Gulfport Falls Short in 'Best of the Road' Contest

The winning cities for the USA Today-Rand McNally "Best of the Road" Rally are:

• Lafayette, LA: Best for Food
• Walla Walla, WA: Friendliest Small Town
• Sandpoint, ID: Most Beautiful
• Glenwood Spring, CO: Most Fun
• Rapid City, SD: Most Patriotic Destination

The winning towns will be featured in the 2013 Rand McNally Road Atlas and on BestOfTheRoad.com, as well as highlighted on USA Today’s Travel page.

The winners were announced at the Destination Marketing Association International Conference in New Orleans on Thursday.

As for the winning road rally team, St. Petersburg couple  did not win the $10,000 for best team. Gone with the Wynns took home the big check and a 2011 Saab 9-4X.

Hurry, there's still time to try the best bites available at 15 local restaurants in Gulfport. As part of the competition, several local businesses condensed their signature dishes into signature bites. Prices vary from $8.95 to about $15.