PLEASURE ISLAND, Ala. — Nearly three million sets of eyes will stumble upon the sugar white sands of Alabama’s beaches in the January 2009 issue of Southern Living.

The publication’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards list the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area as one the best beaches and best family destinations in the Southeast while the National Shrimp Festival ranked as a top festival and fair.

“Every year, we look forward to the announcement of these awards,” said Herb Malone, president/CEO of the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Southern Living has a very loyal readership, and we are grateful that this group enjoys our sugar white beaches as much as we do. In addition to the readers nominating us, our area was also on the minds of the editorial board as they selected two breath-taking pictures of our area to use within the article.”

In the best beach category, Southern Living reader’s ranked the sugar white sands of the Alabama Gulf Coast alongside other notable destinations such as Destin, Fla; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Panama City Beach, Fla.; Hilton Head Island, S.C.; Sanibel Island, Fla; Outer Banks, N.C.; and Virginia Beach, Va.

On a similar note, the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area fared well in the best family destination category comparing it to such destinations as Walt Disney World; Williamsburg, Va.; Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tenn.; San Antonio, Texas; Branson, Mo.; and Charleston, S.C.

Finally in the best festival/fair category, the National Shrimp Festival ranked alongside Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Florida Strawberry Festival and state fairs in South Carolina, Texas and North Carolina.

“The fact that the annual National Shrimp Festival was chosen and included in the top 10 list of premier events by the readers of Southern Living is a great honor,” said Don McPherson, director of special events for the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce. “We are proud to continue the tradition set forth by the founders, volunteers and communities of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Baldwin County.”

In addition to these rankings, readers also weighed in nine other restaurant, outdoor and destination categories.

To learn more about Alabama’s beaches, visit www.gulfshores.com or www.orangebeach.com.