Come Walk Down Main Street
Beautiful Main Streets across the USA
Arkansas
Eureka Springs, Arkansas is a Victorian town in the Ozark Mountains that is known for its winding streets. What is interesting about this town is that there are no two streets that cross perpendicularly so there are no traffic lights. Main Street as well as the entire town of Eureka Spring is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bentonville, Arkansas is the headquarters of the entire country's well-known store Walmart.
Main Street includes the Walmart Museum and Sam Walton's first five and dime store. On nearby NE A Street, you'll find the 21 C Museum Hotel.
California
Pacific Grove, California means that it lies by the Pacific Ocean offering lovely ocean vistas. On Main Street, all of the Victorian homes and storefronts are a familiar sight to those who watch "Big Little Lies" on TV. Walking along Lighthouse Avenue you'll find working art studios with gallery spaces and antique shops.
Solvang, California looks like a Danish town because it was founded by Danes in 1911. The Solvang Brewing Company has a windmill and you can see a statue of Hans Christian Andersen as well as Danish architecture. There are places you'll find that were featured and made famous in the movie "Sideways" in 2004.
Colorado
Telluride, Colorado lies in the mountains and was founded as a mining town in the late 19th century. There are plenty of apres-ski shops and places to wine and dine.
Florida
Rosemary Beach, Florida has a Main Street that is a great example of New Urbanism. There are Charleston-style colorful storefronts.
On the Gulf of Mexico side, you'll find the impressive black and white Pearl Hotel.
Illinois
Galena, Illinois was named for the mineral galena, which is a lead ore and has been mined in the area for centuries. At one time this town was the largest steamboat hub north of St. Louis and was at one time the home of President Ulysses S. Grant and eight other Civil War generals. Its Main Street has earned the nickname Helluva Half-Mile.
Iowa
Pella, Iowa was settled by Dutch immigrants in 1847 and earned the name "Little Holland." It is home to the largest working grain windmill in the country.
On Main Street, you can find a replica of a Dutch square called Molengracht with a canal. In May you'll be in time for the annual Tulip Time Festival.
Kentucky
Paducah, Kentucky was founded by William Clark one-half of the famous explorers Lewis and Clark in 1827. When the city was occupied by General Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil Ware it was established as a main supply center for the Union Army. Paducah was named UNESCO Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art. The main street in the town is Broadway with shops, galleries, breweries and more in the historic district managed by the town's Main Street program.
Louisiana
Natchitoches, Louisiana was founded by the French in 1714 making it the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase. The main thoroughfare is Front Street stretching along the Cane River Lake. There are many historic buildings with shops and restaurants.
Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts is located near the Five Colleges and the town's Main Street is on the National Register of Historic Places.
On the street, you can see such historic relics as the Academy of Music Theater built in 1891 and the first municipally owned theater in the country.
Nantucket, Massachusetts has a busy Main Street during the summertime. It features cobblestone streets, Greek Revival, Colonial, and Federalist storefronts. There are shops that are reminders of the world-renowned whaling industry here in the 1840s with shops like the Blue Beetle that gets everyone outfitted in nautical attire.
Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan is a town located along Grand Traverse Bay flowing into Lake Michigan. It is the state's cherry belt and the most vibrant wine region. Their main street Front Stree has Indie bookstores and culinary shops. The Friday Night Live street party happens every Friday during the summer.
The highlight here is the Victorian-era City Opera House which is the oldest of three still standing in Michigan.
Minnesota
Stillwater, Minnesota lies along the St. Croix River, 30 miles west of the Twin Cities and on the Wisconsin border. It has an impressive Main Street with antique shops, eateries, and bed and breakfasts. In the 1800s settlers arrived attracted by the lumber traffic along the river.
Montana
Livingston, Montana is a town that was put on the map by the Northern Pacific Railway opening a station here. This community became the first gateway town to the Yellowstone National Park. Charming Main Street is just a few blocks long but worth taking a walk along.
Red Lodge, Montana was once a stop for stagecoaches that were heading west, With the discovery of coal in the late 19th century the town boomed. There were European settlers and Native Americans looking for work in the mines. You'll enjoy Broadway Avenue which has classic Old West saloons, cafes, and bed and breakfasts.
Nevada
Virginia City, Nevada looks like the towns you see in Old West movies. It has Victorian buildings that were built during the mining boom in the mid-1800s.
Among the oldest buildings on Main Street is the Gold Hill Hotel.
New York
Beacon, New York was built by two fur traders who purchased the land from the native Wappinger tribe in 1683. Today this town is known as the home of Dia Beacon, a contemporary art museum. Along Main Street, you'll find boutiques and restaurants.
Ohio
Bedford, Ohio is a suburb of Cleveland and was founded by settler building mills along the waterfall lined Tinkers Creek in 1823. The activity is found in the historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places along Broadway Avenue.
Oregon
Ashland, Oregon is shown in the movie "Wild" and shows actress Reese Witherspoon walking along Main Street. The town is found in the Rogue River Valley at the foot of Mt. Ashland with 48 spots on the National Register of Historic Places.
Among them is the Downtown District with the Ashland Springs Hotel with its Romanesque arches and TIffany style stained glass.
South Dakota
Deadwood, South Dakota was established during the Black Hills Gold Rush and boomed in the 1870s. It was a Wild West town and today is still a gambling town with lots of historic gaming and drinking establishments along Main Street.
Tennessee
Franklin, Tennessee is a town that is located twenty miles south of Nashville.
Along Main Street, you'll find landmarks like the historic Franklin Theater dating back to 1837 and still featuring movies, concerts, and shows. Besides historic buildings, there are also boutiques and restaurants.
Texas
San Marcos, Texas is a town with turn-of-the-last-century buildings lining its street downtown among them Hopkins Street that includes the Charles C. Cock House Museum the city's oldest remaining residential building in the Greek Revival style. For vibrant activity and people watching head for the square downtown.
Utah
Brigham City, Utah was booming during WW II when the government built a major hospital. Main Street bisects the city, The first settlers here were a Mormon group arriving in the early 1850s.
Park City, Utah has a Main Street with around 100 boutiques and 50 shops that stretches through the historic downtown area.
One of the highlights here just one block over is Washington School House, a boutique hotel inside a former schoolhouse.
Virginia
Staunton, Virginia is the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson and was officially founded in 1747.
Among the highlights here is the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse which is the recreation of the playwright's famous Blackfriars Theater in London, England. The town's Main Street was the first in Virginia to be awarded the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Great American Main Street Award.
Washington
Port Townsend, Washington is located on a peninsula north of Seattle. The town is known for its Victorian-style buildings. The waterfront area includes the main road, Water Street which is a National Historic District.
Walla Walla, Washington is in the very heart of wine country. The town's Main Street has some tasting rooms including Cayuse Vineyards with a yellow storefront. One of the highlights here is the towering antique clock outside of Falkenbergs Jewelers dating back to the early 1900s.
Wisconsin
Cedarburg, Wisconsin is a riverfront town 40 minutes north of Milwaukee and features stone buildings among them the Washington House Inn.
A popular day-trip destination for residents of Milwaukee and Chicago there are antique shops, a vintage movie theater and an arts center.
About the Creator
Rasma Raisters
My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.
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