My daughter (Thing 1) and I decided to take a quick 3-night trip to Coastal Georgia. She’s a public history major and wanted to explore our state’s colonial historic sites. I used it as an excuse to see the beach.

In 1733, James Oglethorpe established England’s last colony along the Savannah River. Contrary to what I learned in social studies, the Colonists were not prisoners. Instead, they were poor people whose debts had been fully paid.

So how did these “worthy poor” get to travel to the New World? It wasn’t entirely altruistic on England’s part; the British wanted a buffer between South Carolina, which was already a royal colony, and Florida, which was under Spanish control.

Day 1

Arrive St. Simon’s Island

Stay – Inn by the Lighthouse

Day 2

Fort Frederica – St. Simon’s Island

Fort King George – Darien

Jekyll Island

Dinner – Porch, St. Simons

Stay – Inn by the Lighthouse

Day 3

Fort Morris State Historical Site – Midway

Lunch Treylor Park – Savannah

American Prohibition Museum – Savannah

Night – DeSoto Beach Hotel – Tybee Island

Day 4

Old Fort Jackson – Savannah

Lunch – Clary’s Cafe – Savannah

Wormsloe Historic Site – Savannah

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