US Destinations Ripe With Locally Owned Tourism Businesses

Locally-owned businesses exist in every city across the country, but there are a handful of destinations that are particularly wealthy in them. From Alaska to Hawai’i, the Midwest to the Pacific Coast, they can be found in big cities and small towns, taking the form of breweries, museums, tour companies, or memorable restaurants. Take a look through several of the communities where we found noteworthy local businesses for tourists this year. 

The quieter north shore of Lake Tahoe is more convenient to Reno and less crowded than the south shore. The communities on both sides of the California/Nevada state line are brimming with locally owned establishments. Stop into Gar Woods Grill & Pier for patio dining with lake views, and a selection of cheeky cocktails called “Wet Woodys”, a nice way to unwind after a morning spent on a kayak tour. Now is a great time to get out on Lake Tahoe, too, for the surge in runoff from record snowfall means the water is as clear as it’s been in over a hundred years. As the sun sets over the lake check out Lone Eagle Grille at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe for steak and seafood with lakeside seating, or hearty fondues at the intimate La Fondue.

Milwaukee is a fun town to visit in any season, particularly for homegrown dining and activities. You needn’t be a beer-lover to enjoy the city, but Lakefront Brewery is a must-try for its antique beer hall feel, including a Friday night fish fry with a live polka band. Get your morning coffee in a repurposed Victorian-era pump house at Colectivo Coffee before spending the day on the water or heading inland to check out the history of a famous Milwaukee-grown brand at the Harley-Davidson Museum. In the Historic 3rd Ward, check out the Milwaukee Public Market, repurposed as a food hall with local vendors, or venture up to tony Murray Hill for a divine French meal at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro.

If you’re roadtripping on California’s Highway 1, there’s a wealth of local businesses in the communities of San Luis Obispo County. Stop into Cayucos for a stay at the recently refurbished Pacific Motel, which has a surf-inspired design and its own food truck for fire pit happy hours in the courtyard. Hidden Kitchen is a must-stop for blue corn tacos and towering smoothies just steps from the crashing surf on the beach, then cross the street for habit-forming treats at Brown Butter Cookies.


Just up the coast in Cambria, there are two styles of visit – the hilly east side of town or the oceanfront west side. Seafood lovers will appreciate the views and bites at the (cash only!) Sea Chest Oyster Bar. Fuel up for a day visiting the Piedras Blancas Light Station (and its oodles of sea life) or Hearst Castle at the delightful coffee shops and antique outlets on the east side (stop into Lily’s Coffeehouse for an enormous cooked-to-order breakfast burrito) before capping the day off with a wine tasting with views of the Pacific at the Hearst Ranch Winery in San Simeon.

Columbus is another midwestern city with plenty of locally-owned businesses on offer. The new Junto Hotel in the up-and-coming Peninsula neighborhood is also a local gathering spot, with indoor-outdoor fireplaces, an outdoor poutine window, and a chic coffee shop named for a cow that once won The Ohio State University’s Homecoming Queen title. 


In German Village, check out Stauf’s, the city’s first coffee microroaster, then head next door to The Book Loft to wander through the massive selection of books in converted houses. Local vendors also abound in North Market, where the first Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams opened (visitors can visit a nearby store in Short North today). Jazz fans can head over to Ginger Rabbit for classic and contemporary cocktails and live jazz, and cap it all off with a float therapy or massage at ebb & float.

Anchorage abounds in locally-owned businesses. In fact, a significant number of the tourism operators in the city are locally-grown. Salmon Berry Travel & Tours was founded by a pair of local women, taking travelers all over the Anchorage Area, from glaciers to wildlife preserves. And it doesn’t get more local than Alaska Natives, who have lived on Alaska’s lands since time immemorial. Explore the history of Alaska’s diverse Indigenous People at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, then stop by the Oomingmak Cooperative in Anchorage for products woven from super soft musk ox yarn—the money from the sales goes directly to the artisans, most of whom are still resident in villages in Western Alaska.

 

Although the island has seen an influx of big box stores over the years, there’s still a thriving entrepreneurial culture among the island’s residents. For brewed libations in Lihue, stop into Aloha Ginger Beer or Kauai Beer Company for a refreshing tipple, or pair them both with small bites at several other downtown Lihue spots on a tour with locally-owned Tasting Kauai.  

In Poipu, breakfast at Anuenue Café, where the owners focus on locally-produced ingredients such as Makaweli Beef, Lawai Valley Mushrooms, and Kaua‘i Shrimp. Afterwards, enjoy a sweet treat at the started-on-Kauai Lappert’s Hawaii Ice Cream & Coffee, then pop over to Malie Organics for locally-grown, locally-made organic bath and body products (the Koke‘e fragrance is particularly localized to the island’s mountainous environs).  

Just a half hour’s drive from San Antonio, Boerne abounds in antiques, coffee shops, and bookstores. The Kendall offers a variety of accommodation types, from rooms in the historic main building to distinctive cabins and suites in historic chapel and schoolhouse buildings. The independent Boerne Bookshop stocks an impressive curated selection of new titles, while used book fans can drop into the Bookshop Under The Windmill for reasonable priced used books and DVDs.

On the food side, take a cocktail class in a historic home with Assemble Cocktail Workshops, or bounce around town to various bakeshops, trying Texas-sized cinnamon rolls. For local-style (and also giant) tacos, stop into the family-owned Mary’s Tacos. 

 

Vendors at Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market has strict conditions on what types of vendors qualify as “local”, and the best way to tour them is with a Savor Seattle food tour, checking out local favorites like Chukar Cherries and Pike Place Chowder (which has won successive New England-style chowder competitions in New England). 

Also check out Eighth Generation, a co-op for Indigenous artists selling wool blankets and other art objects, owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe. Afterwards, explore Elliott Bay with Alki Kayak Tours, often seeing wildlife like harbor seals and sometimes orcas. Poke through irreverent apparel at The Standard Goods on Capitol Hill, and cap off the day with a bespoke cocktail at the speakeasy style Needle & Thread.

 

Reno is more than a gambling stopover—it’s also a city with a vibrant arts and brewery scene. Relax with a float or a massage at The Refuge Spa, then peruse the art collection at the Nevada Museum of Art, with an impressive selection of Nevada artists—including a number of Indigenous artists working across several mediums. Pop into 10 Torr Distilling and Brewing for flights of brewed beers, distilled spirits or cask cocktails (many of which are on seasonal rotation) before or after a walk along the Truckee River to admire some of the art installations like The Space Whale, a stained glass depiction of a mother humpback whale with a calf. Retire for the evening at the independent, non-gaming Whitney Peak Hotel, immediately adjacent the famous Reno Arch.

 

A good way to kick off a day in Louisville is with Louisville Historic Tours, exploring the historic homes of Old Louisville, and learning fun tidbits like what ubiquitous song was penned in Louisville and which grave in the famous Cave Hill Cemetery is the most visited. For lodging, try the Myriad Hotel, inspired by the disco ball—the vast majority of which were manufactured in the city—or the alcohol-themed Hotel Distil, which offers guests complimentary Old Fashioned cocktail toast each evening at 19:33 (7:33 PM) to celebrate the 1933 repeal of Prohibition. For more of the sauce, try the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience (you’ll get to taste plenty of it). 

For fun on the other side of the Ohio River in Southern Indiana, try the Red Yeti gastropub in Jeffersonville before heading up into the hills to Joe Huber’s Family Farm & Restaurant which focuses on country cuisine—a good hearty repast welcome after a morning spent in the forests and hills where rum runners once rallied with The Woods ATV Tours.