No need to go to far-flung locales to enjoy island living! Plenty of picturesque islands dot the continental United States coastline and there’s an island style for all thanks to the country’s numerous geographic regions and climates.

Readers of Travel + Leisure magazine concurred, recently choosing their favorites as part of the magazine’s 2025 “World’s Best Awards” survey.

Florida claimed five of the 15 top choices, among them Amelia Island, which ranked No. 2 overall, the highest-ranked Florida island.

The Amelia Island area also is home to Amelia National Golf & Country Club, the top master-planned community in northeast Florida and one of ICI Homes’ signature properties. Amelia National offers luxurious, resort-style living with outstanding resident amenities, plus it’s only 10 minutes west of Amelia Island and the historic town of Fernandina Beach.

If you’re considering a new custom Florida home here, consider that choice already validated by thousands of Travel + Leisure readers.

Here’s more on the survey and why Amelia National is the perfect home for your island lifestyle.

Key Takeaways

Amelia Island ranked #2 in Travel + Leisure’s 2025 “World’s Best Awards”, the highest-ranked Florida island on the list, praised for its natural beauty, outdoor recreation, and charming Fernandina Beach.
Amelia National Golf & Country Club, just 10 minutes from Amelia Island, offers a resort-style lifestyle in a gated community with luxury custom homes and top-tier amenities.
Travel + Leisure’s rankings are based on reader feedback, including categories like natural attractions, dining, friendliness, and overall value, with nearly 180,000 participants in the 2025 survey.
Residents of Amelia National enjoy access to a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, tennis center, resort-style pool, clubhouse, and the ability to custom-build or move in quickly.
Amelia National and ICI Homes offer the ideal island lifestyle for those seeking custom Florida living near a nationally recognized destination.

Methodology

Travel + Leisure bases its annual “World’s Best Awards” on worldwide travel topics, including airlines, cities, cruise ships, hotels, islands, resorts, spas and more categories. Readers respond with experiences and feedback, which informs the magazine’s rankings.

Approximately 180,000 readers weighed in for the 2025 survey. Per Travel + Leisure’s website, they rated islands on activities/sights, natural attractions/beaches, people/friendliness, restaurants/food, and value, using a scale of excellent, above average, below average, and poor. Magazine staffers used those ratings to calculate an average final score for each island.

Mount Desert Island in Maine was the top-rated 2025 island in the continental U.S.

Amelia Island was second, followed by No. 3 Mackinac Island, Michigan, No. 4 Golden Isles, Georgia, No. 5 San Juan Islands, Washington, No. 6 Marco Island, Florida, No. 7 Kiawah Island, South Carolina, No. 8 Florida Keys, Florida, No. 9 Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, No. 10 Nantucket, Massachusetts, No. 11 Sanibel Island, Florida, No. 12 Outer Banks, North Carolina, No. 13 South Padre Island, Texas, No. 14 Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts and No. 15 Captiva Island, Florida.

Why Amelia Island ranked No. 2

Thirteen miles of Atlantic beaches are one reason, followed by natural beauty among marshes, rivers, state and natural parks, and endless outdoor recreation options.

Fernandina Beach is Amelia National’s hometown, hosting an energetic restaurant, shopping, nightlife and boating scene, plus special events year-round. Museums and historical sites document the island’s centuries-long history.

Come home to Amelia National

This gated community features luxury custom homes of all sizes and the area’s only Tom Fazio-designed golf course.

Its French Provincial clubhouse anchors dining and social activities along with a fully stocked fitness center, resort-style swimming pool and eight-court tennis center.

Best of all, you can build from scratch, or buy a move-in-ready inventory home if you’d like to fast-track your permanent vacation.

Ready for your Amelia National lifestyle? Talk to ICI Homes here.