern pride). Rainier Try the Jetty on for size this summer. 1. Scratch that. Townsend, WI 8. The Dogfish Head brewery and distillery may be located in Milton, but the best spot to sit and drink the famed brands brews and spirits is 15 miles east in Rehoboth Beach. A New Hope institution since 1972, John & Peter's opened its doors designed as a low-key breakfast joint that occasionally had live bands. The live bands are fun and frequent, especially come warm weather when they open the Hog Pit, a partially covered patio that serves its own distinct menu of smokehouse specialties like Hog Turds, aka soft pretzel-wrapped jalapeos stuffed with brisket and pepper jack that will make you completely forget what they're called. And when we say small town we mean smalllike, people know each other on a first name basis and might be related small. Exemplifying the free-wheeling and vibrant spirit of the town -- and coupling that spirit with copious amounts of booze -- is John & Peter's Place. Population: 23,406 Thank you! Rock Island TRAVEL + LEISURE is a registered trademark of Travel + Leisure Co., registered in the United States and other countries. Kill Devil Hills is located in the heart of North Carolinas Outer Banks, and the towns history as the location of the Wright Brothers first flight is only matched by its beachy drinking scene. Yemassee If a change of pace is what youre looking for, drinking in the view (and the cocktails) on the rooftop bar of 723 Whiskey Bravo is the perfect escape from the real world. A quick survey of Arthur doesnt reveal much. To learn more, visit their Facebook page, Clearview sits on Big St. Germain Lake and is owned by nearby Big Woods Resort. When you're there, it's a necessity you order one of their burgers, as long as you don't make any substitutions. Get out of the car and jump on your bike to ride on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail that once was an active railroad track. A marathon of tours across all four producers would make a lovely day trip from D.C. Washington state is home to an overwhelming number of wineries and breweries. The Dairy State has 1,852 cities, towns, and villages and there are a million great reasons to explore these places youll find charming shops, one-of-a-kind restaurants, historic spots, and more. Population: 972 Population: 444 Once in a great while every faithful drinker stumbles upon a bar that's at once legitimately awesome at making drinks and incredibly weird in every way and this, friends, is one of those bars. New Glarus Brewing Company has overtaken the town in fame thanks to world-class beer made from natural ingredients. And no spot exemplifies the underrated fun of Maryland in the summer than the Jetty Dock Bar, a legendary dive bar known for cheap drinks, fresh crab legs, and a revolving door of quality live music, all sandwiched on top of Wells Cove in the Kent Island Narrows. stockholmgeneral.com Ingebretsen's Handcrafted Wisconsin's Door County draws visitors from all walks of life: families, boaters, hippies, college kids, Bon Ivers, you name it. Readstown, WI 7. Germantown, WI 5. This is partially what makes proudly random pizza bar Huc a Poos such a local and statewide treasure. It's known for its large selection of craft beers with fun names like Staycation, a classic light offering, and Musky Bite, a popular IPA. Population: 3,113 Population: 9,836 Near the Twin Cities, in Chippewa Falls, enjoy the River Inn Bar known for its giant, broasted chicken wings and arcade games. The scent of legendary fish fries and the sound of live music fills the air (the bar, it's worth noting, is owned by a family whose son played in '80s band Timbuk 3, of "The Future's So Bright" fame), though this is also very much a hangout spot for travelers and locals who call it home. Population: 303 A few hours in the pub and an apres-whiskey stroll down those whimsical streets and you'd think you're somewhere across the pond, not in a small Midwestern hamlet. When in Tennessee, drink as the Tennesseans do Tennesseeans? Live music is a fixture almost every day of the week, and even during the day on weekends. Here you'll find walls hung with faded photos from the town's mining days, mounted deer heads, and cowpokes who seem to have never left the lottery machine. But the odd place you'll find both locals and tourists drinking happily together is here along Anaeho'omalu Bay on the Big Island. Ringing the formidable instrument announces to the bar that youve just bought a round for the entire crowd of rowdy seafaring regulars, so ring it with intention or else steer clear. When you think of Alabama, a town like Fairhope probably isnt what comes to mind. It's three of the best bars, spread out over three levels. Or just wait till the Goble Warming music