#1 Berlin, MD (Population: 4,563) If you found yourself admiring the scenery in the films Tuck Everlasting and The Runaway Bride and thought to yourself, why can't I live somewhere as beautiful as that, you might consider visiting Berlin, MD, where both movies were shot. Not far from Maryland's teeming Ocean City and gorgeous Assateague Island, Berlin's downtown is a National Register Historic District and plays host to fun events all year long, from the regular farmers market to one-of-a-kind bashes like the Berlin Fiddlers Convention, New Year's fireworks, Victorian Christmas (complete with horse-drawn carriages), and, yes, even bathtub races. The town draws beach lovers, hikers, kayakers, and bird watchers-and history aficionados will want to stop by Merry Sherwood Plantation, Taylor House Museum, and the historic downtown.    #2 Cazenovia, NY (Population: 2,756) If Central New York isn't already on your travel radar, get ready for a big, and very pleasant, surprise! Cazenovia, on the shores of Cazenovia Lake, may make you feel like you've discovered the perfect small town you thought didn't really exist. Start with a stroll down Albany Street to get a sense of the community's long history, with architectural styles dating back to New York's colonial days. The Scottish-themed Brae Loch Inn only increases your sense of having escaped the "real world" (or at least its cares), and the inn serves an exceptional Sunday brunch.   #3 Buckhannon, WV (Population: 5,645) Whether you're rafting down the Buckhannon River, delving into local Civil War History at the Latham House, or tucking into a "hot belly" BBQ pork sandwich at CJ Maggies American Grill, Buckhannon is a charming host. Smack dab in the heart of West Virginia, Buckhannon received the most nominations of any town in this year's Coolest Small Towns preliminary round. With an artsy Main Street (with specialty shops, antiques, and galleries), historic downtown, and a paradise for nature and wildlife lovers just outside of town, Buckhannon just may be "the little town that could."   #4 Travelers Rest, SC (Population: 4,750) Travelers Rest gets its travel-mag-ready moniker from the pioneer days, when travelers followed a trail dotted with the occasional tavern or inn. But the town offers not only restful, comfy lodgings but also world-class outdoor activities. Nearby state parks and bike trails (including the legendary 13.5-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail) basically invite you stay outdoors all day long. TR's vibrant downtown is the place to browse for antiques, sip from artisanal coffee, and indulge in Southern faves like BBQ, fried chicken, and waffles. We congratulate Travelers Rest on its succeeding in making the Coolest Small Towns list of 15 finalists for the second year running! #5 Mathews, VA (Population: 8,884) Mathews is not just a town but also Virginia's second smallest county, with just 84 square miles and no traffic lights. But we know "small" and "cool" go together like beaches and cottages. Speaking of which, Mathews includes miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline that make it a prime summer destination for beachgoers, bird watchers, cyclists, fishermen, and kayakers. The General Store of your small-town dreams has been converted into a visitor center that's also devoted to the work of local artists. Don't miss Point Comfort Lighthouse, and the overflowing seafood (including fresh fish, blue crab, clams, oysters, and mussels). #6 Nevada City, CA (Population: 3,046) Nevada City may be a little off the beaten path (60 miles northeast of Sacramento, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains), but residents value the Gold Country town for its music and art scene, food, and proximity to some of California's amazing rivers, lakes, and the Sierras. For live music, locals swear by the Miners Foundry. For a Sundance feel without the hordes, savor the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. And if you're hankering for a pro cycling race and don't plan on dropping in on the Tour de France anytime soon, hightail it to the Nevada City Classic.   #7 Rockport, TX (Population: 9.133) Never heard of Rockport? Well, we hadn't either, which just means it's now not only a candidate for Coolest Small Town but also for one of our best-kept secrets. Here, artists, saltwater fishermen, and birdwatchers have been lured to Texas's warm Gulf coast. That combination of activities and interests makes Rockport that kind of town where people return summer after summer for vacation; and many of them eventually decide to relocate permanently to this friendly place. Rockport is also home to the Texas Maritime Museum, the Rockport Center for the Arts (with changing monthly exhibits by local artists), and of course beautiful Rockport Beach.   #8 Estes Park, CO (Population: 6,017) When your town is the headquarters for Rocky Mountain National Park, you've got a pretty good head start on other cool burghs. Skiing and snowshoeing the surrounding mountains is a must in winter, and rafting, fishing, and wildlife viewing are on tap in warmer months (if you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of the iconic bighorn sheep with its curved horns). Speaking of "on tap," the area abounds with craft breweries and excellent wineries, plus world-class dishes prepared by imaginative chefs that belie the small-town environment. The best news of all may be the, in the wake of last fall's devastating flooding, 90 percent of the area's lodging, restaurants, and attractions are open for business. (Estes Park invites you to "Stay Strong," with proceeds from your stay helping to fund recovery efforts.)    #9 Galena, IL (Population: 3,400) Nestled among rolling hills along Illinois's Galena River, this bustling town has a thriving downtown with unique boutiques, antique shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Visit one of the area's three local wineries, hike the easy, beautiful hills just outside town, kayak the gentle rivers, and golf at one of the state's most prized courses. Even non-locals find Galena's history fascinating, with must-sees like the Ulysses Grant Home and Museum, where the Civil War general and 18th president once lived (the museum's exhibits are dedicated to Grant's life and major battles he was involved in, such as the siege of Vicksburg).   #10 Elkin, NC (Population: 4,024) In the lovely Yadkin Valley Wine Region of North Carolina, Elkin is about one hour north of Charlotte in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here, you'll find just about every outdoor activity you might like, including hiking, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, bird watching, and cycling. But when you're ready to relax after a day in the wild, the town's galleries, historic sites, shops, theaters, wine trails, and restaurants that offer a wide range of tastes for everyone, from fine dining and gourmet sweets to an old-fashioned soda shoppe with "world famous hotdogs." Fun happenings include the Yadkin Valley Wine Festival, the Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival, Elkin Fiddlers music, and fantastic Cruise events.  

Congrats to the folks in Berlin, MD, who have organized a great early turnout in our Coolest Small Town 2014 voting! After Buckhannon, WV, shot to the top in the early days of voting last weekend, Berlin steadily built a lead. While we consider every one of our 15 contenders cool towns, the final results are now in the hands of folks like you all over the U.S. (and, really, all over the world) who visit us each day to cast a vote for their Coolest pick. In past years, we've seen incredibly devoted boosters organize worldwide campaigns to propel towns like Lititz, PA; Beaufort, NC; and Hammondsport, NY, to the toppermost of the list. Voting continues till 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday February 25 (that's more than four weeks away), and you're allowed to vote once each day. Got a fave town on the list? Vote early, vote often! And check back here at This Just In for regular updates. As of Sunday night, here's how our 15 contenders stood: 1. Berlin, MD 2. Buckhannon, WV 3. Mathews, VA 4. Travelers Rest, SC 5. Cazenovia, NY 6. Rockport, TX 7. Kelleys Island, OH 8. Galena, IL 9. Nevada City, CA 10. Elkin, NC 11. Estes Park, CO 12. Deadwood, SD 13. Pahoa, HI 14. Huntington Woods, MI 15. Everglades City, FL

Budget Travel knows a cool town when it sees one, and these 15 finalists—the result of weeks of nominations from BT's online audience—are now vying for bragging rights to the title of Coolest. This year's 15 contenders—which stretch from upstate New York to Hawaii—have a few things in common: populations under 10,000, beautiful locales, thriving downtowns, outstanding community spirit, and a noteworthy food, wine, art, or music scene. One thing they can't share is the top spot in our 9th annual America's Coolest Small Town contest. CAST YOUR VOTE—up to once a day!