Residents of Williamsburg might just be living in Southern Living Magazine’s Best Small Town.
On Thursday, the city announced it had been nominated for Southern Living Magazine’s Best Small Town award.
Williamsburg is competing against 33 other towns from Georgia to Florida to Oklahoma, with Fredericksburg being the only other location in Virginia nominated.
“They survey about 65,000 readers so the impact of the voters is definitely awareness and reaching a target market that is interested in this destination,” said Jill Pongonis, media relations manager for the Williamsburg Tourism Council. “It puts [Williamsburg] to the top of the mind that it is a great place to visit.”
The competition comes as a part of the magazine’s annual South’s Best Awards for 2020. Other categories in addition to Best Small Town include, bars, food cities, food towns, hotels and more.
Pongonis said the nomination came from the magazine and the city was pleasantly surprised when they received news of it. But, she added, Williamsburg’s recognition isn’t just by accident.
“We do try to get our public relations team out there to bring awareness and work with travel writers to expose them to the wonderful experiences they have here,” she said. “It’s not by chance, it’s a collaborative effort.”
To win, readers from all over the county have to go online and vote for Williamsburg. Voters will also have the chance to win $2,500.
Voting is open until Sept. 16 and there is no limit to the number of votes a person can submit. Pongonis reiterated that for those voting online, to cast a ballot users have to click through a series of red arrows to reach the final survey page and click submit to cast their vote.
Vote online here.
