Sea Island: Upscale but Understated
Manicured where Sapelo is wild, and dressy where Tybee is casual, Sea Island is a five-star private resort. It centers on the historic Cloister hotel, which was rebuilt in 2006, but without sacrificing its traditions of gentility. An array of accommodation types are offered.
Activities include tennis, golf, boating, fishing, riding, shooting, shopping and luxuriating in the spa. Sea Island is a favored destination for high-end meetings—it recently hosted a Group of Eight international summit meeting—and a place where many guests return every year. The Cloister rates start at $750 per night. 100 Cloister Drive. Tel. 866-879-6238. www.seaisland.com
Cumberland Island: Pristine Preserve
This largest and southernmost of Georgia’s barrier islands once belonged to the Carnegie family. Carnegie descendants still run the Greyfield Inn in a house built in 1901, and there are a handful of other private homes. But the island is a protected National Seashore. Most visitors come by ferry, from the mainland town of St. Mary’s, on day trips or to camp; reservations are a must. There are both developed and primitive campsites. Don’t expect any restaurants or stores; bikes can be rented.
Getting to Cumberland
Cumberland Island is accessible only by boat. Take the ferry from St. Mary’s, which departs for Cumberland Island at 9 and 11:45 a.m. (and 2:45 p.m. Wed. through Thu.) between March 1 and Sept. 30. In the winter season, the ferry doesn’t operate on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and has no afternoon departure, though the morning times remain the same.
Ferry fees: $17 for adults, $12 for children 12 and under, $15 for seniors 65 and over. Cumberland Island entrance fees: $4 per person, free for guests under 16.
Historic Sites
Cumberland has more than 50 miles of trails through maritime forest and sand dunes, past salt marshes and into freshwater swamps. Guided tours are offered of Plum Orchard a turn-of-the-century mansion, and ruined Dungeness, which was the Carnegies’ main house here. You can also visit a historic African-American church, and the remains of slave dwellings.
Nature in its splendor is the real draw here. Wildlife viewing—including sea turtles, alligators, wood storks, egrets and feral horses—fishing, hunting, swimming, hiking and beachcombing are the real reasons to come.
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