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Resorts across the American South attract travelers for their unparalleled hospitality and access to the region’s outdoor recreation.

A guest house at the Lodge on Little St Simons Island

Cassie Wright/Courtesy of Lodge on Little St Simons Island

Properties were classified as city hotel, resort, or safari lodge based on their locations and amenities.

8 Blackberry Mountain and No.

9 Blackberry Farm, both in Walland, Tennessee, remained well-regarded by T+L readers.

Living area in a guest house at the Lodge on Little St Simons Island

Phillip Murdaco/Courtesy of Lodge on Little St Simons Island

I booked my next trip while I was there."

Debuting on the list this year was another Tennessee property: No.

9 on this year’s list of the best U.S. national parks.

Exterior terrace of The Cloister at Sea Island resort

Courtesy of The Cloister at Sea Island

In fact, it was the Lodge on Little St. Simons Island that took this year’s No.

That serenity is what led one reader to declare it “heaven on earth.

There is no other place like this.”

A guest room with a mountain view at The Swag resort, in North Carolina

Chelsea Lane/Courtesy of The Swag

The island one of Georgia’s Golden Isles, which placed No.

Score: 96.76

Book on Tripadvisor

2.

The Cloister at Sea Island, Sea Island, Georgia

WBA Hall of Famehonoree.

Nighttime exterior view of The Inn at Willow Grove

Courtesy of The Inn at Willow Grove

Score: 95.02

3.

The Swag, Waynesville, North Carolina

Score: 94.81

4.

The Inn at Willow Grove, Orange, Virginia

Score: 94.50

5.

A guest room at the Old Edwards Inn & Spa

Courtesy of Old Edwards Inn & Spa

Old Edwards Inn & Spa, Highlands, North Carolina

Score: 93.78

6.

Half-Mile Farm, Highlands, North Carolina

Score: 93.24

7.

The Lodge at Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Georgia

Score: 92.29

8.

A guest climbing the stairs to a cabin at Half-Mile Farm

Courtesy of Half-Mile Farm

Blackberry Mountain, Walland, Tennessee

Score: 92.17

9.

Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee

Score: 91.70

10.

The Tides Inn, Irvington, Virginia

Score: 91.60

11.

A living room area at The Lodge at Sea Island

Courtesy of The Lodge at Sea Island

Under Canvas Great Smoky Mountains, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Score: 91.50

12.

Salamander Resort & Spa, Middleburg, Virginia

Score: 90.58

13.

The Fearrington House Inn, Pittsboro, North Carolina

Score: 90.09

14.

A guest room with a view at Blackberry Mountain resort

The Ingalls/Courtesy of Blackberry Mountain

Primland Resort, Auberge Resorts Collection, Meadows of Dan, Virginia

Score: 90.00

15.

Inn on Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina

Score: 89.49

A pool, lounge chairs, and umbrellas at Blackberry Farm

Courtesy of Blackberry Farm

Aerial view of the hotel and marina at The Tides Inn

Courtesy of The Tides Inn

Looking into a guest tent at the Under Canvas Smoky Mountains glamping resort

Bailey Made/Courtesy of Under Canvas

Pool at the Salamander Resort & Spa

Courtesy of Salamander Resort & Spa

The gardens of the Fearrington House Inn

Courtesy of Fearrington House Inn

View from Primland resort interior to fall scenery

Courtesy of Auberge Resorts Collection

Overview of the property at the Inn on Biltmore Estate

Courtesy of The Biltmore Company