Say your RV travels take you to a new town tomorrow. It’s a small, picturesque town, popular with tourists, and there’s plenty to do. Looking at a few websites and social media accounts, you start to get excited. Oh, the main street looks so charming! Wow, look at the biking trails in that park! Oh, honey, you’ll love the museum! Neat, we can tour that old fill-in-the-blank!
Maybe there’s a farmer’s market going on, with local honey and homemade jam. Or a town square where a folk band is setting up for a free evening concert. You spot an old-timey ice cream shop on the corner and a little antique store right next door. Should you do it all, or just sit at the café and soak in the vibes?
For some RVers, the first stop is always the local diner—or the dive bar. Others want to stretch their legs in the nearest park or look for historical plaques and self-guided walking tours. There’s a rhythm to small towns, and discovering it can be half the fun.
And then there’s the wild card: maybe the town is known for something quirky. A giant roadside statue. A haunted jail. A hot springs spa. Small towns can surprise you when you least expect it.
Of the options featured in the poll, which would you be MOST excited to do? And we know it’s hard to choose, so we’ve allowed you to choose two options. We did not include a “none of the above” (because that seems impossible—do you just not leave the RV??) or an “other”, but if your answer is “other”, feel free to leave a comment and tell us what you get most excited about. Try to choose two from our list, though. Thanks!
MORE POLLS LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY
- Which campsite do you normally choose, a pull-through or back-in?
- If given the choice between vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream, which would you pick?
- Out of these options, which is your favorite BBQ food?
- Do you collect refrigerator magnets when you travel?
RVT1221
Finding the grocery store
How funny! That is one of my top things. Seeking out the small town grocer.
How sad, though, in many small towns, when you go looking, all they have are dollar stores, and there’s no fresh produce.
We love to check out the local shops, especially antique shops. We also shop at farmer’s and flea markets. Some of our most valuable antiques were found at flea markets and garage/rummage sales.
Small town museums are one thing we look for. They may not be large, but are filled with the history of the local area.
It’s amazing what you find there.
We visited the museum in Monroe Michigan. Found out it was the original Lay Z Boy factory. The ground floor was filled with memorabilia from the local area. The second floor had furniture from the early years Lay Z Boy was produced there.
Much more interesting than some of the tourist traps in most towns.
Plus the people working in these small museums are well versed in the history of the area.
👍👍
Plus these people know all the good places to eat and shop.
Stop and smell the roses…before there aren’t any.
Pick JUST two? Torture.
“…It’s a small, picturesque town, popular with tourists…”
If it’s that popular with tourists, it probably won’t feel like a real small town. We’ve been in “small towns” crowded with tourists. We prefer small towns not overly popular with tourists. 🙂
Asking the locals where the best restaurant/cafe is.
If we are going to be in town on a Sunday, we look for a good bible believing church to attend!
We found ourselves in Weteumpka, AL for a kids foot ball tournament. With time between games, I looked up the town and discovered 1) it had been featured in Hometown Renovation back in 2021 (nice downtown) and 2) 85 million years ago a very, very large meteor crashed in that area creating hills and rocks shoved up in the river. Fun to drive to the markers telling the results of the meteor crash!
We frequently find that small town museums are staffed with people who love the subject for which the museum was founded. And they have many interesting stories about the subject and the museum that don’t necessarily show up in the displays.
Wish I could’ve made four choices.
Hi, Bob. You’re welcome to mention more in the comments.👍 Have a good night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Thank you for the question, RV Travel! The first thing that we always do is take dog #3 for a walk around the campground/RV park. Then I would vacuum the floor and rugs of the RV while DW prepared supper (we never arrive before 4:30 PM, and usually after 5 PM). Afterward, we’d walk dog #3 again and get ready for bed. If we were spending a second night there, that is when we likely would visit a museum or historical site. If there were a farmers market while we were there, then DW likely would attend it. We rarely eat out and don’t go to bars. We do take dog #3 for walks, so we might visit a local trail or park, especially if it is a dog park. Have a great week and safe travels!
Voted for finding the best local dining and trails, but would add that if we are there on a weekend we also like to attend a good local church!
we have just done what you described…we just built a house in a smaller town in South Carolina prior to retirement and have done just about all of these things plus gone to the library and got a new card. I can smell the retirement now…just about 1 1/2 years to go.