Best U.S. islands? 5 of 15 in Florida with 2 in SW FL, says Travel + Leisure magazine

Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press
Updated ·2 min read
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Florida represents one-third of the 15 best islands in the continental U.S., says a new ranking from Travel + Leisure.

And two islands are in Southwest Florida ― Sanibel at No. 6 and Captiva at No. 10 ― with the others in the Sunshine State ranking Nos. 7-9 respectively: Longboat Key, Amelia and the Florida Keys.

"These are the best stateside spots to relax island style, according to T+L readers who voted in our annual 'World’s Best Awards' survey for 2023," a headline reads on the magazine's online story.

The top island in the national magazine's list of Readers' 15 Favorite Islands in the Continental U.S.? The Golden Isles along the Georgia coast ― Jekyll Island, Little St. Simons Island, Sea Island, St. Simons Island.

Comet Neowise can be seen from the Sanibel Lighthouse area on Sunday night after sunset, July 19, 2020. It can be seen looking in the northwesterly direction at about 9 or 10 degrees above the horizon. The best time to view it over the next couple of days is about an hour after sunset. It can be viewed from the northern hemisphere through July. Once it disappears from view, it will not be visible from Earth for another 6,800 years. For full disclosure, this photographer had a hard time seeing it with his naked eye. Experts says it can be seen with binoculars from a dark location away from light pollution. However, the camera can see it with a long exposure. This was photographed with a Canon 1Dx Mark II. Exposure time was between 20-30 seconds at f/2.8-4.5 at ISO 500-1000 depending on lighting conditions. Photographed with a 24-70mm lens at different focal lengths.

Rounding out the list were Mackinac Island, Michigan (No. 2); Kiawah Island, South Carolina (No. 3); Mount Desert Island, Maine (No. 4); Hilton Head, South Carolina (No. 5); San Juan Islands, Washington (No. 11); Nantucket, Massachusetts (No. 12); Daufuskie Island, South Carolina (No. 13): South Padre Island, Texas (No. 14); and Outer Banks, North Carolina (No. 15).

Travel + Leisure, which released the rankings earlier this week, said readers rated the islands on: natural attractions/beaches; activities/sights; restaurants/food; people/friendliness; and value.

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"For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses," the magazine said in its story.

The honors for Sanibel and Captiva come after Hurricane Ian on Sept. 28 battered the islands, which continue to recover.

Florida fared much better this year than the 2022 Travel + Leisure ranking, with only Amelia Island cracking the Top 10 at No. 10. Others that made the Top 15 last year were the Florida Keys (No. 11), Captiva (No. 12), Sanibel (No. 15). and Longboat Key (No. 15).

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter and on Twitter @NDN_dosborn.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 5 Florida islands among best in US, says Travel + Leisure