Jekyll Island Georgia has landed at No. 5 on Southern Living’s list of the best beach towns in the South, putting another Golden Isles destination in the spotlight. The ranking, based on 10,000 responses to a third-party survey conducted during the summer two years ago, came as St. Simons Island took No. 1 and Tybee Island placed No. 4.
For Jekyll Island, the appeal is not just the sand. Southern Living described it as the southernmost of Georgia’s Golden Isles, a protected barrier island that was once a retreat for the country’s wealthiest families and is now beloved by all. The magazine pointed to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Driftwood Beach and the island’s weathered trees and branches, which it called an otherworldly, nature-made sculpture garden.
The new ranking gives Georgia a strong showing on a list meant to identify the South’s standout beach towns. St. Simons Island drew the top spot for its shrimp boils, sunsets, marsh paddling, open-water sailing, pier fishing, oak-canopied bike paths and Pier Village shops, while Tybee Island was praised for more than three miles of beaches, historic forts, the Tybee Island Light Station built in 1773, birding preserves and kayaking waterways.
The Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau says the Golden Isles of Georgia are made up of St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island and Brunswick, and sit midway between Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida. That geography helps explain why the stretch keeps appearing in travel coverage: it packs beach access, wildlife, history and small-town character into one coastline.
The tension for Jekyll is the same one that follows any place that starts drawing more attention: the island’s appeal rests on the very quiet, protected setting that makes it feel different from busier resort towns. Southern Living’s description leans hard into that contrast, from the wildlife center to Driftwood Beach, suggesting the draw is not development but restraint.
That is why the ranking matters now. With St. Simons at No. 1, Tybee at No. 4 and Jekyll at No. 5, Georgia’s coast is not just on the map; it is dominating the conversation about where Southern beach towns still feel distinct. Jekyll Island’s place in that group is no accident. It is being noticed because it still looks and feels like a barrier island that has held on to its own pace.
