Delray Beach named the 'Most Fun' small town in the US

Delray Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida is celebrating being named as the 'Most Fun' small town in the US.

At the Best of the Road contest, bestoftheroad.com, sponsored by Rand McNally in collaboration with USA TODAY, Delray Beach scooped the honour after being selected from 30 other nominated towns.

Delray Beach, dubbed the 'village by the sea' is located north of Boca Raton.

Judges said that Delray had a 'Miami meets Manhattan in the 60s vibe' think 'Panama hats and individually owned shops not flip flops and chain restaurants'

One judge said: "You can be a yogi beach bunny one minute, on a boat cruising the marina the next, then get your taste of great locally-sourced grub decked out in a dress you got at one of the many awesome vintage stores before you hit one of the town's night spots."

They also focused on Delray being a 'great snorkeling and scuba diving destination, with a century old steamship sunk in shallow water and some of the best visibility on the East Coast.

Delray itself features Atlantic Avenue, a traditional downtown 'main street' complete with quaint brick sidewalks and gaslight-style street lamps.

Gourmet restaurants, cozy bistros and outdoor cafes can be found alongside boutiques, gift shops, jewellery stores and art galleries. While Downtown's Annual Delray Affair is South Florida's oldest and largest outdoor arts, crafts and entertainment festival venue.

Every February the town also plays host to The Delray Beach Garlic Festival. Affectionately named 'The Best Stinkin' Party in Town' the event is dedicated to the health and culinary possibilities of garlic, even the ice cream has a garlic flavour! dbgarlicfest.com/index.htm.