Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Georgia has a coast? Oh yes, a righteously beautiful one, blessed with a string of pictur-
esque islands ranging from rustic to kitschy to indulgent. With its large shrimp-boat fleet
and downtown historic district shaded beneath lush live oaks,
Brunswick
dates from
1733 and has charms you might miss when sailing by on I-95 or the Golden Isle Pkwy
(US Hwy 17). During WWII Brunswick shipyards constructed 99 Liberty transport ships
for the navy. Today a 23ft scale model at
Mary Ross Waterfront Park
(Bay St)
stands as a
memorial to those ships and their builders. On the first Friday of the month quirky Brun-
swick opens up its fun antique and art galleries and pours wine for all comers.
St Simons Island
Famous for its golf courses, resorts and majestic live oaks, St Simons Island is the largest
and most developed of the Golden Isles. It lies 75 miles south of Savannah and just 5
miles from Brunswick. The southern half of the island is a thickly settled residential and
resort area. However the northern half and adjacent
Sea Island
(
www.explorestsimonsisland.com
)
offer tracts of coastal wilderness amid a tide-water estu-
ary.
East Beach
, the island's best, is accessible from
Massengale Park
(1350 Ocean Blvd)
.
Blvd; dishes $11-25)
. Bed down near the main downtown drag at
St Simons Inn by the
Lighthouse
(
912-638-1101;
www.saintsimonsinn.com
;
609 Beachview Dr; r from $179;
)
.
Little St Simons
is an all-natural jewel, accessible by boat only to guests at the ex-
Little St Simons Island; all-inclusive d from $475; May-Sep)
or to their
day trippers
(
912-638-7472;
www.littlestsimonsisland.com
; Hampton Point Dr;
trips 10:30am)
.
Jekyll Island
An exclusive refuge for millionaires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jekyll is a
4000-year-old barrier island with 10 miles of beaches. Today it's an unusual clash of wil-
derness, historically preserved buildings, modern hotels and a massive campground. It's
an easily navigable place - you can get around by car, horse or bicycle, but there's a $5
parking fee per day.
An endearing attraction is the
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
( 912-635-4444;
www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org
; 214 Stable Rd; adult/child $7/5; 9am-5pm Sun-Tue, 10am-2pm
Mon, tours 8:30pm & 9:30pm from Jun 1; )
, a conservation center and turtle hospital where
patients are on view for the public. Come sunrise, you must find
Driftwood Beach
.
