Maine has the best small town in America — again, according to U.S. News & World Report

For the third year in a row, Bar Harbor, Maine was named America’s best small town.

The publication recently named Bar Harbor the best small town to visit in the USA for 2025 during its 2025 Best Vacations Rankings. The Mount Desert Island town topped the list for the past three years.

The 25 towns on the list have a population less than 50,000, a variety of restaurants and attractions, and “picture-perfect natural beauty and a unique character all their own,” according to U.S. News & World Report.

The publication called Bar Harbor “small-town Maine at its finest” due to its charming bed-and-breakfasts and quaint downtown full of shops and art galleries.

“Join a boat tour, history tour or culinary tour to get acquainted with this New England coastal retreat, or stroll along the scenic Shore Path at your own pace,” wrote the publication.

Bar Harbor diners can get fresh lobster and other seafood and the town is a gateway to Acadia National Park, where visitors can hike, bike, and kayak.

Four other New England towns made the list: Camden, Maine ranked No. 8; Nantucket ranked No. 10; Stowe, Vermont ranked No. 14; and Martha’s Vineyard ranked No. 23.

Bar Harbor also ranked No. 9 on the publication’s list of best cheap vacations in the U.S. for 2025 and No. 20 on its list of best places to visit in the USA in 2025.

Check out U.S. News & World Report‘s list of the best small towns to visit in the USA for 2025.

Earlier this year, the Reading Room Restaurant at the Bar Harbor Inn in Bar Harbor was named one of the 10 best date night restaurants in the U.S. by Tripadvisor users, and Conde Nast Traveler listed camping in Acadia National Park among the 10 trips in the United States that everyone should add to their bucket list.

Kristi Palma

Culture writer

 

Kristi Palma is a culture writer for Boston.com, focusing on New England travel. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.