Rayne Ranks #4: Voting for Favorite Small Town Ends Feb. 28

Voters Have the Chance to Win $1500 Trip Voucher
City of Rayne, La

Photo from City of Rayne Facebook

RAYNE, La – In 2025, the Acadia Parish Tourism Office nominated the City of Rayne to participate in the nationwide contest “America’s Favorite Small Towns,” presented by Parade magazine and travel platform Steller.

The daily, online voting opened on Nov. 17. Today, the national competition has a live leaderboard on its site, sharing the top 20 towns so far in the voting process. Rayne is ranked at #4, preceded by Grand Junction, Colo. (#3); East Aurora, NY (#2) and Lodi, Calif. (#1).

Chere Ledoux, communications specialist for the Acadia Parish Convention & Visitors Center, shares her excitement, expressing that Rayne “had spent quite a bit of time at number 2, so we know we can pull ourselves back up to the top.”

Voting was extended until the end of February.

Upcoming: 

  • March 1: National finalists announced
  • June 1: State winners announced
  • June 12: National winner announced

What’s at Stake for Rayne

According to the “America’s Favorite Small Towns” Contest website, the winning town will enjoy a Parade x Steller activation during its July 4th festivities, complete with potential celebrity involvement, sponsor giveaways and national media coverage. Additionally, the winning town gets use of the “Favorite Small Town in America” badge and signage to showcase their achievement.

Finalists will appear in Parade’s “Favorite Small Towns in America” special print issue.

For Voters

Every vote is entered into the trip giveaway, where voters have the chance to win a travel voucher to visit their favorite small town. The prize package is worth $1500. You can vote daily.

Why Rayne?

Rayne was selected as the community to represent Acadia Parish in this nomination as a tribute to Suzette Leonard’s years of service to the city and as board chairman of the Acadia Parish Convention and Visitors Commission.

This recognition reflects her commitment, while celebrating Rayne as one of the many unique destinations in Acadia Parish.

Read more about why Rayne was selected.

Categories: Acadiana, Lagniappe, Homepage