Before heading back to Atlanta from our Coastal Georgia getaway, we had one more site to visit – Wormsloe State Historic Site. The 822-acre site sits on the Isle of Hope, less than 10 miles south of Savannah.
While in the area, we also made a brief stop at Skidaway Island State Park. Unfortunately, a rain shower put a damper (literally) on our visit, so we had to discontinue our hike. However, I’ll talk about it here, too.
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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.
Just a week after visiting Andalusia, the dairy farm where southern author Flannery O’Connor spent her final years, we found ourselves in Savannah. I immediately booked a guided tour of the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home.
In fact, two women we met at Andalusia had recently been to Savannah and said seeing it was a must-do. I’m so glad we took their advice! The home, situated across Lafayette Square (pictured above), offers another facet of the author’s short life.
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