The coast of Georgia doesn’t do kitsch—at least not to the degree of the neighboring Carolinas. Its rugged barrier islands, wild salt marshes, and dense maritime forests aren’t quite as conducive to charmingly tacky beach towns and endless rows of rental homes. Instead, it holds tight to a sense of privacy—protected by boundaries both natural and man-made—and an enduring connection to the raw beauty and slower pace that have defined the region for centuries.
And even though this part of the world has historically been a magnet for larger-than-life names like Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, and Kennedy, a mere Southern version of New England this is not. “The integrity of the barrier islands is really something special in Georgia,” says jewelry designer Gogo Ferguson, who is a member of the Carnegie family (who were long-time stewards of Cumberland Island).
Some of this land—which comprises Cumberland, Jekyll, and Little St. Simons—remains privately owned. Some of it is only accessible by boat. Some has been transferred to the state or the National Park Service. Whatever slice of these 110 miles coastline you choose, there are no bad options—you will want to return again and again anyway—though a plan helps. Here’s ours.
Contrarian Wisdom: Summer might feel like the most obvious time to visit, but you’ll be met with the oppressive Southern heat and humidity (and the pesky bugs). Instead, come down in the spring or fall, when the air is less sticky and the crowds less dense.
For the Solitude Seeker
Peter Frank EdwardsGreyfield Inn is the only hotel on Cumberland.
The natural world has the upper hand on Cumberland Island, which is the largest of Georgia’s barrier islands but also one of the most untamed. On this 17-mile-long strip—made up of national seashore, beach ecosystems, salt marsh, and maritime forest—wild horses run free, daily rhythms are influenced by the tide, and you can spend days strolling the coast or weaving beneath live oaks on a bike and never once cross paths with another human. (Cumberland is accessible only by private boat or passenger ferry, which currently limits visitor access to 300).
You will eventually come across signs of civilization, of course, both past and present. “There’s a balance between the natural history and the cultural history,” says Ferguson, who grew up exploring the island “under the tutelage” of her grandmother, Lucy Carnegie Ferguson, granddaughter of Thomas M. Carnegie (Andrew’s brother), who purchased land on the island in the late 19th century. You can see this interplay at the vine-covered Dungeness ruins, which used to be the Carnegie mansion from 1884 to 1959, until a fire left only stone and brick.
In the centuries before the Carnegies arrived, the island moved through various identities—from Timucuan homeland to Spanish possession, then British military base and eventually a Sea Island cotton plantation. Archaeological data even shows human presence dating back to 2,000 BCE. One of the most recognizable relics of this layered past is the First African Baptist Church—the one-room structure was rebuilt in the 1930s, though the church’s roots go back to 1893.
And yes, this is the place where JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette got married in 1996. Ferguson, who knew John since his days at Brown and even designed the couple’s wedding rings, helped make it happen. “They looked at a lot of places, but logistically, it made a little more sense to be on Cumberland,” she tells T&C. “I just thought if we do it properly, we can pull it off without any media, and by God, we did it.”
Lucy CuneoOld money charm is the vibe at Greyfield.
You can visit the church—and the island—in a day (take the Lands and Legacies tour for the highlights), but to really surrender to Cumberland’s languid flow of time, an overnight stay is highly recommended, especially since the last ferry back to the mainland leaves promptly at 4:45 p.m. There are campsites, but Greyfield Inn is the crown jewel (and the only hotel). The 15-room, two-cottage Carnegie-owned-and-run property is the epitome of unfussy luxury, where you can easily spend hours hiking and birdwatching around the property, rocking on the porch, and getting your fill of locally sourced seafood and the fresh harvest from the inn’s garden.
For the Sporting Set
Sea IslandThe Cloister at Sea Island.
Sea Island’s reputation precedes itself. For nearly 100 years, the destination—which is both the barrier island and a privately owned resort community—has cultivated a cultish loyalty. So if it feels like everyone knows everyone, you’re not imagining it. “It was, and still is, generational,” says Wheeler Bryan Jr., Sea Island’s historian. Repeat guests have their favorite fishing spots on the marshes, their preferred horses for rides on the private stretch of coast, and their regular orders at the River Bar—and they’re on a first-name basis with the staff at the beach club and shooting school.
There are a number of accommodation options here, from the Sea Island cottages to the Lodge or the Inn, both on nearby St. Simons Island, but the Cloister is very much the beating heart of the marque. Designed by Addison Mizner, of Palm Beach and Boca Raton fame, the Spanish Mediterranean-style building balances its grand and historic reputation with good old-fashioned Southern hospitality. It also has the best sunset views over the Black Banks River.
