Punta Gorda Ranks No. 2 in USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards Contest for Best Small Town Food Scene

Punta Gorda Ranks No. 2 in USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards Contest for Best Small Town Food Scene

PUNTA GORDA/ENGLEWOOD BEACH, Fla. (July 10, 2020) – Punta Gorda has been named a winner in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest in the category of Best Small Town Food Scene (No. 2). For the contest, a panel of experts, including editors from USA TODAY and 10Best.com, revealed a list of 20 nominees in the category, then gave readers four weeks to vote for their favorite.

Punta Gorda ranked No. 2 on the 10Best Small Town Food Scene list, after Abingdon, Virginia (No. 1), and is the only Florida town to make the list. The list consists of the top 10 small towns, each with a population of fewer than 25,000, which have big food scenes with chef-driven restaurants, local flavors and plenty of variety, especially given their small size.

"We are thrilled to have Punta Gorda recognized by USA TODAY's 10Best and delighted to have been ranked in the top of the list at No. 2 for Best Small Town Food Scene," said Sean Doherty, Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor and Convention Bureau Interim Director. "Our town boasts a bounty of unique, local flavor to share, along with an amazing roster of restaurants offering exemplary food and drink, service, ambiance and experiences. We hope to see this contribute to a strong and positive recovery for the Punta Gorda restaurants so greatly impacted by COVID-19 and help to stimulate the local economy post-crisis."