Georgia on My Mind

 Thursday we awoke to the same chill in the air but with the wind having finally died down, it was a much better day already. We rode our bikes back to the dock to return them and picked up a cart to pack up camp. While we were dismantling the tent, the zipper broke resulting in the death of Jess’ beloved Chateau. It was somehow fitting though because Cumberland Island was actually the very first place Chateau was used 10 years ago on Jess’ first trip to the island. RIP Chateau!

River trail

While waiting for the ferry I hiked down to the Dungeness dock via the River Trail to look for more wild horses but alas I did not see any. After arriving back in St. Mary’s we packed up our respective cars and said our goodbyes as Jess headed back home and I drove north to Savannah. Until our next adventure Jess!

St. Simon's Light

While on the way to Savannah I decided to stop at several of the islands in Georgia known as the Golden Isles.  First up was St. Simons Island where my destination was Fort Frederica which preserves the archaeological remnants of a fort and town built by James Oglethorpe between 1736 and 1748 to protect the southern boundary of the British colony of Georgia from Spanish raids. About 630 British troops were stationed at the fort.

 A town of up to 500 colonial residents then grew up outside the fort. Although there’s only a few ruins left at the site it is still really interesting to experience because there have been archaeological investigations where they have excavated sections of the fort and village and several wayside exhibits show what they have found and extrapolate what building was on the site.

Just down the road from Fort Frederica is Christ Church which is gorgeous!

The next island was Jekyll Island which costs $6 to enter but is worth it. One of the highlights is the Horton House which is a two-story structure built from tabby in 1742 that now stands in ruins. This structure has been meticulously preserved over the past 100 years as an example of coastal Georgia building techniques and as one of the oldest surviving buildings in the state.

Horton House

The island is most famous for the Jekyll Island Club Historic District. The centerpiece of the grounds is the enormous Jekyll Island Club Hotel where there was a picturesque scene of old people dressed all in white playing a game of croquet on the front lawn. The whole place seemed like a movie set because it was just so picture perfect. 

I finally made it into Savannah and stopped at Forsyth Park which is in the historic district of Savannah. 

I then made it down to the famous Riverfront. There are signs along the way telling the story of the river and the history of Savannah.

 It was a beautiful night in Savannah and it was so relaxing to stroll along the river as the sun was setting. I grabbed a delicious dinner and capped it off by getting free samples of pralines for a true Georgia experience.