—between now and 12:00 a.m. on February 25, when one town will be crowned Coolest. Here, our 15 contenders for the title of America's Coolest Small Town 2014: Berlin, MD (Population: 4,563) Like the scenery in the films Tuck Everlasting and The Runaway Bride? You'll love Berlin, MD, where both movies were shot! Downtown is a National Register Historic District that plays host to fun events all year long, from a regular farmers market to one-of-a-kind bashes like the Berlin Fiddlers Convention, Victorian Christmas, and, yes, even bathtub races. Buckhannon, WV (Population: 5,645) Smack dab in the heart of West Virginia, Buckhannon received the most nominations of any town in this year's Coolest Small Towns preliminary round. With an artsy Main Street (with specialty shops, antiques, and galleries), historic downtown, and a paradise for nature and wildlife lovers just outside of town, Buckhannon just may be "the little town that could." Cazenovia, NY (Population: 2,756) If Central New York isn't already on your travel radar, get ready for a big, and very pleasant, surprise! Cazenovia, on the shores of Cazenovia Lake, may make you feel like you've discovered the perfect small town you thought didn't really exist. Stroll down Albany Street for a trip back in time, and drop by the Scottish-themed Brae Loch Inn for its exceptional Sunday brunch. Deadwood, SD (Population: 1,263) These days, the "wild" in "wild west" has more to do with gaming, fine dining, and having fun than white hats and shootouts on Main Street. Take a tour of the Broken Boot Mine, visit any number of historic homes and shops, and even visit the graves of real-life western legends Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. Elkin, NC (Population: 4,024) Here, you'll find just about every outdoor activity you might like, including hiking, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, bird watching, and cycling. But when you're ready to relax after a day in the wild, the town's galleries, historic sites, shops, theaters, wine trails, and restaurants will make you feel that you're in a town more than twice the size. Estes Park, CO (Population: 6,017) When your town is the headquarters for Rocky Mountain National Park, you've got a pretty good head start on other cool burghs. Skiing and snowshoeing the surrounding mountains is a must in winter, and rafting, fishing, and wildlife viewing are on tap in warmer months (if you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of the iconic bighorn sheep with its curved horns). Everglades City, FL (Population: 403) This lovely, tiny town is truly the gateway to the unique mangrove estuaries and 10,000 Islands of Everglades National Park, not to mention a prized destination for tasty stone crabs (reserve a table at the Seafood Depot, a nice eatery housed in the town's 1928 train station). Galena, IL (Population: 3,400) Nestled among rolling hills along Illinois's Galena River, this bustling town, once home to Civil War general and 18th president Ulysses Grant, has a thriving downtown with unique boutiques, antique shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Visit one of the area's three local wineries, hike the easy, beautiful hills just outside town, kayak the gentle rivers, and golf at one of the state's most prized courses. Huntington Woods, MI (Population: 6,288) Ranked one of America's friendliest towns by Forbes and one of America's top 10 suburbs by MarketWatch, Huntington Woods is a quiet suburb of Detroit (with a small piece of the Detroit Zoo within town limits!) appropriately nicknamed the City of Homes. Kelleys Island, OH (Population: 313) Located in Lake Erie, about 12 miles from Sandusky, Kelleys Island proves that good things come in small packages: Spend a long weekend here (it's a 20-minute ferry ride from Marblehead) and you'll likely agree, especially if you like getting up close and personal with nature. Mathews, VA (Population: 8,884) Mathews is not just a town but also Virginia's smallest county, with just 84 square miles and no traffic lights. But we know "small" and "cool" go together like beaches and cottages. Speaking of which, Mathews includes miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline that make it a prime summer destination for beachgoers, bird watchers, cyclists, fishermen, and kayakers. Nevada City, CA (Population: 3,046) Nevada City may be a little off the beaten path (60 miles northeast of Sacramento, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains), but residents value the Gold Country town for its music and art scene, food, and proximity to some of California's amazing rivers, lakes, and the Sierras. Pahoa, HI (Population: 945) Located on Hawaii's Big Island not far from Hilo, Pahoa has unique shops, a retro mid-20th-century vibe, and puts you in beautiful volcano country, a short drive from dried lava fields and about an hour from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Rockport, TX (Population: 9.133) Never heard of Rockport? Well, we hadn't either, which just means it's now not only a candidate for Coolest Small Town but also for one of our best-kept secrets. Here, artists, saltwater fishermen, and birdwatchers have been lured to Texas's warm Gulf coast. Travelers Rest, SC (Population: 4,750) Travelers Rest gets its travel-mag-ready moniker from the pioneer days, when travelers followed a trail dotted with the occasional tavern or inn. But the town offers not only restful, comfy lodgings but also world-class outdoor activities.

