While a Florida beach town took the top spot, Gulf Shores earned a top 5 ranking on USA Today’s annual listing of the 10Best Coastal Small Towns.

Nominees for the list are submitted by a panel of travel experts, from which the 10Best editors select the final nominees for voting by the public. Readers are allowed to vote once per category, per day.

Released Wednesday, this year’s listing of Best Coastal Small Towns finds Gulf Shores at #4, behind only Stuart, Fla., Saugatuck, Mich., and Key West, Fla.

“Drive an hour west of Pensacola, Florida, and you’ll find yourself in the midst of Alabama’s best beaches aka Gulf Shores,” 10Best editors wrote. “Swim, surf, and sunbathe by the sea, and then check out some of the area’s top attractions like Waterville USA, the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo (home to sloths and kangaroos), and Gulf State Park. Visitors also love the multitude of beachfront restaurants.”

This is Gulf Shores’ first appearance on the 10Best list since 2020, when it ranked ninth.

Gulf Shores was followed on the list by Pismo Beach, Calif.; Newport, R.I.; Sandusky, Ohio; Cape May, N.J.; Washington Island, Wis.; and Long Beach, Wash.

Stuart, which ranked second in last year’s 10Best, and Sandusky were the only towns to repeat from last year.