The Southern United States abounds in culture, quaint historic sites, ancient trees draped with Spanish moss, sweeping sandy beaches, and sky-blue water. This 13-state area attracts millions of tourists each year to experience Southern hospitality, mouth-watering cuisine, and musical heritage. While the area holds dozens of vacation hideaways to enjoy, we’ve listed below a few top spots along the Southern coast you won’t want to miss when vacationing this year.
Beach Lover’s Dream Spots
If surf and sand are beckoning, you can discover dozens of top spots along the U.S. Southern Coast. The Golden Isles of Georgia, consisting of Little St. Simons Island, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, and Jekyll Island, offer breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean. Or, if in-shore fishing is more to your liking, check out historic Fort Morgan, Alabama, on Mobile Bay. Up the coast, you’ll find Seabrook Island, South Carolina, a coastal community that also offers world-class golf, horseback riding, and much more.
Food Lover’s Dream Spots
If you’re a foodie looking for that next great bite of scrumptious Southern cooking or deep-pit barbecue, then you won’t want to pass by Charleston, South Carolina, a port city on the Atlantic Ocean. From oyster stew to okra soup, you won’t find more of a variety in Southern cooking than in Charleston.
If you’re adventurous, or you’re a food connoisseur looking for the next great menu, then swing by Miami, Florida, for gator (as in alligator) bites, crab when it’s in the season (October through May), jerk chicken, and many favorites boasting a Cuban influence.
Music Lover’s Dream Spots
For music lovers, all roads lead to the Deep South where soulful blues music meets brassy jazz, and gospel is as popular as country twang. Although you can find virtually hundreds of spots to hear and experience the best music that the South has to offer, you won’t want to miss visiting Wilmington, North Carolina, and the popular downtown Riverwalk area, known for evening concerts and festivals. Don’t overlook the free beach concerts overlooking the ocean in Daytona Beach, Florida, either. Pack your beach blanket and suntan lotion, and visit any time of the year because the music never stops.
The Best That the Southern Coast Has to Offer
Escape winter, kick back, and enjoy everything — from food and music to long, sandy beaches and lingering romantic sunsets — along the U.S. Southern Coast. Stick your toes into the sand and taste the salty air while visiting Ft. Lauderdale or West Palm Beach, Florida, and enjoy rib-sticking barbecue and fresh fish in Oak Island or Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Or curl up in your room at one of the many grand hotels while watching shrimp boats bob along the local coastal waters or enjoying one of the other attractions in and around Brunswick, Georgia.
If you long for the sound of waves breaking against the shoreline, unrivaled sunsets, warm weather, and the wind in your hair, then visiting a vacation spot along the U.S. Southern Coast is in your future. Pick your spot, set up a beach chair, and relax. You’ll find so much to discover here.