St. Marys & Cumberland Island National Park

For years I have wanted to travel one of Georgia's gems, the Golden Isles. Known for their beauty in some parts, and protected for modern society in others, the Golden Isles are a series of barrier islands that extend from Cumberland Island on the Florida border about halfway up the state to Saint Simons. Wendy and I set out to see how much of these beautiful islands we could cover in a four day weekend.

Getting to the islands is easy and really depends on where you want to start.  We decided to start on the southern end, and work our way back towards Savannah. We took I-75 South to Macon, and then got off the interstate. We love to see the small towns that lie off the interstate, so we took U.S.-129 to Fitzgerald, GA-32 to Douglas, U.S-82 to Waycross, U.S.-23 to Folkston, and GA-40 to St. Marys. You have some lesser known stops along this path. Just outside of Fitzgerald is the Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site, one of the most off the beaten path museums I have ever seen that commemorates the site where Jefferson Davis was captured in 1865 as he attempted to flee from Richmond back to Mississippi. I will be brutally honest with you, it's not a very well kept museum,  but it is American history and worth a visit if you ever find yourself on a diagonal path through southeast Georgia. As you drive to Folkston you will also pass by the Okefenokee Swamp, one of the most diverse wildlife refuges in the nation.  When you get to St. Marys, we recommend the Riverview Hotel. There are several hotels out near the interstate, but the Riverview is one two hotels in the historic downtown area, which is where you want to be. Ask for the Willard Scott suite, nothing says romantic like a framed picture of Willard Scott dressed as Ronald McDonald staring down at you.  I'm not kidding, they have a room dedicated to Willard Scott.

To get to Cumberland Island you need to plan ahead. The National Park Service runs a ferry to the island, and the morning shuttle leaves at 9:00am. You MUST check in for the ferry by 8:30am or they will cancel your reservation and sell your spot to those on the waiting list. The round trip ticket is $28, and if you would like to take your own bike out to ride it is another $10. The park entrance itself is $4, so plan on this visit costing more than most national park visits. After taking the ferry you will land on the island right in front of the Ice House Museum, an old ice storage house built to provide the wealthy elite of the island with ice shipped down from Maine each year.  The ranger on the island conducts free guided tours of Dungeness multiple times a day, and the tour takes about an hour and a half. Dungeness was the winter home of Thomas Carnegie, brother of the better known Andrew Carnegie. Built around 1885, the mansion sits on property that once was owned by Nathaniel Greene, the Revolutionary War general who owned a portion of the island after helping our nation win  independence. Dungeness was lived in until the 1950's, but burned down after falling into disrepair following several generations of Carnegie residents.  The island was converted into a national park in 1972, and has hosted visitors from around the world ever since. One funny piece of historical irony, many of the wealthy industrialists who bought land on the Golden Isles used to take ferries out to Cumberland Island in the 19th Century to see the remains of the home Nathaniel Greene lived in before it burned down.  All throughout the grounds you will see the feral horses that wander the islands. Descendants of the horses the Carnegie family brought to the island, they now roam the grounds playing and doing pretty much whatever they want.

After visiting Dungeness, we got adventurous and decided to ride our bikes out to another of the Carnegie family homes on the island, Plum Orchard. Built for the children of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie, Plum Orchard is presented in the manner it existed in the early 20th Century.  The home is filled with furniture hand made for the Carnegie family, and sits in a white two story mansion that looks like it could fit in the nicest neighborhoods in any city in America. The adventure is actually getting to Plum Orchard. Sitting about eight miles from Dungeness, the home is accessed by riding down a sandy path that makes that eight mile ride feel like 28 miles. Along the way you will pass beautiful inland waterways, and cemeteries to the families that died on the island for more than a century. On your way back to the ferry, stop by Stafford Hall and visit the burial site of Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, the Revolutionary War hero and father of future Confederate General Robert E. Lee. He fell ill while visiting in 1818, and never left the island again. 

There are two docks on the island the park service picks up at, so feel free to stop back at either one. Return ferries depart at 2:45pm and 4:45pm. Make sure you get on one or you will be camping out on the island for the night, which is completely allowed. After riding back to St. Marys you can walk right off the dock to the ice cream shop across the street. Take some time to wander through the downtown park and sit by the beautiful  fountains. If you are lucky there may be a concert happening at the amphitheater you can sit around and listen too.

We loved our time on the island, and will definitely be back to take in one of the most beautiful pieces of natural landscape in the nation. From there we are on our way to Jekyll Island and Saint Simons Island. If you are looking for adventure, stop off at the Copper Pig in Brunswick for some good barbecue, and a unique dining experience, a chance to feed live alligators while you dine.  When I think of great dining I always think of dangerous animals that could eat me too being part of the dining fun.