Fort Morris State Historic Site – Midway, GA

When my daughter and I planned our trip to Colonial Georgia, I’d never heard of Midway before. The town of just 2,100 people lies about 40 miles south of Savannah. Despite its small size, Midway boasts a rich history dating back to 1752 when Puritans settled the area to grow rice and indigo.

Fort Morris, built during the Revolutionary War, sits on 66 acres along the Medway River, just south of the ghost town of Sunbury. In its prime, Sunbury rivaled Savannah as a commerical port.  

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Fort King George State Historic Site – Darien, GA

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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An Afternoon on Jekyll Island, GA

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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Fort Frederica – St. Simon’s Island, GA

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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