--- title: The 20 Quirkiest Towns in America description: Introducing the artists, foragers, pirates and shrine-builders who populate quirky small towns across the U.S. canonical: https://time.com/3206951/quirkiest-towns/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-28T15:17:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:44:25.773Z og:title: These Are the 20 Quirkiest Towns in America og:description: From Provincetown to Boulder, these towns march to the beat of a different drummer og:url: https://time.com/3206951/quirkiest-towns/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71c6584b5b24d88a/6986a142f983e7bcda04f6c1/171686159.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Cape Cod And Outer Islands Exteriors And Landmarks og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Are the 20 Quirkiest Towns in America twitter:description: From Provincetown to Boulder, these towns march to the beat of a different drummer twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71c6584b5b24d88a/6986a142f983e7bcda04f6c1/171686159.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 20 Quirkiest Towns in America > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays to 40,000 subscribers as of August 2026. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Tour the Most Expensive Home on the Market in the Best Place to Live [Watch (HLS stream): Tour the Most Expensive Home on the Market in the Best Place to Live](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hoYzWyW4.m3u8) (2:11)  _Published 2014-09-22. This Mediterranean-style home in Money's Best Place to Live features a wine cellar, a swim-up poolside bar, and Sistine-chapel style art._ by [Katrina Brown Hunt / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## Katrina Brown Hunt / Travel + Leisure Aug 28, 2014 3:17 PM UTC  A general view of Provincetown on June 22, 2013. A general view of Provincetown on June 22, 2013.Paul Marotta—Getty Images by [Katrina Brown Hunt / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## Katrina Brown Hunt / Travel + Leisure Aug 28, 2014 3:17 PM UTC [_Travel + Leisure_](travelandleisure.com?xid=PS%5Ftime) readers ranked hundreds of towns for such magnetic qualities as vibrant main streets, coffee bars, and an eco-friendly vibe. And while plenty of those features may contribute to a town’s unique personality, the top 20 winners in the quirky category take it a step further. One highly ranked town is an unlikely hotbed for Tibetan monks, while another largely forgoes Valentine’s Day to celebrate Charles Darwin instead. ## No. 1 [Asheville, NC](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-quirkiest-towns/2?xid=PS%5Ftime) Is it the thinner mountain air or that the locals are standing too close to a vortex? Either way, these North Carolinians are tops for eccentricity thanks to both old and new charms: the vortex-laden terrain, which purports to send off good energy; the Friday night drum circle in downtown’s Pritchard Park; and the seemingly bottomless love of local beer. To tap into their vibes, try the beer-and-moonshine “hoptails” at [Grove Park Inn’s Great Hall Bar](http://www.groveparkinn.com/the-great-hall-bar), the BRÖÖ shampoo at the Earth Fare shop, or the port cake at [Short Street Cakes](http://shortstreetcakes.com/). Asheville also ranked in the top 10 for great bakeries;[Vortex Doughnuts](http://vortexdoughnuts.com/) offers a local beer-of-the-day donut. ## No. 2 [Provincetown, MA](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-quirkiest-towns/3?xid=PS%5Ftime) With its history of artists and theater types—Eugene O’Neill, Al Pacino, and Barbra Streisand all cut their teeth here—Provincetown has always provided a colorful contrast to the otherwise seersuckered Cape Cod. For a suitably quirky place to stay, check in at the [Salt House Inn](http://salthouseinn.com/), where each room has a “wall of curiosities” featuring vintage art or interesting objects found along the beach. The longtime gay-friendly destination also impressed readers with its seafood shacks (such as the Red Shack, which does Mexican and Moroccan lobster rolls) and cool souvenirs, such as a photo of your aura, done by Whaler’s Wharf psychic Carolyn Miller. ## No. 3 [Ithaca, NY](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-quirkiest-towns/4?xid=PS%5Ftime) This upstate New York [college town](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-college-towns-2013/14?xid=PS%5Ftime) has deep hippie roots—it’s the home of legendary vegetarian restaurant Moosewood—but these are not your typical flower children. Come February, instead of celebrating Valentine’s, the town makes a big to-do over Charles Darwin’s birthday, in its Darwin Days. Thanks to the area’s Cayuga Wine Trail, Ithaca also scored in the top five for vino. Start your taste testing with [Six Mile