List ranks top 20 Southern small towns for 2020

If you are looking to get out of the city for a bit for a change of pace, the South is dotted with scenic small towns to explore and visit.

A list from the magazine Southern Living ranked the 20 best small towns in the South for 2020.

“What they all share in common is an authentic sense of place and devoted locals who get more excited about preservation and reinvention than demolition,” according to the magazine.

Three towns in Georgia got a nod from the publication, with Thomasville earning the highest rank at No. 8.

However, even the towns in other states are within driving distance.

“We all have our favorite Southern small towns—from those perfectly picturesque villages we consider our go-to retreats to the happy accidents we discover on road trips,” the magazine notes. “Some offer enough to keep us busy for a long weekend, while others are a day trip (but a fine one, at that).”

While traveling may look a bit different right now amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, here are some places you may consider for a socially distanced summer getaway.

Is your favorite small town on the list?

The 20 best Southern small towns, according to Southern Living

20. DeLand, Florida

19. St. Marys, Georgia

18. Manteo, North Carolina

17. Florence, Alabama

16. Opelika, Alabama

15. Isle of Hope, Georgia

14. Natchitoches, Louisiana

13. Eureka Springs, Arkansas

12. Paducah, Kentucky

11. Mount Dora, Florida

10. Aiken, South Carolina

9. Bluffton, South Carolina

8. Thomasville, Georgia

7. Beaufort, North Carolina

6. Fredericksburg, Texas

5. Fredericksburg, Virginia

4. Franklin, Tennessee

3. Fairhope, Alabama

2. Beaufort, South Carolina

1. Williamsburg, Virginia