I started this page in 2020 when we were all stuck at home. Bookstore Tourism and looking through old photos helped calm my spirit and reminded me of how fun it is to visit new indie bookstores. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big shop with a great cafe, a small quirky indie bookstore or a ‘friends of the library’ used-book store. They’re all fun.

I am posting and mapping many of the bookstores I’ve been fortunate enough to visit. Whether you call it bookstore tourism, literary travels, bibliophile travels, it’s always been a highlight to visit a local bookstore and see what’s new and hopefully stumble upon something exciting.

When visiting a new place, checking out the local indie bookstore is a GREAT way to get to know a town. As soon as you walk through the door and check out the bestsellers you know what the area is all about. Indie bookstores reflect a place like no other business can. And they all have built-in souvenirs – books!

I hope these posts scratch the same itch for you. And if you add bookstore tourism to your travels or post about bookshops, let me know! I love to armchair travel.

Here’s a map of all the shops I have thought to take photos of while visiting. If you click on an icon you should get a slide over sidebar with a link to the relevant post:

I don’t know if there’s a difference in bookstore tourism or bookstore travels or bibliophile travels, but all those terms resonate at some level. Here is a list of all the mapped shops, in the above map, linking to where I shared the photos:

• The NewSouth Bookstore – Montgomery, AL
• Beckham’s Bookshop – New Orleans, LA
• Black Garnet Books – St. Paul, MN
• Leopold’s Books Bar Caffé
• Sweet Home Books
• Little Professor in Homewood, AL
• LITTLE PROFESSOR PEPPER PLACE – PHOTO TOUR
• Scout & Morgan Bookstore – Cambridge, MN
• Thank You Books – Birmingham, AL
• E. Shaver, Bookseller – Savannah, GA Named Best Bookstore in the South 2020
• The Booklegger -Huntsville, AL
• Little Professor Book Center – Photo Tour
• Church Street Coffee & Books
• Books Etc. – Bookstore PhotoTour
• Books, Beans and Candles MS
• Milestone Books
• Jonathon Benton Bookseller
• Doggone Books
• Malcolm’s Reading Room
• Reed’s new digs