Bloomington has been nominated to compete in the Best of the Road Rally this summer in the “Best for Food” category. Nearly 700 towns were nominated in the five categories: “Friendliest,” “Most Beautiful,” “Most Fun,” “Most Patriotic,” and “Best for Food.” The competition is sponsored by Rand McNally’s online travel guide.

A team of judges will be traveling through Bloomington to determine how our food stands in comparison to Lewiston, New York; Charlottesville, Virginia; Burnsville, Minnesota; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Walla Walla, Washington.

Film crews will follow the team of judges across the country to create a special feature that will air on the Travel Channel July 25 at 8 pm.

Click here to see Bloomington’s competitors and to follow the team’s progress across the country. You can also follow the four other teams traveling through towns to judge in other categories.

Updated June 25: See below for photos from the Best of the Road Kick-Off event on the B-Line Trail on Monday June 25!

Updated July 9: Click here to see a blog post about their experience in Bloomington.

Updated July 17: The results are in!