Dinogo Readers’ Top 15 Southern Resorts for 2024

The Southern states are celebrated for their unique architecture, flavorful cuisine, and rich music scene, combined with a distinctive hospitality that is warm, inviting, and gracious. This delightful mix creates a relaxing atmosphere for travelers and transforms fleeting moments into cherished memories. In our 2024 World’s Best Awards survey, readers highlighted their favorite Southern resorts, and these venues emerged as the leaders.

Understanding the Voting Process

Each year, for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L invites readers to share their insights on travel experiences worldwide — evaluating the best hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. In 2024, over 186,000 T+L readers participated in the survey, casting more than 700,000 votes across over 8,700 properties (including hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Hotels were categorized as resort hotels, city hotels, inns, or safari lodges based on their location and available amenities, and they were evaluated according to the criteria listed below:

Accommodations and amenities
Proximity
Staff service
Culinary offerings
Overall value

For each attribute, participants could select a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores represent the average of these ratings.

Highlights from Readers

Among all the Southern states, Georgia stood out the most, boasting five properties in the top 15. The Lodge at Sea Island, ranked No. 3, is a charming 43-room boutique hotel located on St. Simons Island, Georgia, where one reader remarked that it offers “literally, something for everyone! Fantastic dining options at all restaurants.” Another mentioned it had the finest spa experience they had ever encountered.

Two sister hotels in Tennessee claimed the No. 1 and 2 positions, while an impressive four venues from North Carolina also made the list. Old Edwards Inn & Spa, nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, received numerous glowing reviews from readers. One praised it as a “beautiful inn perfectly situated in town, making it easy to access dining, shopping, and hiking trails. Our room was spacious and beautifully appointed. The entire inn was delightful and ideal for small groups traveling together. We thoroughly enjoyed the meals, dining most of the time at the Inn.”

The Champion

Blackberry Farm: Walland, Tennessee

The Garden House guest accommodation at Blackberry Farm

Image provided by Blackberry Farm

Blackberry Farm began as a charming six-room country inn launched by the Beall family in 1976. Over the years, it has evolved into a 68-room establishment featuring historic rooms, cozy cottages, and multi-bedroom houses, all decorated with carefully chosen antiques and artwork.

As Blackberry Farm expanded, its offerings flourished as well. This Relais & Châteaux resort now boasts three celebrated on-site restaurants that utilize produce from its garden and ingredients foraged across the farm’s 4,200 private acres. Throughout the day, an extensive list of activities keeps guests engaged—from fly fishing and horseback riding to wine tastings and spa treatments. Nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains adjacent to forest and national park land, the property offers a tranquil, nature-rich retreat infused with exceptional Southern hospitality.

One guest shared, “I extended my stay by several days because I just needed more time. The food here is unparalleled. This is a haven for food lovers, and I have never experienced a place where the staff is so motivated to provide recommendations, friendly, and genuinely delighted to be around. If you request a fire to be lit, they will come to your room within minutes to assist; you can enjoy sitting around it for hours, taking in the stunning views of the Smoky Mountains.” Another guest simply remarked, “Magical! A once-in-a-lifetime experience ... Everything is of the highest quality.”

The family-operated Blackberry Farm expanded in 2019 to incorporate Blackberry Mountain (ranked No. 2 on the list). Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain achieved rankings of No. 5 and No. 4, respectively, in the 2023 World’s Best Awards.