Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Home & Garden
  • Style & Culture
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • These Haircuts Are Going To Be Huge in 2021

      The trendy haircuts you’ll be seeing everywhere next year. Read More Next
    • How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple in five easy steps. Read More Next
    • The Right Way to Heat a Pre-Cooked Ham

      It's so easy, trust us. Read More Next
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food

    Lost Cakes of the South

    These simple and spectacular Southern cakes deserve a comeback
    • All Food
    • All Recipes
    • Holidays & Occasions
    • Quick Fix Suppers
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Casseroles
    • Healthy Recipes
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining

    70 Wedding Vow Examples That Will Melt Your Heart

    Fight writer's block and find ways to express your love with these romantic, funny, and short wedding vow examples.
    • Christmas
    • Entertaining
    • Thanksgiving
    • Southern Weddings
    • Easter
    • Kentucky Derby
    • Valentine's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Mother's Day
  • Home & Garden

    Home & Garden

    See All Home & Garden

    7 Paint Colors We’re Loving for Kitchen Cabinets in 2020

    ‘Tis the season to ditch your all-white palette in favor of something a little bolder and brighter.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Before & After
    • Inspired Communities
    • Curb Appeal
    • House Plans & Builders
    • The Grumpy Gardener
    • Plant Names A-Z
  • Style & Culture

    Style & Culture

    See All Style & Culture

    50 Books Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime

    Curl up with a classic!
    • Southern Culture
    • Hair
    • Travel
    • Beauty
    • Pets
    • Southern Fashion
    • Healthy Living
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. Souths Best
  3. The South's Best Beach Towns 2020

The South's Best Beach Towns 2020

By Kaitlyn Yarborough
March 10, 2020
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet
Credit: Jim McKinley/Getty Images
In the South, we all have “our spot”—the annual family vacation destination where we fancy ourselves unofficial locals. More often than not, that spot is a beach town. Because if anything is universally appealing, it’s a weekend spent sitting in a beach chair with your toes in the sand until you’re ready to pedal a cherry-red bike to the closest ice cream shop, with maybe a basket or two of fried shrimp thrown in for good measure.
Where to book your sand-worn cottage rental? Which spot to make your own? Luckily, the South’s coastline is dotted with charming, salty little towns. Whether you’re drawn to Florida’s blue waters or North Carolina’s windswept dunes, Mississippi’s endless mirror-like water views or the islands and Lowcountry mystique of South Carolina and Georgia, you’ll find a Southern beach that makes you want to proudly wear your “I Practically Live Here” badge. Add every last one of our readers’ picks for South’s best beaches to your bucket list. You’re bound to find your family’s sunny, salty forever spot.
Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

10. St. Augustine, Florida

Founded by the Spanish in 1565, this "Ancient City" on Florida’s Atlantic Coast is anything but sleepy. Dive into some of the more interesting historical landmarks, from the country’s oldest masonry fort, Castillo de San Marcos, to the century-old converted ice factory that’s now home to St. Augustine Distillery and quirky bar-restaurant, Ice Plant. The city is famous for its gorgeous architecture, much of it commissioned by Gilded Age industrialist Henry Flagler.

Learn more. 

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

9. Isle of Palms, South Carolina

Credit: Chris M. Rogers

It might be only 17 miles from Charleston, but this quiet barrier island couldn’t feel farther away. Isle of Palms has white sandy beaches along the Atlantic side and the marshy creeks of the Intracoastal Waterway on the other. Book a room at Wild Dunes Resort and then go, well, wild. Make sure you jump into a beach volleyball game (a favorite local pastime).

Learn more.

2 of 11

3 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

8. Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

Credit: wilmingtonandbeaches.com

This getaway spot is for the experience-driven traveler. Sure, lounging on the wide beach is always an option, but people come for the watersports—like kayaking, paddle-boarding, and kite-surfing—easily embarked upon at this watery locale. Learn the nautical ropes at Blockade Runner’s Sailing School or cast a line off of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier. 

Learn more.

