Travel The South's Best The South's Prettiest Cities 2018 By Valerie Fraser Luesse Valerie Fraser Luesse Valerie Fraser Luesse has been affiliated with Southern Living and its parent company since 1988. She has written some 30 Southern Journal essays for the magazine and extensively covered the unique cultural pockets of the South, including Acadian Louisiana, the Mississippi Delta, South Florida, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She released her fourth Southern novel with Revell in 2021. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 1, 2021 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Rudy Ximenez / Visit Georgetown Southerners have a longstanding appreciation for pretty things. Grand columned antebellum homes, snow-white fields of cotton, Mama's hot buttermilk biscuits—we like having a little eye candy on the horizon. That's why we take major pride in our cities and all of their charming qualities. From the historic avenues of Charleston to the white sandy beaches of St. Petersburg, the mountain vistas of Asheville to the river views of Savannah, the South boasts some truly good-looking spots just begging to be wandered and adored. Quirky college cities, lazy beach towns, historic coastal hubs, and bustling metropolises make up the pulsing heart and the pretty façade of the South. You'll see some timeless beauties and some fresh-faced gems grace our list of prettiest cities in the South. Think your Southern city scores high on the attractive scale? Check out these lookers that more than deserve being dubbed the prettiest cities in the South. 01 of 16 See The Winners 02 of 16 1. Charleston, South Carolina Jordan Banks/Getty Images 03 of 16 2. Savannah, Georgia Peter Frank Edwards 04 of 16 3. Asheville, North Carolina Robbie Caponetto 05 of 16 4. Annapolis, Maryland Westend61/Getty Images 06 of 16 5. Sarasota, Florida Don Klumpp/Getty Images 07 of 16 6. Greenville, South Carolina Chris M. Rogers 08 of 16 7. Fayetteville, Arkansas Robbie Caponetto 09 of 16 8. Wilmington, North Carolina Walter Bibikow/Getty Images 10 of 16 9. Lexington, Kentucky Blaine Harrington III/Getty Images 11 of 16 10. Chapel Hill, North Carolina Danita Delimont/Getty Images 12 of 16 11. St. Petersburg, Florida John Coletti/Getty Images 13 of 16 12. Georgetown, Texas Rudy Ximenez / Visit Georgetown 14 of 16 13. Chattanooga, Tennessee Stephen DeVries 15 of 16 14. Alexandria, Virginia Photos by Coyle/Getty Images 16 of 16 7. San Antonio, Texas Getty Images Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit