Bath, IL

Set on the bluffs above the Illinois River valley, Bath is a tiny, laid-back village of around 280 people in Mason County. Life here moves at an easy pace, shaped by the water and a bit of frontier history; Abraham Lincoln even surveyed the original townsite back in 1836. Most days, it is a quiet, friendly place for fishing, watching river wildlife, and enjoying rural peace. The big exception is the annual Redneck Fishing Tournament every summer, when boaters take to the river with landing nets and football helmets to catch leaping Asian carp right out of the air.