From the Pacific to the Atlantic shores, the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, the United States is lined with iconic island destinations, such as Mackinac Island, the Outer Banks, Martha’s Vineyard, and countless keys and barrier islands along the Florida coast. But as overtourism continues to threaten popular vacation hubs, we’re celebrating under-the-radar islands that may lack name recognition but excel in natural beauty and quaint charm. Some are only accessible by boat, many don’t allow cars, and a tradition-bound culture often means that life here feels (proudly) decades or even centuries behind the hustle and bustle on the mainland. Here, a 10-point island-hopping guide for your next American adventure.
Lummi Island, Washington
It takes about 10 minutes by ferry to arrive at this bucolic Puget Sound island, which sits just northeast of the increasingly trendy San Juan Islands chain. Artists find inspiration in the serenity out here, and you can engage with their works in all different ways, including thrice-yearly open studio tours (Memorial Day, Labor Day, and a weekend in November). Sculpture Woods, which comprises the bronze figural works of artist Ann Morris scattered out in nature, opens to the public the first Saturday of the month, while Full Bloom Farm offers workshops in disciplines like kintsugi (Japanese ceramics fixing), leather working, darning, and fermentation. If your interests skew more outdoorsy, you can also go foraging for kelp and seaweed by sea kayak with Moondance Sea Kayak Adventures or hiking through the island’s quartet of nature preserves.
Where to stay: Nettles Farm Bed & Breakfast
Book now: nettlesfarm.com
Located near the beach on the northern tip of the island, this family-owned farm offers a three-bedroom Farmhouse and a four-bedroom Farmhouse Suite, with unique touches like steam showers and pizza ovens. During your stay, your hosts will set you up with pizza-making kits that include dough and items grown or made on the farm, such as fermented black garlic, caramelized leeks, and Walla Walla onions.
Backpacking is one of the best ways to take in the scenic views on Isle Royale.
Photo by Brynn DeLange/Shutterstock
Isle Royale, Michigan
The least visited national park in the Lower 48 (it ranked 59 out of 63 in 2023, with fewer than 30,000 recreational visitors), Isle Royale occupies its eponymous island and about 400 smaller islets in remote northwestern Lake Superior. Harsh weather conditions mean the park is only open from April 16 to October 31 each year, when it can be reached from Minnesota or Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by seaplane, private boat, or ferry; it can take between 40 minutes by seaplane or up to 6 hours by ferry from points in Michigan. Once on the island, you can tackle hiking trails like the 40-mile Greenstone Ridge Trail, which takes five to eight days to complete; paddle through its lakes and bays; and spot such residents as moose, wolves, loons, beavers, and foxes. For something less expected, you can scuba dive to some of the island’s 10 shipwrecks, which range from wooden steamers to steel freighters.
Where to stay: Rock Harbor Lodge
Book now: rockharborlodge.com
The only full-service lodging option on the island is divided among 60 pine-paneled lodge rooms and duplex cabins on Tobin Harbor that sleep up to six. At the Lighthouse Restaurant, indulge in hearty Midwestern food, like fried Wisconsin cheese curds, smoked whitefish dip, and cast-iron seared Great Lakes walleye.
Artists have flocked to the picturesque Monhegan Island for generations.
Photo by Karen Gazzard/Shutterstock
Monhegan Island, Maine
Accessible only by personal boat or ferry (like the Monhegan Boat Line), Monhegan Island sits 10 miles off the coast of Maine, where its one-square-mile footprint is home to about 65 diehard year-round residents. That blissful seclusion has made it a popular artists’ colony since the mid-19th century, attracting the likes of Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth; here, the only distractions are the rugged beauty of the granite cliffs, crashing waves, and an 1850 lighthouse. You can see many of those historic paintings at the Monhegan Museum of Art & History, in the former lighthouse keeper’s house, while the Lupine Gallery on Main Street is the place to go for contemporary art. Visitors get around the island by foot or on golf carts, and there are a smattering of seafood shacks and souvenir shops. After a day hiking on the roughly 12 miles of often steep and rocky trails, unwind at the family-owned Monhegan Brewing Company.
