White sand, blue water, stunning sunsets. Is it any wonder that Gulf State Park was picked as one of the South’s best state parks by Southern Living?

Readers picked their favorites for “The South’s Best of 2023,” and the lovely spot in Gulf Shores topped the list for Alabama in “The Best State Parks In Every Southern State 2023.” The beach is a standout at the park, of course, but Southern Living made sure to laud other features.

“With the Gulf of Mexico on its Southern border, 3.5 miles of white sand beaches, three lakes within the park, and nine ecosystems on its 28-mile paved trail system, Gulf State Park is popular with anglers, beach bums, and naturalists alike,” writes Casey Barber of Southern Living. “Visitors can fish, swim, and paddle on Lake Shelby, see native flora and fauna at the Nature Center on Middle Lake, and flit around the Butterfly Garden east of Little Lake. At nearly 2,500 feet long, the Fishing and Education Pier is the largest in the Gulf as well as Alabama’s only public gulf pier, open for fishing or strolling.”

Southern Living’s readers also weighed in on the best towns and cities in Alabama for 2023, the best barbecue joint in the state and the best locally owned restaurant, among other categories.

READ MORE: Which Alabama towns and cities did Southern Living name ‘South’s Best?’

Natural beauty was an important factor when readers made their choices among state parks, and activities at the parks also seem important. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, for example, which offers snorkeling and scuba diving, was the No. 1 pick in Florida. Tallulah Gorge State Park, with hiking trails that feature views of a 1,000-foot-deep canyon and waterfalls, topped the list for Georgia. Tishomingo State Park, with standstone cliffs, eye-catching rock formations and canoeing, was named the standout in Mississippi.

Alabama is rich in state parks, of course, and the annual list from Southern Living has featured other spots in the past. Cheaha State Park was listed in the magazine’s “The South’s Best State Parks 2022,” and Southern Living praised it as “the oldest state park in Alabama” with “thousands of acres of wilderness as well as the highest point in the state.”