The historic town of Mancos in southwestern Colorado is listed on Smithsonian Magazine’s “The 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2016.” To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, Smithsonian made sure all towns on this year’s list are near America’s scenic parks — and Mancos is just 10 minutes from the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park, which is also a World Heritage Site. Mancos has a charm of its own, the magazine said, where the downtown is a “nationally registered historic district that still includes some of the first buildings constructed in the town.” Located below the Mesa Verde Mountains in the Mancos River Valley, the town was established in the 1800s and often served as the setting for Louis L’Amour novels, according to officials in Mesa Verde County. It balances authentic Western cowboy culture — including cattle drives — with an artisan community.