My daughter and I set out to explore Colonial Georgia – forts and all. After visiting Fort Frederica on St. Simon’s Island, we drove to Fort King George State Historic Site in Darien. I had only been to Darien once before, when we toured the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site and ate lunch at a seafood restaurant.
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When visiting St. Simon’s Island, it’s worth taking a short drive over to Jekyll Island. You’ll find miles of unspoiled beaches, bike paths, live oak trees, and zero traffic lights. That’s right – only a little over 25% of the 5,900-acre island is developed under the auspices of the state-run Jekyll Island Authority.
Jekyll Island served as the private winter playground for the rich and famous during the Gilded Age. Members included JP Morgan, Marshall Field, Joseph Pulitzer, Willie K. Vanderbilt, and more. Here, the Federal Reserve was conceived in a clandestine meeting in 1910 and the first transcontinental phone call was placed in 1915.
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My daughter (Thing 1) and I recently visited Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simon’s Island. This was the first stop on a three-day trip exploring historic sites along coastal Georgia. Although we had toured this spot years ago, Thing 1 didn’t pay much attention to it. Now that she has earned a college degree in public history, she wanted to see it again.
St. Simon’s Island is one of only four Georgia barrier islands that can be reached by car. Unspoiled public beaches, Spanish-moss-covered oak trees, good restaurants, and a laid-back vibe beckon visitors to this town of 16,000 residents. But back in the early 1700s, both the British and the Spanish fought over the Georgia coastline (including St. Simon’s Island), known as “the debatable lands.”
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On our recent trip to Savannah, we stayed on Tybee Island. Along the 17-mile drive between the two, we passed the gates to Fort Pulaski National Monument. We decided to visit after our breakfast companions at the B&B had toured it and said it was worth seeing.
The fort sits on Cockspur Island, located at the mouth of the Savannah River. Cockspur Island is where John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, landed in 1736 to begin his ministry in the colonies. Additionally, the Cockspur Island Lighthouse, first erected around 1839 as a daymark, lies at the southeastern tip. High tides to the islet prevent accessibility to visitors.
