You don’t need a passport or a long flight to reach an island paradise. In the South, plenty of islands are just a bridge or a short ferry ride away. Here are the best spots to visit.
Alabama
Dauphin Island
Nicknamed the “Sunset Capital of Alabama,” Dauphin Island sits at the mouth of Mobile Bay. You can get here either by driving across the three-mile-long Dauphin Island Bridge that connects it to the mainland, or by taking the Mobile Bay Ferry from Fort Morgan on the other side of the bay.
The island is a popular destination for birders, who flock to the Audubon Bird Sanctuary on the east end. This 164-acre woodland preserve offers miles of walking trails and the chance to spot egrets and herons.
Florida
Sanibel Island
Don’t be surprised if you visit Sanibel Island and find everyone bent over looking at the sand. Locals call it the “Sanibel Stoop,” and it’s the position shellers use while they hunt for the island’s most famous souvenirs: seashells. Because Sanibel runs east to west, it’s often credited with catching shells carried in on Gulf currents, and about 400 species of shells have turned up here. Low tide is the best time to search, especially after a storm, and the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium can help you figure out what you’ve found.
The island is easy to reach by car over the Sanibel Causeway from Fort Myers. There’s a toll to drive onto the island ($6 with a transponder, $9 without), but the trip back is free.
Georgia
Cumberland Island
Georgia’s largest barrier island takes some effort to reach, which is a big part of its appeal. It’s a national seashore, and nearly 10,000 acres of it is federally protected wilderness. The only public way to get here is by ferry from the Cumberland Island Visitor Center in St. Marys, about a 45-minute ride. The park limits visitors to roughly 300 a day, and ferry tickets can sell out, so reserve ahead. You can also arrive by your own boat.
There are no cars on Cumberland, so you’ll explore on foot or by bike. Wild horses roam freely, and you’re most likely to spot them near the Dungeness ruins, what’s left of a Carnegie family mansion. It’s about a 2.5-mile round-trip walk from the Sea Camp dock. Beyond restrooms, there are no services on the island, and no trash cans, so bring plenty of food and water, and pack out everything you bring in.
Mississippi
Ship Island
Part of Mississippi’s chain of barrier islands, Ship Island is accessible by ferry mid-March through October from Gulfport.
A boardwalk crosses the island to the Gulf side, where there’s a great swimming beach with showers, bathrooms, a snack bar and chairs to rent. Part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, the island is home to the historic Fort Massachusetts, where park rangers lead free tours.
North Carolina
Bald Head Island
If you want to unplug, leave your car in Southport and take the 20-minute ferry from Deep Point Marina to Bald Head Island, where residents get around by golf cart, bike, or foot.
The island’s most recognizable feature, Old Baldy, is North Carolina’s oldest standing lighthouse. For the best views, climb the 108 steps to the top and look out over the island and the mouth of the Cape Fear River.
More than half the island is a protected nature reserve, and loggerhead sea turtles nest on the beaches.
South Carolina
Edisto Island
About an hour southwest of Charleston, Edisto has no traffic lights, chain restaurants or high-rise hotels. Edisto Beach State Park is the place to start, with miles of beaches and nature trails. Keep an eye out for shells, fossils and shark teeth along the shore. Edisto also sits at the edge of the ACE Basin, one of the largest protected estuaries on the East Coast, a maze of marshes and tidal creeks.
If you want to spend the night, camping is available within the state park, as are seven fully-furnished cabins.