For such a small island—just 5 miles long and 1.5 miles at its widest—Sea Island feels vast, thanks in large part to the range of activities suited for those of a sporting persuasion. “Our golf is extraordinary, and we are home to two PGA Tour courses and one of the best golf performance schools in the country,” says Bryan, who also recommends a cruise on the Sea Island Explorer, horseback riding on Rainbow Island, and a visit to the 5,800-acre Broadfield Sporting Club to try your hand at falconry. Or just luxuriate in Sea Island’s particular brand of leisure: “There is something about the sand on the beach, the marsh swaying in the breeze, and the shrimp cocktail in the dining room.”
Contrarian Wisdom: Golfers will be in heaven along the Georgia coast, thanks to its healthy sprinkling of championship courses, but you don’t need a low handicap to make the most of your trip. Opportunities for birding, horseback riding, fishing, and hiking are just as plentiful—and scenic.
For the Amateur Historian
Jekyll Island Authority
Newport may have been the preferred summer retreat of the Gilded Age elite, but in the winter, the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Astors, and Morgans migrated south to Jekyll Island, where the scene centered around its eponymous private club. Some loved it so much they stayed for several months. “For over half a century, they shaped the island to their tastes,” says Andrea Marroquin, curator at Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum. They brought their architects with them too, commissioning the likes of Horace Cleveland to do their gardens and landscaping, and Carrère and Hastings and Charles Alling Gifford to build their “cottages.” These are now sprinkled around the 240-acre Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District, which you can explore via the Landmark Trolley Tour.
Jekyll Island’s chapter as a private club was, in the grand scheme of things, relatively short-lived. In 1947, Georgia purchased the island and opened it as a state park the following year. In the ’80s, the historic clubhouse was transformed into a hotel: the Jekyll Island Club Resort.
Jekyll Island AuthorityJekyll Island Club Resort.
In its modern incarnation, that old aura of hyper-exclusivity has given way to what Marroquin describes as a “unique balance of preservation and access. Development is limited, historic sites are protected, and large portions of the island remain natural.” Yes, there is enough infrastructure to support the community as a vacation destination—from tee times at Jekyll Island Golf Club to live music, fresh seafood, and frozen cocktails at The Wharf—but it’s also incredibly easy to immerse yourself in the quiet that blankets the salt marshes, maritime forests, and ethereal places like Driftwood Beach, with its ancient, sun-bleached tree trunks scattered and half-buried in the sand. Driftwood will make for a dramatic photo backdrop, though it’s not so much for swimming and sunning—for that, go to Great Dunes.
For the Aspiring Naturalist
Benjamin Galland
Although you’re never more than a quick ramble from nature on the Georgia coast, Little St. Simons Island—a private barrier island with an all-inclusive guest lodge that is only reachable via ferry from St. Simons—is a full immersion into undeveloped territory. Alligators, snakes, egrets, and loggerhead turtles are common sightings, and fishing tackle, binoculars, and bug spray are absolutely essential.
“Little St. Simons is here today, the way it exists, because a little over a hundred years ago, there was a gentleman fishing on what we call Mosquito Creek,” says Jamie Pazur, general manager of the Lodge on Little St. Simons Island. He reported his findings—an island teeming with cedar trees—back to his bosses at Eagle Pencil Company, who bought the island in 1908 with the intention of turning the wood into pencils. The warped trees were deemed unusable for the drawing utensils, so instead, Eagle president Philip Berolzheimer purchased the island from his employer and turned it into a private retreat for his family. Fast forward to 2015, when the current owners, the Paulson family, placed the island into a conservation easement with the Nature Conservancy.
“The island is now protected forever; nobody can ever mess with it,” Pazur says. “What we offer to guests is the ability to see what a piece of this coast looked like since the beginning of time—and a promise that we’re going to keep it that way.”
Cassie Wright PhotographyThere are 32 rooms spread out over a collection of homes and cottages at the Lodge at Little St. Simons Island.
At any given time, there are a maximum of 32 guests across the 16 rooms at the Lodge, with 11,000 surrounding acres to explore. The breakfast bell signals the start of the day, “adult summer camp” style. Over family-style pancakes or eggs Benedict, the resident naturalists will chat with you about the day’s activities, whether it’s kayaking along tidal creeks, shelling along the seven miles of beach, joining a truck tour of the wildlife blinds, or attending a discussion on owls or sea turtles. If you’d rather grab a fishing pole or go for a solo hike, the Lodge has everything you need for that, too—picnic lunch included.
As for what to pack, the vibe is casual: technical fishing shirts, a flannel for chilly nights, boots you aren’t afraid to get a little pluff mud on. “We don’t do any dressing up out here,” Pazur. “It’s not fancy.”
Lydia Mansel is a travel journalist based in Virginia. She’s a frequent contributor to Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and Southern Living, among other publications, and she specializes in destinations across the American South and West, as well as the United Kingdom.
