5 Small Midwestern Towns to Visit This Summer

The Fincham Family prides ourselves on finding the hidden gems of towns in the Midwest. Our hunts turn into treasures we love to share with you! We travel A LOT in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, so we tend to find our favorite small towns in these states, but we’d love to hear some of your ideas, also! 

We can’t rank these special towns, so we just put them in alphabetical order!

1. Auburn(pop. 3,470)/Brownville(pop. 142), Nebraska Area

We first traveled to this area due to one of my best friends from college getting married. Her family happened to own what we lovingly referred to as “The Boat Hotel,” (actually called River Inn Resort) an actual floating ship anchored to the shoreline of the Missouri River with posh rooms to sleep in! 

Not only was this a special place to stay, they do floating river dinners (Called the Spirit of Brownville) and a bar on the top deck! However, if you have bigger kids, you may need to get 2 rooms, as they only have 1 Queen bed in each of the rooms.

Auburn and Brownville are very historic, and they have many museums, art, shops and trails to explore! And don’t forget the Whiskey Run Creek winery! We also must urge you to visit The Lyceum, a hometown restaurant where you sit amongst books and a cozy fireplace! We read our kids books as we waited for our food!

The Farmers Wife, a super cute decor retail shop in downtown Auburn, was so adorable! There was so much to look at-we could have stayed there for hours! Also, if you like a good thrift shop like we do, Auburn has one of the best we’ve been to, St. Francis Gift & Thrift Shop. It’s very organized, very clean, and easy to find what you are looking for. B even got some brand new Puma golf shirts and shorts with the tags still on! Definitely worth a stop.

Whether you are looking for outdoor adventure, shopping, entertainment, or a quick stop to stretch your legs on a further trip, this area is worth a stop! (Please note, many shops are closed in Brownville during the winter. So please plan to stop in the summer!)

2. Courtland, Kansas (pop. 294)

To know Courtland is to love Courtland. Don’t speed by Courtland on Hwy 36, this little town is a must stop! The first thing you’ll see on your way to Courtland is The Depot Market, the cutest little hometown market you’ll come across! They have fresh produce (grown right there!), baked goods, homemade ice cream, cheeses, candies, jams…the list goes on and on! They have a patio area to enjoy ice cream or a peach slush. You can walk around the farm and pick berries. They offer tractor rides at certain times of the year. They are just such a gem!

As you turn south to head to Courtland (about a mile from Hwy 36), you’ll drive right into the heart of downtown Courtland. You’ll come across Soul Sisters Ceramics, an adorable decor and clothing retail store that also happens to have ceramics to paint! And this summer they opened Soul Sisters Scoops, an ice cream shop. You know we love ice cream!

            A block down is a brewery called Irrigation Ales. Friends of ours opened this brewery and it’s such a labor             of love. You can see the love they put into it with all the little details. From the actual canal tube they used             for a light above the bar, to the mural of the irrigations in Republic County on the wall, to the names of all             the beers (very creative!). They welcome families like ours with their homemade root beer and a stack of             games that can keep the whole family busy. They even have a small patio outside for nice days!

Some other things to note about Courtland: Check out Heartland Gamebirds, a posh hunting “lodge” downtown, pretty much in between the brewery and Soul Sisters! It’s gorgeous for ANYONE, not just hunters! And sometimes they pair with Irrigation Ales for a fancy dinner and beer night!

JenRus is a marketing agency that focuses on rural economic development and is in the heart of downtown Courtland as well. A very unique and special asset to this small town!

3. Dodge City, Kansas (pop. 27,788)

This is our biggest “city” of the list, but definitely worth a mention! Dodge City is in southwestern Kansas, a very desolate and rural part of Kansas. But once you get to Dodge, you won’t want to leave! The summer is prime time to visit Dodge. Their pool, Long Branch Lagoon, is epic with a wave pool, a lazy river, and Doc’s Plunge (a steep drop of a slide that takes you on a vertical wall)! And Dayne loved Fort Splash, the kids splash area. We all were very surprised with the quality of this pool and we all had a blast!