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

7. Panama City Beach, Florida

Credit: Visit Panama City Beach

For Florida beachgoers, the siren’s call of Panama City Beach doesn't stop at the sparkling aqua-blue waves or pillowy white sands. It lures you more still with local seafood dives (try Dee's Hang-Out or Dusty's Oyster Bar), busy Pier Park shops, wild state parks, and even the nostalgic putt-putt courses. In 2018, Hurricane Michael hit PCB's sister city just over Hathaway Bridge painfully hard, but that only makes us pack our beach bags quicker. Southerners are a loyal bunch, and no one messes with the Gulf.

Learn more.

4 of 11

5 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

6. Key West, Florida

Credit: Robbie Caponetto

This tropical paradise sells itself. Come by way of the Overseas Highway, a sunny 113-mile stretch flanked on both sides by turquoise waters, and then slow down. Have a slice of Key lime pie, take in the sunset at Mallory Square, visit the six-toed cats at Hemingway's former home, and grab a piña colada at Sloppy Joe’s on Duval Street (open since the 1930s).

Learn more.

5 of 11

6 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Check Out The South's Best Beach Towns

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

5. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Credit: Robbie Caponetto

It’s hard to capture Southerners’ love for this classic family vacation spot in shorthand, but we’ll try. Ride the iconic SkyWheel, eat hushpuppies at Dead Dog Saloon and She Crab soup at Sea Captain’s House, tip the house band at Myrtle Beach’s beloved Bowery, paddleboard through Murrels Inlet with Crazy Sister Marina, and—for the love of Dolly—learn how to dance the Carolina Shag.

Learn more.

7 of 11

8 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

4. Destin, Florida

Credit: Romona Robbins Photography/Getty Images

Destin has come a long way since 1984, when it was incorporated. Founded in the 1800s by a renowned angler, Captain Leonard Destin, this place lures you offshore. Follow the good captain’s footsteps to enjoy some of the best charter fishing in the South for grouper, snapper, and amberjack—but leave plenty of down time for the Emerald Coast’s powdery sand beaches. 

Learn more.

8 of 11

9 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

3. Tybee Island, Georgia

Credit: Getty Images

Known as “Savannah’s Beach”—and home to Georgia’s oldest lighthouse, dating back to the 1700s—this vacation spot is best seen while pedaling a beach cruiser with a tinkling little bell and a woven basket strapped to the handlebars. Boat over to wild, uninhabited Little Tybee Island to actually hear your thoughts, for once. 

Learn more.

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

2. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Credit: Peter Frank Edwards

We could go on and on about this grown-up beach village on the South Carolina coast, but we’ll keep it short: Stay in a cozy bungalow inside Sea Pines Resort, eat at chef Clayton Rollison’s place, Lucky Rooster, for upscale but soulful Southern seafood, and take advantage of over 60 miles of bike paths. 

Learn more.

10 of 11

11 of 11

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

1. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama

Credit: Jim McKinley/Getty Images

Don’t let the semi-annual spring breakers and Hangout Music Festival attendees fool you. These neighboring old-school beaches are all about family fun. Some highlights include Doc’s Seafood Shack in Orange Beach, where you’ll find the “best fried shrimp in the civilized world,” the baby sea turtles that make a flurry toward the rolling waves every morning, and—it should go without saying—Flora-Bama, the sandy bar that has been serving up world-famous Bushwackers since 1964. 

Learn more.

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Kaitlyn Yarborough

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 11 10. St. Augustine, Florida
2 of 11 9. Isle of Palms, South Carolina
3 of 11 8. Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
4 of 11 7. Panama City Beach, Florida
5 of 11 6. Key West, Florida
6 of 11 Check Out The South's Best Beach Towns
7 of 11 5. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
8 of 11 4. Destin, Florida
9 of 11 3. Tybee Island, Georgia
10 of 11 2. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
11 of 11 1. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama

Share options

Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Login

Southern Living

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Southern Living
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Southern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

View image

The South's Best Beach Towns 2020
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.