We asked for your favorite places in the South, and you responded by the thousands. In some categories, your top three picks were separated from other choice spots by only a few votes.

Here are the results of our 2006 Readers' Choice Awards, listed in order by the most votes received. As a bonus, along with the winners in each category, you can read about other special places we're sure you'll enjoy.

We Also Love: Cheeca Lodge
When you visit Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada, Florida, you feel as if you've found a special hideaway. At this resort on Matecumbe Key, an hour and a half south of Miami, elegance comes wrapped in a casual atmosphere.

Rooms here feature Italian-marble baths, plasma TVs, and views of either the Atlantic or a serpentine, man-made lagoon. A large pool overlooks the ocean and the 525-foot pier that stretches out into it.

Days here start with breakfast under a thatch-roof porch and end at Atlantic's Edge, the white-tablecloth restaurant serving fresh seafood. In between, there's tennis, spa treatments, and conversations at the tiki bar. Or maybe you want to take an ecotour, looking for dolphins, manatees, and sea turtles. The sun, water, and coastal vibe make any trip to The Keys a fun one, but a stay at Cheeca makes it special.

Cheeca Lodge: 81801 Overseas Highway, Mile Marker 82, Islamorada, FL 33036; www.cheeca.com or 1-800-327-2888.

The wide, flat beach washed by the Atlantic Ocean is enough reason to head to Virginia Beach. But the boardwalk that runs alongside it for 3 miles adds tons of great things to do.

Festivals and concerts that stretch from spring into autumn make the boardwalk part art show, part restaurant row, and part musical stage. At a width of 28 feet, it also provides plenty of room for walking, running, in-line skating, and bicycling.

Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau: www.vbfun.com or 1-800-822-3224.

We Also Love: Cattlemen's Steakhouse
Oklahoma City serves up some of the best beef in the South. Although you'll find many fine steak restaurants in town, Cattlemen's Steakhouse rules.

Once inside the nondescript building, you'll smell the mouthwatering aroma of the steak sizzling on your plate. We recommend the T-bone, which is tender enough to cut with a fork. Top off your meal with a slice of creamy, homemade coconut pie.

Cattlemen's Steakhouse: 1309 South Agnew Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73108; www.cattlemensrestaurant.com or (405) 236-0416.

We Also Love: Snowshoe Mountain
What do ski resorts do when spring rolls around? They play golf. At least that's what happens in Snowshoe, West Virginia. You can also hike or ride a mountain bike over the thawed-out trails.

Go in winter, and the choices include downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobile tours, and snowshoeing. It all adds up to year-round fun. Snowshoe Mountain: Snowshoe, West Virginia; www.snowshoemtn.com or 1-877-441-4386.

We Also Love: Branson, Missouri
Take in a live show or two when you go to Branson, Missouri. With kids, add Silver Dollar City to the must-do list. Then leave the traffic behind, and head to Table Rock Lake.

Settle in at one of two resorts. Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa features boating, a free movie theater, and a new spa (www.chateauonthelakebranson.com or 1-888-333-5253). Big Cedar Lodge lures bass fishermen and golfers alike and tosses in a touch of rustic log cabin romance (www.big-cedar.com or [417] 335-2777).

Branson / Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau: www.explorebranson.com or 1-800-214-3661.

We Also Love: Arthur Bryant's
Roll up your sleeves for some of the best barbecue west of the Mississippi. Kansas City boasts more barbecue restaurants than you can shake a fork at.

If you choose only one, make it Arthur Bryant's. Order the beef brisket sandwich, which comes with about a pound of thin-sliced meat, for $9. Douse it with their original barbecue sauce, and savor every tender bite.

Arthur Bryant's: 1727 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64127; www.arthurbryantsbbq.com or (816) 231-1123.