As far as U.S. vacation spots go, beauty-queen Oahu, social-butterfly Manhattan, and flamboyant Key West always grab the limelight first. But what about the best American islands that you’ve never been to? Read on for five unique and close-to-home island getaways rich in Americana and natural treasures.
Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Reiflame.
1. Assateague Island, Maryland
Not far from the Ocean City boardwalk’s frenzied funnel cakes and ferris wheels, Assateague Island National Seashore offers a truly wild alternative. No horsing around--this barrier island is home-sweet-home to a pack of prancing Chincoteague ponies. These ponies roam free in the swaying dunes, Atlantic Ocean swimming beaches, salt marshes, and pine forests, and even parade through the parking area to pose on occasion for tourist photos.
2. Catalina Island, California
Imagine the raw beauty of the Hollywood Hills without the out-of-work actors and mega-malls, and you’ve got Catalina. Set 30 miles off the L.A. coast, it’s a playground for families, nature lovers, and romantics in search of snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, golfing, shopping, and spas. Plus, with so many Polynesian-themed restaurants and nightclubs, it’s a chance to attend a luau without having to fly all the way across the Pacific Ocean.
3. Jekyll Island, Georgia
Slip into something comfortable, sip a mint julep, and soak up the Southern charm at this Spanish-moss-draped island off the Georgia coast. Live oaks lead the way to the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel, once the stomping grounds of Morgans and Rockefellers. Elsewhere on the island, you’ll find golf courses, biking trails, and even a sea turtle center to protect endangered loggerhead turtles when they come ashore during summer to lay their eggs.
4. Mackinac Island, Michigan
Horse-drawn carriages, lawn croquet, and bicycles-built-for-two are no mere anachronisms on Mackinac. A strict no-cars policy and quaint architecture hearken back to Victorian times, and the Grand Hotel’s 660-foot-long front porch claims to be the world’s largest. If you go, be sure to order the pecan-ball dessert, grab a rocking chair, and sit a spell in the summer breeze while overlooking the flowering tea gardens and Lake Huron.
5. South Padre Island, Texas
This is the kind of island where if you catch a fish, you can take it to the local restaurant and have them cook it up for you—any way you like it—for supper. Beyond that, South Padre is a beach lover’s bacchanal where you can boogie board at the break of dawn, jet ski the Gulf of Mexico waves, laze around with a pulpy paperback beneath a giant sun umbrella in between tennis matches, and see dolphins swim just off the shore.
