The 29 coolest small cities to visit in the US in 2018

Charleston, South Carolina

National Geographic Traveler has released its list of the 29 Best Small Cities in the US — and it's giving us some serious travel inspiration.

The travel magazine worked with consultants to produce a Small Cities Index — a ranking that drew from core statistics and social media mentions on the likes of Instagram and Yelp to determine which cities rank highest across 10 categories:

Most hipster friendly (coffee shops, tattoo parlours, record shops, vintage stores)
Musically grooviest (music venues, live music, instrument stores)
Most Instagrammed (hashtags)
Most artsy (art galleries, art supply stores, art schools)
Best groomed (barber shops, hair salons, hair removal services, cosmetic dentists)
Meatiest (butchers, delis, steakhouses)
Most dog friendly (pet sitting, pet stores, pet groomers, dog friendly restaurants)
Sudsiest (breweries)
Most caffeinated (coffee shops)
Greenest (parks)

The results in each area were then sorted into three categories based on population sizes — 40,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000, and 200,000-600,000. An algorithm then determined which cities ranked highest per capita.

The Traveler editors also included "trending" cities in the list that didn’t make the cut on the ranking this year, compiled by branding advisors Resonance Consultancy, but appear to be on the rise.

The 29 cities included in the list weren't ranked relative to each other, but Business Insider has noted which and how many categories each won. From all-time favourites like Charleston to the beaches of Pensacola, scroll down to see the 29 coolest small cities to visit in the US in 2018.