From food to friendliness: 5 things that make Hilton Head ‘best island in the U.S.’

Travel + Leisure magazine readers voted Hilton Head Island as the best island in the continental United States in 2016.

The travel magazine with nearly 5 million readers around the world described Hilton Head Island as “an outpost of Southern hospitality and traditional American recreation.”

Voters had lots of Lowcountry love in this year’s Travel + Leisure World’s Best competition. Hilton Head also made it to the No. 8 spot on Best Islands in the World listing while Charleston was ranked the best city in the world.

Earlier this year, TripAdvisor ranked Hilton Head Island number 6 on the list of best U.S. islands.

Travel + Leisure fans ranked islands around the United States based on five important characteristics that keep tourists returning to the island year after year.

This story was originally published July 7, 2016 at 3:12 PM with the headline "From food to friendliness: 5 things that make Hilton Head ‘best island in the U.S.’."