A trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, you say? Popularized by Netflix’s hit series Outer Banks, these barrier islands have been extraordinarily popular in recent years – and for good reason. What if I told you that your exploration of east coast marshland doesn’t have to end there? Yes, I see your trip to North Carolina’s beautiful barrier islands, and I raise you a drive farther south to Georgia’s barrier islands.
As a Georgia native and avid outdoorswoman who has also lived in Utah, Oregon, and North Carolina; It has come to my attention that many people do not even realize Georgia has a coast—much less barrier islands—to visit. Those who do know of these magical spaces tend to be southern locals who plan trips to the more popular tourist-driven islands like St. Simons Island. In total, Georgia’s coast claims fifteen barrier islands, several of which surround the shore of the port city Brunswick, GA. Those closest to Brunswick are very popular tourist destinations and are known as the Golden Isles thanks to early explorers referring fondly to the glittering shores where they were sure treasure lay ahead.
I highly recommend people visit this area in the off-season. February, March, and April are good times to visit, as well as some months in the fall. This will help you avoid large crowds, massive amounts of mosquitoes, and sweltering heat.
When I last visited the Georgia coast, it was February, and I stayed in an AirBnb in Brunswick. The beautiful thing about Airbnb in this area is that you’re immersed in the history and nature. Many homes in this area tell the story of early exploration on the southern coast, if you know how to listen. The home I visited was a Spanish style home, and in fact, many of the homes in this area encapsulate the influence of the Spanish explorers that found the southern coast long ago. The porch was surrounded by dancing palm trees that seemed to bid me hello with a wave despite the heavy rain that whipped them around the night I arrived. From the back porch, I could look out over a marsh that stretched for miles, as far the eyes could see. Marshland critters flew up from a spot in the tall grass and disappeared into another.
On the night I arrived, I did not have time to explore so late in the day. So, I brushed my teeth with the brackish-tasting sink water and went to sleep. (Definitely plan to buy bottled water when visiting coastal Georgia). Over the next several days, I would visit Jekyll Island, the Okefenokee Swamp, and Cumberland Island. I did not know then how much this trip would fulfill the explorer in me, nor did I expect to find myself so enthralled with the history of the region.
Tybee Beach Pier on Tybee Island, GA. Stock photo by Joshua Bedford via Unsplash.
The first day of this trip was spent at my personal favorite of the Golden Isles: Jekyll Island. Of the 15 barrier islands, Jekyll Island, Tybee Island, and St. Simons Island are the only three that can be reached directly from the road. Parking is not a by-the-hour situation at Jekyll. Visitors pay $8 per day and are allowed to park in any of the public parking areas. I knew that I wanted to bike the island, so I ditched the car at Beachside Bike Rentals, and embarked on my adventure. The map of the island’s bike trails was easy to follow, and the adventure specialist at Beachside Bike Rentals marked a spot where visitors commonly reported seeing alligators sunbathing.
Tybee Island Lighthouse in Tybee Island, Georgia. Stock photo by Tyler Edic via Unsplash.
Obviously, I had to start my marshland adventure with a gator sighting, so I headed toward the end of the trail that starts behind the Circle K gas station. Parts of the bike trails are paved, and others are not. Mostly, they are well maintained. The gators were indeed sunbathing when I passed by. A group of older island dwellers were passing by with their biking group, so the lot of us watched them together for a while before parting ways.
On that side of the island lies the Mosaic Jekyll Island Museum and the Jekyll Island Club. During the United States’ industrial age, many historically wealthy families such as the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and many others had bought the island as a vacation spot, and dubbed the resort they had built, the Jekyll Island Club. Today, Jekyll Island is owned by the State of Georgia and maintained as a state park.
I think the state owning the island is one of the reasons it’s so much more enjoyable than the other islands. While there are restaurants and gift shops, those things are not the main attraction of the island.
