Summer time is in full swing, and increasingly persons are heading on trip or planning one. With the worth of hopping on a flight fluctuating a lot proper now, you may need to contemplate a vacation spot you’ll be able to simply drive to.
“You can also make a highway journey out of the holiday, take your time, and really benefit from the journey. They’re typically extra reasonably priced, much less crowded, and filled with quiet magnificence,” Hilary Fischer-Groban, Senior Director of International Model, Insights and Comms at Tripadvisor, tells CNBC Make It.
“It is an opportunity to decelerate, unplug, and get the type of reset a packed vacationer vacation spot simply cannot provide you with.”
America is stuffed with many alternative landscapes that vary from huge deserts, seashores, towering mountains, beautiful coastlines, and plush forests. Of the over 18,000 islands within the U.S., many fall beneath these classes, and the perfect half is that you do not have to hop on a aircraft to get to a number of them.
“Visiting these islands reminds you that you do not have to go to far to really feel distant! You learn the way a lot there’s to find near residence, from coastal ecosystems to native traditions you’d by no means discover in a guidebook,” Fischer-Groban provides.
“It is a humbling reminder of the variety of journey landscapes within the U.S. These adventures do not require a passport, simply curiosity, a full tank of gasoline, and a willingness to discover what’s already right here.”
12 U.S. islands you’ll be able to drive to:
1. Jekyll Island, Georgia
Jekyll Island, Georgia
Rob Tilley | Corbis Documentary | Getty Photographs
Situated in Georgia, Jekyll Island is a part of the Golden Isles of Georgia barrier islands. It’s residence to Driftwood Seaside, which will get its title from the limbs of driftwood bushes which might be scattered throughout the shoreline.
Jekyll Island is a 2025 Vacationers’ Selection Better of the Greatest winner on TripAdvisor. Fischer-Groban says the island will get 47% extra attraction pageviews than the subsequent fashionable spot on the island.
2. South Padre Island, Texas
South Padre Island is a barrier island in Texas. It is just accessible by way of the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge, which spans 2.4 miles.
The island boasts over 30 miles of seashores and year-round temperatures that common 74 levels. One of many main highlights on the island in the summertime is Seaside Waterpark, an oceanside waterpark with outside and indoor points of interest.
“It is the main attraction on the island and attracts over twice as a lot visitors as the subsequent hottest spot,” Fischer-Groban says.
3. The Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a set of islands off the southern tip of Florida. Regardless of being made up of so many islands, you’ll be able to drive to solely about 40 of them.
The islands are recognized for boating, snorkeling, scuba diving and fishing. It’s residence to Key West, the southernmost metropolis within the continental U.S. that’s really nearer to Cuba than Miami.
The entire major islands from the mainland to Key West are linked by the Abroad Freeway. It is among the longest overwater roads on the planet, with 42 bridges, together with one with a seven-mile span, in keeping with Britannica.
4. Marco Island, Florida
Marco Island, Florida
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Proper on the sting of the Gulf of Mexico, which the U.S. authorities calls the Gulf of America, Marco Island has six miles of seashores and over 100 miles of waterways inside its 24-square-mile complete space.
The island is linked to the mainland by two bridges and is an element coastal resort, half fishing village. The 2 most well-known seashores on the island are Tigertail and South Marco Seaside.
5. Tybee Island, Georgia
A couple of half-hour drive away from Savannah, Tybee Island is a barrier island of Georgia. It’s recognized for its sandy seashores.
The island has 5 miles of public seashores. It’s residence to The Tybee Lighthouse, one of many nation’s oldest lighthouses. It was inbuilt 1736 and has sprawling views from the highest.
6. Mackinac Island, Michigan
Situated on Lake Huron, Mackinac Island has over 70 miles of climbing and biking trails. The island is principally protected by the Mackinac Island State Park, making certain its preservation.
The island is car-free, so you should depend on strolling and biking to get round. There are additionally horse-drawn taxis that provide rides across the island.
7. Amelia Island, Florida
Amelia Island, Florida
Paola Giannoni | Istock | Getty Photographs
Nestled in North Florida, Amelia Island presents guests miles of pristine seashores, marshlands and golf programs.
It’s about half-hour away from Jacksonville and is definitely accessible by automobile.
8. Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Kiawah Island is a barrier island on the Atlantic coast of the U.S., simply 25 miles from Charleston.
It’s a seasonal seashore and golf group that has 10 miles of seashore. It’s residence to the Kiawah Beachwalker Park, a public seashore on the island that is among the finest close to Charleston, in keeping with Conde Nast Traveler.
9. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island is among the hottest trip locations in america. Regardless of having fewer than 40,000 year-round residents, the island receives over two million guests yearly.
It’s well-known for its unimaginable seashores and world-renowned golf programs. It presents guests 12 miles of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean.
10. Lengthy Seaside Island, New Jersey
Lengthy Seaside Island, New Jersey
Jena Ardell | Second | Getty Photographs
Lengthy Seaside Island, or LBI for brief, is about two miles away from mainland New Jersey. The one approach to entry the island is to drive over the Manahawkin Bay Bridge.
The 18-mile-long island presents guests entry to lovely seashores, which it is advisable to purchase seasonal day passes for. Additionally it is residence to the Fantasy Island Amusement Park.
11. Chincoteague Island, Virginia
Chincoteague Island is considered one of a number of barrier islands in Virginia. It’s seven miles lengthy and the state’s solely resort island, in keeping with the Chamber of Commerce.
The island is near the Chincoteague Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, a 14,000-acre wildlife protect that is additionally residence to wild ponies, which Fischer-Groban says: “They’re actually on the coronary heart of the island expertise.”
The island can be residence to the Saltwater and Up the Bay Pony Excursions, which collectively account for over 1 / 4 of all attraction pageview visitors on Tripadvisor.
12. Outer Banks, North Carolina
The Outer Banks spans tons of of miles of barrier islands which might be cut up between North Carolina and Virginia.
It’s a main vacationer attraction famend for its beautiful beachfront and picturesque seashore. Tourism is the highest trade, with the Outer Banks welcoming greater than 5 million guests annually, in keeping with the Chamber of Commerce.
“Probably the most attention-grabbing traits within the Outer Banks is that vacationers need to spend extra time there and curiosity is rising throughout a number of key areas,” Fischer-Groban says.
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