Creek](http://www.sixmilecreek.com/), which uses grapes even for distilled spirits like its Chardonnay-based gin. ## No. 4 [Boulder, CO](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-quirkiest-towns/5?xid=PS%5Ftime) This lovable [mountain town](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-favorite-mountain-towns/7?xid=PS%5Ftime) is so outdoorsy (and granola) that each July, locals hold a Tube to Work Day. And while Colorado has recently become more famous for its smokable “herbs,” you can still explore the town’s original herbal high on a free tour of the [Celestial Seasonings tea factory](http://www.celestialseasonings.com/tours), or sit down for afternoon tea and samosas at the elaborately hand-carved [Boulder Dushanbe Tea House](http://www.boulderteahouse.com/), originally built in Boulder’s sister city in Tajikistan. To see why the town also ranked well for burgers, check out the grass-fed wonders at [The Sink](http://www.thesink.com/), which is completely wind-powered. ## No. 5 [Lambertville, NJ](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-quirkiest-towns/6?xid=PS%5Ftime) To folks in this quaint town along the Delaware River, the real weirdos may be the motorcycle riders and Wiccans across the bridge in New Hope, PA. Still, these Jersey denizens—artists, gardeners, and perhaps actors gunning to play General Washington in the next historical reenactment—get props for their serious attitude toward antiques. The four-story People’s Store has been selling treasures since 1832 (when such things weren’t old). For people-watching, go to coffee and gourmet shop [Lambertville Trading Company](https://www.facebook.com/lambertvilletrading), where the java is old-school, too: iced coffee served with frozen cubes of coffee and a full range of bone-china mugs. [**Read the full list HERE.**](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-quirkiest-towns/7?xid=PS%5Ftime) _More from Travel + Leisure:_ * [America’s Best Towns for Fall Colors](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-towns-for-fall-colors?xid=PS%5Ftime) * [World’s Scariest Stairs](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-scariest-stairs?xid=PS%5Ftime) * [America’s Best Cities for Hipsters](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-cities-for-hipsters-2013?xid=PS%5Ftime) ### See the 10 Healthiest Cities to Live in America  Honolulu, Hawaii Best Place for Lifelong Health The heavenly climate helps, but the key to well-being here also includes enviable health care and a rich cultural tradition of looking out for one another. Colin Anderson—Blend Images/Corbis  San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Best Place for Eating Right. The "farm to table" movement began here. The region's bounty of produce and year-round growing season make eating healthy—and local—a natural. Getty Images  Burlington, Vt. Best Place for Raising Healthy Kids This New England city offers great schools, excellent pediatric care, loads of culture and limitless options for healthy outdoor fun all year long. Matt Hogan/www.mphoganphoto.com  Silicon Valley, Calif. Best Place for Workplace Wellness With treadmill desks, meetings on bikes, time off for creativity, and gobs of organic food, tech titans are reinventing how to stay healthy on the job. Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux  Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Best Place for Aging Well Yes, it can be cold. But with a plethora of stimulating activities and a robust web of support, the Twin Cities prove that growing old doesn't mean slowing down. Getty Images  Denver and Boulder, Colo. Best Place for Keeping Fit The urge to get outside and get moving is contagious in these Rocky Mountain cities, where physical challenge is built into the landscape. Celin Serbo—Aurora Photos/Corbis  Plano, Texas Best Place for Staying Safe Once a rural outpost, this booming, diverse city has kept its small-town vibe, thanks in part to a police force and community that knows how to work together. Misty Keasler—Redux for TIME  Portland, Ore. Best Place for a Healthy Environment Small, walkable neighborhoods, 300 miles of bike paths, and urban policies that foster active living and sustainability make for one clean, green city. Getty Images  Boston, Mass. Best Place for Health Care This history-rich city is home to some of the nation's most advanced medical institutions and policies that help ensure that quality care is available to all. K.C. Cohen—Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital  Provo and Orem, Utah Best Place for Spiritual Well-Being A stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop and a tight-knit population that lives its faith contribute not only to this region's serenity but also to lower rates of disease. 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