I enjoyed cruising through the historic side of the island, stopping to learn little tidbits about each place. Then I came to a portion of the trail that wasn’t shaded by native trees. This paved section paralleled the crashing waves, and the wind was rolling off the ocean forcefully, but I didn’t mind. The sun kissed my face, and the wind did its job to keep me cool. This stretch went on for several miles, taking me past several golf courses, and the delicious Tortuga Jack’s.
At some point, the tourist attractions, restaurants, and golf courses began thinning out. The bike trail ran right beside a road. Surrounding the road were beach homes, dense woods on one side, and shoreline on the other. Once I had pedaled through the neighborhoods for what seemed like a long while, I found myself right by Jekyll Island’s campground. Directly across the street from the campground entrance was a paved road, and I had time, so I decided to check it out. On this road was a horse corral where visitors can go on a ride, and a pier for viewing the water or fishing.
To the right of this pier, the path continued. It was covered up with sand and became very thin and somewhat rugged. If you weren’t sure of yourself or your map, you might even think it wasn’t part of the bike trail. This part of the trail ended up being my second favorite place on the whole island.
The marsh was almost at eye level as the path changed from sand to boardwalk and back again, depending on the land below. Bubbles emitted by the oysters in the mud rose to the surface of the dark pools next to the boardwalk, and marshland birds dipped in and out of the grass around me. It was deeply peaceful and almost nobody else had passed by on this path. It felt as if I had the entire area to myself. I was nearing Driftwood Beach when my bike could no longer roll through the deep sand. I had gotten off to walk it the rest of the way when I saw the largest heron I have ever seen standing just a few feet away. The bird was watching me inquisitively, and I stood in awe for several minutes before he flew away. I felt grateful to have been so deeply immersed in the marshy backwoods of Jekyll Island at that moment.
I don’t know exactly what I was expecting Driftwood Beach to look like, but it certainly was not entire trees—roots and all. Jekyll Island’s website describes this beach as “hauntingly beautiful,” and that is a good start to explaining this indescribably stunning spot. The trees are smooth and very dark in color. This beach also has a lot of rocks visible during low tide, and if you’re curious enough to look through them, you can find so many shells, rocks, and critters.
I said goodbye to Driftwood Beach and pedaled on through another neighborhood. I wasn’t exactly planning the next part of this trip, it just sort of happened. There is a bike path that you would almost miss if you blinked at the wrong time. It goes through a neighborhood, but quickly veers into the woods. You come out right across the street from the Jekyll Island Airport. The trail that begins beside the airport is one of the most stunning pieces of the bike trail in Jekyll Island. Spanish moss hangs low over the path. While I wouldn’t recommend touching it, the moss lends this trail a fairytale aurora. To one side is woods, and to the other side is marshland. When I pedaled through this section of the island, the sun was starting to go down for the evening. Long shadows stretched across the water and the trail. The marsh grass and I were bathing in golden light. With nighttime quickly approaching, it was time to return my bike. I wrapped up my adventures at Jekyll Island, and it was time for some dinner.
If you visit Brunswick, you will notice the phrase “Low Country Boil” everywhere. This is in reference to a type of food where corn, potatoes, crab, shrimp, and andouille sausage (among other things sometimes) are boiled together in a bag of spices. I ate at several places in the area while I was visiting, but eating at Fat and Fine Crab Shack was not just a meal, it was an experience. Not only was it the most flavorful and juicy seafood I have ever had, but I also felt like a part of the community sitting with the locals who eat there often and even having conversation with many of them as we ate. It was the perfect end to a day of exploring.
The following morning, I set out for the Okefenokee swamp. Georgia’s Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge is accessed in Folkston, GA. From Brunswick, the drive was roughly an hour and fifteen minutes. The parking lot was unsurprisingly empty when arriving on a weekday in February. Okefenokee Adventures rents out kayaks and canoes, and offers riverboat tours of the canal. I rented a single kayak for $30 that day. When the attendant was pushing me into the water, I asked if anyone had been eaten by an alligator since he had started working there. To my relief, he said no.
