Fredericksburg’s Caroline Street has been voted the “Best Main Street in the South” by Garden & Gun voters in a bracket-style competition by the magazine. The city was up against 16 competitors from across the Southeast, ending in a final round of voting against Deland, Fla.
“On April 7, as the 11:59 p.m. voting deadline loomed, G&G editors were continuously refreshing results as the contest remained too close to call. In the end, Fredericksburg eked out the victory in our most hotly contested final matchup ever,” the publication posted on its site.
Fredericksburg Main Street Executive Director Chris Allen said the win is exciting and not entirely unexpected.
“They [Garden & Gun] came to us about the contest, and I think it’s because over the last six months we’ve been getting a lot of visibility,” Allen said.
Recent articles in Southern Living and Virginia Living have highlighted downtown Fredericksburg and drawn attention to the area on social media.
Allen said the community pulled together to push the city into the final round.
“I think it’s a testament to our community. People were obsessed with the voting,” he said. “We had city council members making videos encouraging people to vote. It’s cool to see our community come out for this.”
Fredericksburg’s Caroline Street wins G&G’s “Best Main Street in the South” Wednesday April 8, 2026. Photo by Jeff Kearney.
