Each year Southern Living releases several lists boasting “The South’s Best.”
This includes everything from accommodations to bookstores, breakfast spots, BBQ joints, beaches and so much more. In their 2017 accolades, St. Simons Island landed the #2 spot in The South’s Best Islands!
Who stole first place from the Golden Isles? North Carolina’s barrier islands, the Outer Banks, which are known for their open-sea beaches and shipwreck diving sites and include Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.
St. Simons Island took a strong second, celebrated for its historic architecture surrounded by moss-draped oaks, not to mention the laid-back local lifestyle and long level beaches that seem to never end when the tide is low.
St. Simons’ Southern Soul Barbeque also took the #1 spot for The South’s Best Barbecue Joints.
The Jekyll Island Club Hotel took the #3 spot #3 spot for The South’s Best Hotels in Southern Living.
Jekyll Island also landed the #7 spot on The South’s Best Islands. It, too, offers unspoiled beaches, towering oaks and meandering marshlands.
North of St. Simons and Jekyll Islands is Tybee Island. With its bike-friendly and relaxed lifestyle, Tybee Island ranked at #10 on the list from Southern Living.