Wallace, Idaho © D Guisinger

Wallace, Idaho has the distinction of every downtown building being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its quaint demeanour makes it the perfect American small town, and Hollywood has taken advantage of this filming both Dante's Peak and Heaven's Gate in downtown Wallace. Though it's officially the third largest city in Idaho, Wallace has fewer than 2,000 residents.

Located along the I-90 in northern Idaho, this pretty town in Silver Valley is home to the Oasis Bordello Museum, Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum, Wallace District Mining Museum, and the Sierra Silver Mines, which offer tours unique to the northwest US. Nearby Kellogg is a nice excursion from Wallace, with tours of the Crystal Gold Mine, and a number of eye-catching scrap metal sculptures.