Travel The South's Best The South's Best 2024 From small towns and cities to the best BBQ joints and new restaurants, here are this year's winners, as voted on by our readers. By Sid Evans Sid Evans Sid Evans is the Editor-in-Chief of Southern Living. He is responsible for the editorial vision, direction, and content for the iconic brand. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 6, 2024 How many times have you been on a road trip and realized that you must have taken a left turn where you should have made a right and ended up in what felt like the middle of nowhere? More often than not, whenever that happens, you’ve actually arrived somewhere that’s pretty special to the folks who call it home. When we started planning the survey for our eighth annual South’s Best awards, we wanted to include a way for you, our readers, to not only vote for your favorite places but to nominate them too. And while we’re always excited to showcase bustling cities on the rise and charming small towns, we also hoped to recognize beloved gems that might be tucked away on side streets or along back roads. As usual, your responses were overwhelming, and we’re honored to celebrate them. So the next time you take a wrong turn, remember that you might be only a few steps away from a town’s best-kept secret. Just ask a local. The Voting Process An online survey was conducted by third-party agency Proof Insights among Southern Living consumers, asking them to rate their favorite places across the South. The survey was fielded from July 12 to August 23, 2023, and had over 20,000 respondents. CITIES The South's Best Cities 2024 A Trip To Charleston Promises Good Times And Great Food The 28 Best Things To Do In Savannah, Georgia 33 Best Things To Do In Nashville, Tennessee The 45 Best Things To Do In New Orleans The 42 Best Things To Do In Asheville, North Carolina The 14 Best Things To Do In Greenville, South Carolina What To Do And Eat In Atlanta Right Now The 21 Best Things To Do In Austin, Texas, According To A Local The 21 Best Things To Do In Raleigh, According To Locals 20 Best Things To Do In Orlando, Florida 1 of 4 CITIES ON THE RISE The South’s Best Cities On The Rise 2024 Wilmington, North Carolina, Is The South's Best City On The Rise The 13 Best Things To Do In Spartanburg, South Carolina The 19 Best Things To Do In Huntsville This Year The 20 Best Things To Do In Columbia, South Carolina The 14 Best Things To Do In New Braunfels, Texas 17 Best Things To Do In Alpharetta, Georgia The 12 Best Things To Do In Bentonville, Arkansas The 18 Best Things To Do In Cary, North Carolina 22 Best Things To Do In Bowling Green, Kentucky 1 of 4 SMALL TOWNS The Best Small Town In Every Southern State 2024 The 17 Best Things To Do In Bardstown, Kentucky 15 Best Things To Do In Covington, Georgia The 22 Best Things To Do In Fredericksburg, Texas 15 Best Things To Do In Blowing Rock, North Carolina The 12 Best Things To Do In Broken Bow, Oklahoma 16 Best Things To Do In Eureka Springs, Arkansas 25 Best Things To Do In Ocean Springs, Mississippi 20 Best Things To Do In Gatlinburg, Tennessee The Best Things To Do On Chincoteague Island, Virginia 1 of 4 WATERFRONT TOWNS The Best Waterfront Town In Every Southern State 2024 There's Something Special About The Water In Hot Springs, Arkansas 24 Best Things To Do In Gulf Shores And Orange Beach The 25 Best Things To Do In St. Augustine, Florida The 30 Best Things To Do In Galveston, Texas, For Your Next Beach Trip 16 Best Things To Do In St. Michaels, Maryland 15 Best Things To Do In Newport, Kentucky The 12 Best Things To Do In Biloxi, Mississippi The 15 Best Things To Do In Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina The 16 Best Things To Do In Harpers Ferry, West Virginia 1 of 4 FOOD & DRINK The Best New Restaurant In Every Southern State 2024 Cattlemen's Steakhouse Serves The Best Chicken-Fried Steak In Oklahoma Poole's Is North Carolina's Best Diner 2024, According To Our Readers Joe T. Garcia's Is Home To The Best Margaritas In Texas, According To Our Readers The Brown Hotel Has Kentucky's Best Hot Brown, According To Our Readers 1 of 2 LOCAL TREASURES The 23 Best Local Treasures In Every Southern State Dooky Chase's Restaurant Is The Best Place For Gumbo In Louisiana, According To Our Readers Columbia Restaurant Voted Florida's Best Cuban Sandwich Flora-Bama Is Alabama's Best Dive Bar, According To Our Readers 1 of 2 BARBECUE JOINTS The South's Best Barbecue Joint In Every State 2024 Dreamland Bar-B-Que Has Alabama's Best Banana Pudding, According To Our Readers The South's Best Barbecue Joint In Every State 2023 Biscuits and Jam Podcast 1 of 2 ISLANDS The Best Islands In South Carolina, According To Our Readers 16 Best Things To Do In Hilton Head, South Carolina 18 Best Things To Do On Georgia's Tybee Island The 15 Best Things To Do On Edisto Island, South Carolina 17 Best Things To Do In St. Simons Island, Georgia The Best Things To Do In Isle of Palms, South Carolina 8 Things To Do In Kiawah Island, South Carolina 1 of 3 ARTS, CULTURE, & ENTERTAINMENT Why Dollywood Is Better Than Any Other Theme Park The Fox Theatre Is The Best Music Venue In Georgia, According To Our Readers Ground Zero Blues Club Is Mississippi's Best Blues Club, According To Our Readers Renfro Valley Entertainment Center Is Kentucky's Best Bluegrass Venue The Grand Ole Opry Is Tennessee's Best Music Venue, According To Our Readers 1 of 2 OUTDOOR ADVENTURES New River Gorge National Park Is West Virginia's Best Park, According To Readers John Pennekamp Park Is Florida's Best Snorkeling Spot Arkansas MUSEUMS & HISTORIC LANDMARKS The South's Best New Museum Is The International African American Museum Crystal Bridges Museum Of American Art Is The Best Museum In Arkansas The Amazing Story Behind The Williamsburg Bray School ROAD TRIPS The South's Best Travel Stops 2024 Why Buc-ee's Is The South's Best Travel Stop Pops Is The Best Stop On Route 66 In Oklahoma, According To Our Readers Oklahoma 1 of 2 Was this page helpful? 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