You can’t go to Dodge without going to Boot Hill Museum. You can spend several hours here and see a real shootout, learn how to be a Can Can girl (Dayne loved this!), eat at a real saloon, become a “deputy”, cool off in their indoor museum, and get locked in jail! The whole family really loved this museum!

And for the adults, visit the Boot Hill Distillery. The building alone is such a treat to walk around. It has been many things: a cemetery, a schoolhouse, a municipal building that included a jail. But now it’s a farm to cup distillery with a large outdoor courtyard full of games and patio furniture. Kids are welcome during the day. B and I got a drink and we gathered outside for some fun yard games!

Down the block from the distillery is Dodge City Brewing and Pizza. We had some great pizza here for the whole family while we enjoyed the downtown scene on their outdoor patio.

In the morning, we hit up Red Beard Coffee, a really unique coffee experience with a long line! This is where B found his favorite drink: The Burt Reynolds! He had no idea what he was getting but he liked the name! It’s a shot of espresso, with half root beer and half milk over ice! He likes a squirt of vanilla in it also!

4. Nebraska City, Nebraska (pop. 7,222)

We came across Nebraska City just as a drive thru stop, but decided to get out and stretch our legs by walking downtown. And wow, we were so impressed with the cool shops, art, and people!

Make sure to stop by:

-The Keeping Room, a gorgeous old downtown building they restored into an upscale decor and clothing store! And they also have a wine bar and restaurant connected to it!

-Central Apple Market, a bakery, restaurant and wine bar.

-The Fort, a massive western wear store. We are not cowboys by any means, but this was a cool store to look around! And the kids got these cute hats!

After this random afternoon stop, we planned to make an overnight stop the next summer on our way to Iowa. Did you know Nebraska City is home of Arbor Day? Well, it is! And they have the Arbor Day Farms to celebrate! It’s a wonderful area with a winery, lodge, and tree adventure! It’s even hard to explain without actually seeing it! Webs and ladders all along a treescape that kids and adults can play in! You can stay in Lied Lodge right on the property, which has an indoor pool, spa, restaurant and many more amenities!

Other things to check out in Nebraska City are museums, wineries, pumpkin patches (in the fall!) and cool air b&b’s!

5. Panora, Iowa (pop. 1,091)

We have family in Panora, Iowa, that's how we know of this cute little town! Panora is the home of Lake Panorama, The largest man-made lake in Iowa, just outside of town. However, this lake is private and you need property on the lake (or know of someone with property on the lake) to use it. Driving or roaming around the lake, you can dream of the big extravagant houses that line the shoreline! But don’t fret, there is also an affordable but very nice hotel where you can live like a “Panorama Laker” for a weekend!

The Port Inn & Suites is a must if you are staying in Panora! All rooms have lake views and balconies to enjoy the view on! They feature fireplaces and very large rooms! In fact, the last time we stayed Dayne was a baby and her pack-n-play along with a stroller and other “baby musts” fit very easily inside the room.

The Port Inn also features an outdoor pool with lake views, and connected to The Port Restaurant, an upscale restaurant with lots of dock seating and tiki bar outside! They have free live music every weekend in the summer! You could vacation to Panora for the weekend and never have to leave the lake/hotel area!

BUT, if you go into town, you’ll find some cute hometown shops! First stop is Crafty’s Coffee and Gifts downtown Panora! You’ll find baked goods, light breakfast, and a cute gift shop filled with lake paraphernalia! Dayne loved the big donuts!

Across the street is a community room and library. Outside of it on the weekends you’ll often find flea markets and farmer’s markets. They have a small outdoor musical instrument park for kids!

Other shops and restaurants to see in Panora are: Lake Panorama National Golf Course, Bella Sorella shop, Middle Raccoon River Water Trail (beautiful!), and The Owl’s Nest Bar & Grill (try the nachos!).

There you go, 5 great small towns to stop at this summer! We hope you enjoy this list and let us know if you’ve been to any of these towns! And if you have recommendations, comment below!