Where to stay: The Island Inn
Book now: islandinnmonhegan.com
The main building of this blufftop inn dates back to 1816, and guest rooms include antique oak furnishings and down duvets. Take in the views from the nautically tinged library or the rocking chairs on the front porch.
Pine Island is a hub for saltwater fishing on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Photo by SR Productions/Shutterstock
Pine Island, Florida
Florida’s coast is lined with beach-covered barrier islands, but the state’s largest island isn’t one of them: Unlike its neighbors, the 40.5-square-mile Pine Island, just west of Fort Myers, has few stretches of sand and is instead surrounded by dense mangrove forests. That means it has widely avoided development and maintains a frozen-in-time feeling. Much of the land is still agricultural, with spots like Hot Tropic Fruit Farm, where a husband and wife duo from Vietnam grows and sells lychees, longan, jackfruit, and 45 varieties of mango. What makes this island really special, however, is its connection to the state’s Indigenous history and the Calusa tribe who once lived in these parts. At the Randell Research Center and Calusa Heritage Trail, you can visit centuries-old shell mounds and engineered canal systems.
Where to stay: Tarpon Lodge
Book now: tarponlodge.com
Ernest Hemingway would have loved this 1926 sporting lodge, which offers guided fishing excursions on the surrounding waters. The on-site restaurant is one of the best places on the island to sample local seafood, like smoked mahi-mahi dip and bronzed Gulf pink shrimp.
San Miguel Island is a bit more remote than the other Channel Islands, but it’s worth the journey for its dramatic dune landscape and marine wildlife.
Photo by Sebastien Burel/Shutterstock
San Miguel Island, California
Channel Islands is the least-visited national park in California, attracting less than 10 percent of Yosemite’s crowds. Among the five islands that make up the park, San Miguel is the farthest west, and it’s especially windswept and foggy. It takes about three to four hours to arrive by ferry from Ventura with outfitter Island Packers, and along the way, you’ll often be rewarded with sightings of marine wildlife like orcas and even gargantuan blue whales. Once onshore, the main attraction is Point Bennett, which attracts one of the largest gatherings of wildlife in the world: a colony of seals and sea lions that can surpass 30,000 individuals at a time. Also noteworthy is the island’s caliche forest, a ghostly collection of calcified prehistoric plants.
Where to stay: National park camping
Book now: nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/camping.htm
If you want to stay on San Miguel, your only option is one of the nine primitive campsites. But be warned, this isn’t for casual campers: You’ll need to bring in all your own water, there’s no electricity, and the campsites can only be reached by a one-mile hike up a steep canyon.
Grand Isle is one of the best places in Louisiana to see the state bird, the brown pelican.
Photo by William A. Morgan/Shutterstock
Grand Isle, Louisiana
Louisiana’s only inhabited barrier island, this seven-mile strip of sand sits at the southern terminus of Highway 1, which cuts across the state diagonally like a backslash. Grand Isle is in danger of disappearing due to rising sea levels, but it’s a critically important habitat for birds like roseate spoonbills and brown pelicans, which were brought back from the brink of extinction on nearby Queen Bess Island. In a way, Grand Isle acts like a rest stop for migratory birds; it’s their first place to relax and refuel after crossing the Gulf of Mexico, and some 2.5 million pass through each day during the spring migration. Follow them here in late April for the Grand Isle Migratory Bird Celebration for events in Grand Isle State, Lafitte Woods Nature Preserve, and more.
Where to stay: Hurricane Hole Marina & Resort
Book now: hurricanehole.net
This marina-front hotel describes itself as Cajun meets Caribbean, and indeed the colorful architecture may remind you a bit of the Bahamas or Key West; the food at the on-site restaurant, meanwhile, is pure Louisiana, with dishes like fried catfish, shrimp beignets, and shrimp remoulade salad.
Potters Beach is one of only a few sandy beaches in the Thousand Islands, and it becomes a hive of outdoor activity during the summertime.