Wow! Cazenovia, NY, has rocketed to second place in our Coolest Small Town 2014 contest, passing (at least for now!) the folks in Buckhannon, VA, who had held first or second place since the contest began in mid-January. (Berlin, MD, still holds the top spot.) Cazenovia, a charming upstate hamlet that's home to a vibrant downtown, lovely lake, and a variety of distinctive architectural styles, has received nice publicity from media outlets in central New York, including Syracuse,com. That, in turn, has clearly inspired the town's fans to spring into action and vote daily. Congrats, Cazenovia! So, how does a town with a population of fewer than 3,000 zoom to the number-two spot? Well, keep in mind that Budget Travel is all about, well, travel. The towns on our list were nominated by our audience because they are not just cool places to live but also cool destinations to travel to. Translation? The winning town will grab the title of Coolest by organizing its fan base—whether they are in town, in state, or even across the U.S. or the world!—so that each person casts one vote per day until the contest closes at 12:00 a.m. on February 25. (We allow up to one daily vote per IP address to prevent "robo-voting.") Here's where our 15 contenders currently stand: 1. Berlin, MD 2. Cazenovia, NY 3. Buckhannon, WV 4. Mathews, VA 5. Travelers Rest, SC 6. Galena, IL 7. Rockport, TX 8. Kelleys Island, OH 9. Elkin, NC 10. Estes Park, CO 11. Nevada City, CA 12. Deadwood, SD 13. Pahoa, HI 14. Everglades City, FL 15. Huntington Woods, MI  

Wow. Just wow. Budget Travel's Coolest Small Town in America 2014 contest ends Monday night at midnight, and the towns that currently hold the number one and two spots in our voting are sure making things interesting. Berlin, MD, the current frontrunner, has created a music video to promote its campaign, featuring a bluegrass-style song, "Cool Berlin," by Steve Frene (I dare you not to sing along to this catchy ditty). The folks in Berlin also set up a website dedicated to the town's coolness, with a link to our voting page. Meanwhile, in what I like to call "The Tweet Heard 'Round the World," New York State's governor, Andrew Cuomo, endorsed Cazenovia in a Twitter post, urging New Yorkers to rally around the current second-place upstate town. With bragging rights and potential tourism dollars on the line, the mayors of the two towns—two pretty cool fellows themselves—aren't just sitting idly by. Cazenovia's mayor, Kurt Wheeler, and Berlin's mayor, William "Gee" Williams III, have each put a growler of tasty local craft beer on the line. If Berlin wins, Wheeler will deliver a frothy decanter from Cazenovia's Empire Farmstead Brewery. If Cazenovia wins, Williams will serve up suds from Berlin's Burley Oak Brewing Co. You don't have to live in one of our 15 finalists to get in on the action. You have till midnight Monday night to cast your vote for the Coolest Small Town in America. As of Sunday evening, the standings were: 1. Berlin, MD 2. Cazenovia, NY 3. Buckhannon, WV 4. Travelers Rest, SC 5. Mathews, VA 6. Nevada City, CA 7. Rockport, TX 8. Estes Park, CO 9. Galena, IL 10. Elkin, NC 11. Kelleys Island, OH 12. Deadwood, SD 13. Pahoa, HI 14. Huntington Woods, MI 15. Everlades City, FL

How does it feel to live in the Coolest Small Town in America? Ask the folks in Berlin, MD, the winner of Budget Travel's 9th annual America's Coolest Small Town contest! Berlin's citizens—and fans from around the U.S. and beyond—helped get the town nominated last fall when Budget Travel solicited suggestions from tens of thousands of online readers. The editors tallied up the nominations, added a dash of editorial discretion for regional and cultural diversity, and came up with a list of 15 finalists—cool burghs from Upstate New York to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, from northern Colorado to the Everglades, and, of course, the Maryland shore. Now, after more than a month of online voting, Berlin, MD (population 4,563), has earned the title of "Coolest." Berlin not only has a dedicated citizenry and fan following (it grabbed more than 28 percent of the votes among the 15 finalists), but it's also a truly spectacular place to visit or put down roots. Like the beautiful backdrops in the films Tuck Everlasting and The Runaway Bride? Thank Berlin, where both movies were shot. Ready for a getaway that includes Maryland's awesome Ocean City beach and boardwalk and gorgeous Assateague Island? They're just a few miles from Berlin's downtown (a National Register Historic District), which plays host to fun events all year long, from the regular farmers market to one-of-a-kind bashes like the Berlin Fiddlers Convention, New Year's fireworks, Victorian Christmas (complete with horse-drawn carriages), and even bathtub races! Whether you're a beach lover, hiker, kayaker, bird watcher, or history aficionado, put Berlin on your list of small-town must-sees (in fact, put it at the top of your list—we just did!).   So, congrats to the people of Berlin, MD, and its mayor, William "Gee" WIlliams III (who just earned a growler of craft beer from second-place finisher Cazenovia's mayor, Kurt Wheeler). And let's join them in a rousing chorus of "Cool Berlin," by local songwriter Steve Frene, written especially to promote the town's campaign for the top spot. Here are the top 10 towns in Budget Travel's 2014 America's Coolest Small Town contest. (Online voting among 15 finalists began in mid-January and ended at 12 a.m. Tuesday February 25. Total votes cast were 137,819, with the winner receiving 39,285 votes.) Each of these 10 towns will be honored in an upcoming feature on BudgetTravel.com and an upcoming story in Budget Travel's tablet edition: 1. Berlin, MD 2. Cazenovia, NY 3. Buckhannon, WV 4. Travelers Rest, SC 5. Mathews, VA 6. Nevada City, CA 7. Rockport, TX 8. Estes Park, CO 9. Galena, IL 10. Elkin, NC