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Best boutique towns for weekenders

Cute, compact, accommodating — these are good spots for girlfriend getaways.

There are certain towns that are so adorable and have so much that appeals to tourists that you just have to call them show towns (Also see Best little towns that charm the tourists).

They're real towns, of course, but they're always on their best behavior because tourists are always watching, and many have evolved in lockstep with tourism.

There's no question about what goes on the top of this list — especially midweek and in April, May and September — Galena, Ill. This 1850s lead-mining boom town snoozed for a century before it was rediscovered  and turned into a playground for weekenders, especially from Chicago. They dabble in history, but they dive into shopping; boutiques line Main Street, and the hillsides are dotted with 50 B&Bs. It's a great place to visit — especially midweek and in April, May and September.

Stillwater, Minn., is not as well-known, but Twin Citians know and love it. It's the perfect weekend destination, with a picturesque riverfront setting, hills lined with grand Victorian houses and storefronts stuffed with antiques, gifts and antiquarian books.

Along the Mississipppi, Red Wing, Minn., is the other weekend favorite for people from the Twin Cities, though it's just far enough away to retain a genuine small-town atmosphere. It, too, has antiques and an interesting history, as well as nightlife at the splendid Sheldon Theatre and hiking on Barn Bluff.

Like Stillwater, Cedarburg, Wis., is well-loved by residents of a nearby metropolitan area, and even more neglected nationally. But the picturesque little mill town near Milwaukee has everything a weekender could want — a restored woolen mill filled with shops and a winery, a main street lined with more shops, inns in renovated historic buildings, a bicycle trail, lots of festivals, even a covered bridge. What's not to like?

In Door County, Fish Creek, Wis., is a shopper's idea of heaven on water. In summer, its sidewalks are crowded with tourists and its air perfumed by candles and fancy soaps from the many shops. Just up the shoreline, Ephraim is eye candy for tourists who can't resist the red-and-white awnings of Wilson's Restaurant, framed by the white steeple of the church on the hill; it, too, has many shops. The real attraction is Peninsula State Park, which lies between the two towns and has a theater, lighthouse and golf course as well as beaches and bicycle trails. But that's not a town.

It's a jaunt, but three towns in Missouri are well worth a visit. Just outside St. Louis, St. Charles has a boatload of history; it's the spot where Lewis and Clark picked up their final crew and supplies for their historic expedition. It also has many excellent shops, inns and bistros, and there's a history lesson on every corner.

Not far from St. Louis, the town of Hermann is the Missouri equivalent of Galena; it has so many B&Bs that owners of private homes in the historic district have to post signs advising tourists they're not a B&B. It's a stop on the Katy Trail, the longest bicycle trail in the nation, and its many wineries and festivals keep the town hopping.

Just outside Kansas City, the quiet old port town of Weston has a more violent history; it often bore the brunt of skirmishes between slave owners and abolitionists from Kansas, just across the Missouri River. It's still a tobacco market today and remarkably unchanged; tourists come for the atmosphere as well as the shops, museums, 1850s distillery and winery, which sells excellent mead.

Where to find them: 

Cedarburg, Wis.: 1-888-242-9699, www.cedarburg.org.

Ephraim, Wis.: 1-800-527-3529, www.doorcounty.com.

Fish Creek, Wis.: 1-800-527-3529, www.doorcounty.com.

Galena, Ill.: 1-877-464-2536, www.galena.org.

Hermann, Mo.: 1-800-932-8687, www.hermannmo.com.

Red Wing, Minn.: 1-800-498-3444, www.redwing.org.

St. Charles, Mo.: 1-800-366-2427, www.historicstcharles.com.

Stillwater, Minn.: 651-439-4001, www.ilovestillwater.com.

Weston, Mo.: 1-888-635-7457, www.westonmo.com.
Last updated on July 16, 2008