festival every summer: The music twangs, the meat's smoked on hickory, and if you overindulge you can camp in the backyard. During its storied Oktoberfest, things get a little nutty in East Grand Forks' best bar, with the requisite stein-holding competitions, dirndls, and unfortunate sauerkraut incidents. He's passed on since the '50s, but lives on at the Shooting Star. You could describe New Glarus as quaint, but you cant describe the eponymous brewery with the same word. The tiny town in Maui is home to Charleys, which Willie Nelson blessed by calling the bar my kind of place. Opened in 1969, Charleys is a place where you can take a step back in time and find true Aloha, especially if your true aloha is a country saloon. It's all best experienced on Tuesdays, when the traditional Beat the Clock special has draft beers for 75 cents beginning at 8pm and going up a quarter every half hour. Yes, Saloon #10 is touristy: It's a place that doubles as something of a living Wild West museum, complete with cowboys at the poker table where Wild Bill was shot. Tourists enjoy lounging in their tables on the sand before heading into the water for snorkeling or strolling a short way down the beach to see sea turtles pulling up on the beach. But a recent makeover has transitioned friendly, slightly surly, narrow oasis for drinkers of all walks from a brick-laden dungeon of a dark dive bar into a brick-laden, slightly brighter dungeon of a less-divey bar, with its Pacific Northwest murals in tact and the glow of a new reader board boasting a wealth of craft beer to go along with the PBR an a full-on cocktail menu. Doesnt matter, youre drinking moonshine. Learn more about one of the, In far northern Wisconsin, Bayfield is the gateway to the famous Apostle Islands. It's the kind of place where fresh-faced 21-year-olds and their 75-year-old grandparents will squeeze into those ubiquitous white plastic chairs every beach bar worth its sea salt owns to guzzle down rum buckets and listen to reggae covers -- and take part in the eventual Jimmy Buffet singalong, naturally. To learn more, visit their website, Aside from the supper club staples, these folks broast a mean chicken and serve a roasted duck you'll come back for again and again. Katy Spratte Joyce is a freelance food, business, and travel writer based in Omaha, Nebraska. This unique restaurant sits inside an old bank building, and all of their dishes are made from scratch with the finest ingredients. The walls here are over-filled with school and city history, a venerable museum where you can learn everything about the area whilst enjoying cheap beer and free popcorn. Head indoors at the Outer Banks Brewing Station, the first wind powered brewery in America, which often has live music. Then, after years of sitting vacant amid the Gypsum Hills, new life arrived and the place was resurrected in 2012. Sturgeon Bay Sturgeon Bay Lighthouse at sunset The tiny community of Sturgeon Bay is the largest town in Door County, the peninsula of Wisconsin surrounded by the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Located at w7015 WI-21, Wautoma, WI 54982. Rockville The town is mostly known for its art scene, but Bar Nadar in the Hotel St. George is the reason you should pay attention to this small village in West Texas. Population: 2,302 What Mellow Mushroom attempts at linking itself to acid-dropping culture, Huc a Poos achieves, providing a hidden hippy rest haven to any visiting friends seeking a shift from Georgias red-meated, chest-beating southern bravado. At the distillerys Stillhouse Cocktail Bar, you can taste their locavore distillates like the American Cherry Edition made with local cherries or their North Coast Rye, a tribute to the water and lakes that surround [the distillery]. When youre done there, head out for craft cocktails at The Parlor, an upscale bar located in an old cherry warehouse (they take their cherry history seriously up in Traverse) or hit Rarebird Brew Pub for their huge selection of craft brews. Population:~1,000 Though one should never undersell a place called "Pleasure Island" as a home to great daytime parties. There's a reason folks like John Mellencamp never shut up about the allure of America's small towns: They're treasures hiding amazing experiences and some completely unexpected culinary surprises. Oklahoma lake bars range from holes in the wall to rowdy college-style fiascos, but there are few more simple pleasures in the Sooner state than sitting with an ice cold beer and watching the sunset. Can'T-Miss small town we mean smalllike, people know each best small town bars in wisconsin on a first name basis might... Which often has live music is a fixture almost every day of the best bars spread! 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