By John Giuffo
Source: Yahoo Travel

When the pressure of the work week starts to bear down and your next vacation is months away, don’t despair: There’s relief just down the road. No matter what part of the country you live in, there’s probably a small town nearby that will provide a charming weekend getaway–a place with a slower, more relaxed pace of life.

Some vacations require lots of planning and can encourage an overwhelming urge to run around and see as many sights as possible. Small-town getaways aren’t like that. Drive into town, check into a family-run hotel or B&B, then take a leisurely stroll down Main Street while you poke into antiques stores or crafts fairs and decide where you want to have dinner.

Astoria and Seaside, Oregon

Just a two-hour drive from Portland you can live your own Goonies adventures. Find the rock that led to One-Eye’d Willie’s rich stuff on Cannon Beach, or just explore the area’s breathtaking shorelines and rich maritime history.

Naples, Florida

Slightly larger than the other towns on the list, Naples still surprises with its pristine white-sand beaches among the best in the world. There is also a choice of nature preserves to explore, and around 80 golf courses in the area.

Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Nestled in the heart of the Berkshires, Stockbridge was so inspirational to Norman Rockwell, he worked it into one of his paintings. The town repaid the gift with a museum devoted to that most celebrated chronicler of American small-town life. Come in the summer for the Tanglewood music festival (and when the town is is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) and stay for the autumn foliage fireworks.

Newport, Rhode Island

That image that pops into your head when you think of small, seaside New England towns is indistinguishable from Newport, R.I. With dramatic seaside scenery, a rich collection of local mansions to explore and a collection of restaurants to wow even the most jaded seafood-lover, Newport is one of those getaway towns that begs repeat visits. Come between Nov. 5 and Nov. 14 for the town’s annual restaurant week and enjoy the best of what New England seafood has to offer.

Coronado, California

The architecturally stunning, all-wood Hotel del Coronado is the center of gravity for this most southern of Southern California beach towns. The hotel itself is one of the few remaining wooden Victorian beachfront resort hotels, and rooms can be pricey, but the beach itself is dramatic and free, and the local shopping and dining options provide plenty of ways to while away a weekend, along with reading at the shoreline.

See the full list of Small-Town Getaways