Okefenokee Swamp in Folkston, GA. Stock photo by Chuck G via Unsplash.
The water was pitch black thanks to the peat, and extremely reflective. I glanced down into the blackness, and all I could see was my face peering back at me. Cypress trees draped over the water on both sides of the canal, and they were reflected in the water too.
Initially, I wondered if the water was thicker than most. The kayak paddle struggled to cut through it, and I found myself exerting a lot of energy to move forward. However, when I dipped my finger in to test it out, it seemed to be a normal viscosity. I came to the conclusion that the water being so still was the challenge. I’m used to paddling down a river, but this was not a similar experience. It was quiet all around me, save for the occasional riverboat. For the first couple of miles I did not see any alligators. Then, I took a left turn that would take me through the plains, and loop back around to the main canal so I could return to the adventure center. This side of the swamp was covered in lily pads, and had a lot of tall grass and pieces of land where alligators could sunbathe. Sunbathe they did. I began passing a lot of alligators that were out on the land strips trying to warm up. At some point, I suppose I wasn’t paying close enough attention, and I turned a corner right next to one of these pieces of land.
Two alligators were hidden in the grass there, and suddenly, they were close enough to touch. I tried to get a little distance, but it was too late; I had peaked their interest. One of the gators slid into the water and swam right up next to my kayak, touching it with his nose. For a few moments, I was nearly at eye level with this alligator. I couldn’t decide if I should be very still, or paddle faster. I quickly decided to chance a get-away and paddled my heart out. I could have explored a little farther, but after the encounter, I was eager to get back to land.
Despite the close encounter with the gator, I will definitely be kayaking at the Okefenokee again. I left that day feeling connected to the swamp, and the “swamp people” (as they are referred to in this book about the Okefenokee’s people) who inhabited this 700 square mile swamp before the United States declared it a National Wildlife Refuge.
The last day of my travels on the Georgia coast began in St. Marys. Arriving very early in the morning, I waited in line to board the ferry to Georgia’s longest barrier island: Cumberland Island. Much like Jekyll Island, Cumberland Island has a rich history, pun intended. The Carnegies owned the island for many years, and employed hundreds of formerly enslaved peoples to run their estate. Eventually, the cost of keeping up the Cumberland Island estate was too much for the Carnegie heirs, and they decided to donate it to the National Park Service. After becoming a nationally protected seashore, very little development was allowed to happen on the island. (Especially thanks to the efforts of biologist and naturalist Carol Ruckdeschel, who you can read more about in her biography, Untamed, by Will Harlan).
The lack of development on the island makes this one a really interesting place to explore. After departing from the ferry, you can either hike around the 17.5 mile long island, or rent a bike. Many people get backpacking permits and spend a few days hiking around the island, and checking out the structures and ecology. Unfortunately, I only had a day to explore. So, I rented a bicycle and set off toward the remains of the Carnegies’ former manor, the Dungeness Mansion. Visitors cannot enter Dungeness because as it is abandoned, the conditions inside could be hazardous. However, there is a lot to explore outside.
A short distance from Dungeness you will find the living quarters for the workers who lived on the island as well as some historic gravesites. Farther into the island, you can find the remains of a church that was started by enslaved peoples on Cumberland Island, and some gravesites of those people, any of whom were of the Gullah descent. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to bike that far and still make it back to the ferry for the last pick-up.
I did have time to explore the beaches, and roads. The branches of the trees overhead were dark and twisted. Once again, I found myself feeling as if I were riding through a fairytale forest. Some areas were marshland and dense woods, and others were beautiful white sand dunes, and crashing waves. Scattered around the desolate beaches were the shells of horseshoe crabs larger than my head, huge shells that were still intact, and beautiful island foliage.
I cannot recommend these three locations enough for anyone with a strong need to explore. I personally plan to revisit every location I have talked about, and so many more on Georgia’s coast. The rich history and untamed wilderness certainly appeals to explorers.