Courtesy of Thousands Islands Land Trust
Grindstone Island, New York
If you can believe it, the name “the Thousand Islands” is an understatement: This cross-border archipelago shared by New York and Ontario along the St. Lawrence River actually comprises 1,864 islands, which were a popular vacation spot during the Gilded Age. You can still see remnants of that era in grand structures like Boldt Castle on Heart Island and Singer Castle on Dark Island, but for something slightly more under the radar, head to Grindstone Island. It’s home to a sandy beach that’s a magnet for boaters and swimmers in the summer; a state park with cabins and campsites; and the family-owned Grindstone Island Winery, which grows grapes you may not have heard of, such as baco noir, prairie star, and frontenac.
Where to stay: 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel
Book now: 1000islandsharborhotel.com
If you choose not to camp on the island, you’ll most likely be arriving by boat from the town of Clayton. Here, you’ll find this lakefront hotel with outdoor firepits, an indoor swimming pool, and comfortably appointed guest rooms with pillow-topped mattresses and plush robes.
Crab shacks line the shores of Tangier Island, which sits 12 miles off the coast of Virginia.
Photo by Nicole R Young/Shutterstock
Tangier Island, Virginia
This Chesapeake Bay island is so isolated that some scholars believe the accent here still retains traces of Elizabethan English, from way back when it was settled in the 17th century. Rising seas have sadly made Tangier Island one of the most endangered places in the country, but its “watermen”—as they’re called in these parts—have clung to tradition, with many still making their living harvesting blue crabs and oysters. Arrive by ferry, rent a bike or golf cart to get around, and then see why this 1.2-square-mile island (slightly smaller than Central Park) is considered the softshell crab capital of the world with a meal at Lorraine’s Seafood Restaurant.
Where to stay: The Charlotte Hotel & Restaurant
Book now: thecharlottehotel.com
Tangier Island is tiny, so for access to more amenities, consider staying on the mainland in a town like Onancock, where you can catch one of the hour-long ferries out to the island. Originally built in 1907, the Charlotte has homey guest rooms and a bar with an extensive scotch and bourbon selection.
San José Island is an undeveloped stretch of sand best known for its bird-watching and beachcombing opportunities.
Photo by PurpleAcidRain04/Shutterstock
San José Island, Texas
Texas beaches like South Padre and Galveston may conjure images of rowdy spring breakers. But not so on the privately owned San José Island (aka “St. Jo”), which is protected as an undeveloped paradise of saltwater fishing, bird-watching, and especially beachcombing. Accessible by ferry from Port Aransas, which sits just across the shipping channel, this 21-mile-long island offers nothing more than pristine Gulf Coast wilderness, and keen-eyed travelers often stumble upon sand dollars, lightning whelks, angel wings, and conchs.
Where to stay: Seashell Village Resort
Book now: seashellvillage.com
Back in Port Aransas, this tropical-tinged resort comprises 39 suites and 12 cottages; opt for a Deluxe Cottage, which comes with its own private sunporch and a fully stocked kitchen, if you’re feeling inclined to cook your own catch of the day after time spent on the city’s fishing pier. The resort is also home to the Third Coast Theater, which hosts live music from area singer-songwriters.
Live oaks shade historic sites like the ruins of the 18th-century Chapel of Ease on South Carolina’s St. Helena Island.
Photo by Noel V. Baebler/Shutterstock
St. Helena Island, South Carolina
Part of the Sea Islands that stretch down America’s southeastern coast, St. Helena is brimming with Gullah Geechee history. You can experience that heritage at sites like the Penn Center, a museum located in one of the first schools for formerly enslaved people, and the ruins of the 1740 Chapel of Ease Anglican church. But the best way to take in Gullah Geechee culture is through its food. Morning Glory Homestead Farm is a family-owned, regenerative agritourism initiative where you can book a farm tour, a fishing trip, or a meal—or even camp for the weekend. And the Gullah Grub Restaurant is the go-to place to try shrimp gumbo, fried shark strip, and cornbread and strawberries.
Where to stay: The Beaufort Inn
Book now: beaufortinn.com
Just across the bridge in Beaufort, this landmark inn dates back to the 1890s, when it was built as a summer home by a state representative, and these days, it incorporates a number of historic cottages that are even older. Guest rooms are stately but unfussy, with details like private verandas, soaking tubs, and four-poster beds.
