This Georgia beach ranks as one of the best in the nation. What makes it so special?
One of the nation’s top beach destinations is in Georgia — so grab your flip-flops, new rankings show.
Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island ranks No. 6 on a list of best places to bask in the sun and shoreline, according to Tripadvisor.
To come up with the list, the vacation website studied the “quality and quantity of reviews and ratings” that travelers left throughout 2021. Tripadvisor said the winners were among the recipients of the 2022 Travelers’ Choice Awards.
“We know a perfect day at the beach looks different from one person to the next,” Tripadvisor said in a Feb. 23 news release. “Some love classic soft white sand and sunbathing, while others love exploring rocky coves. This list has something for everyone, because it was determined by the millions of different travelers all over the world reviewing their favorite beaches.”
Driftwood Beach was the only place in Georgia to earn a top 10 spot on the nationwide list. The beach — roughly 95 miles south of Savannah — received nods for having a setting filled with gnarled trees that can stun photographers at sunrise or sunset.
“I’ve been to many beaches, but none like this one,” one Tripadvisor user wrote in the news release. “A great visual sight awaits you when you visit ... Go at the ‘golden hour’ to get some great photos, or just hang out for the day and have a picnic.”
Another person commented that the setting — which Travel + Leisure has described as ominous yet beautiful — was appropriate for a TV show about zombies.
“I can understand why they did filming from ‘The Walking Dead’ here,” the Tripadvisor user wrote. “A must-see sight that is great for photographers.”
Though you may want to bring your camera, it’s probably best to plan your visit ahead of time. That’s because the tide can make parts of the beach hard to access, according to the Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau website.
“The beach and its iconic driftwood formed as a result of decades of erosion,” the bureau said. “What was once a maritime forest is now a sandy shore lined with weathered tree trunks and branches.”
Overall, travelers’ favorite beach in the nation was Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area in Hawaii. Rounding out the top five were Siesta Beach in Florida, Poipu Beach Park in Hawaii, Moonstone Beach in California, and Kailua Beach Park in Hawaii.
On a separate worldwide list, the top-ranking destination was Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos. Tripadvisor didn’t immediately share additional information about the rankings with McClatchy News on Feb. 28.
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 10:53 AM with the headline "This Georgia beach ranks as one of the best in the nation. What makes it so special?."
