St. Simons Island, Georgia Vacation Spots

St. Simons Island is of the largest and most developed of Georgia's renowned Golden Isles. The easily-walkable town is a great place for a leisurely bike ride or boating trip, to explore trails and inland lakes and the rich coastal estuaries and marshes. Dolphin-watching excursions and eco tours are very popular, as are golf, delicious seafood and simply relaxing on the sand.

There are two white-sand public beaches on St. Simon's Island, Massingale Park Beach on Ocean Boulevard and Coast Guard Station Beach on East Beach Causeway. Both have a bathhouse and lifeguard on duty 11am-4pm during the summer. Parking is free in designated areas and fishing is allowed from 4 to 10pm. Remember to bring plastic bottles only, as glass isn't allowed on the sand at either beach. Barry's Beach Service, located at Coast Guard Station Beach under the gold umbrella, rents catamarans, sailboats, kayaks, boogie boards and windsurfs. Sailboat rides and lessons are also available.

St. Simons Island is home to the largest number of piers in the state of Georgia. From the harbor you can charter deep-sea fishing and sport-fishing boats that routinely catch sea trout, spots, croaker, whiting, red and black drum, weakfish, sheepshead, cobia, grunts, false albacore, mackerel, bluefish, king mackerel, flounder, and bonito. Enjoy dolphin-watching and ecological tours, or venture out on your own in a motorboat, jet ski or yacht that can be rented or chartered from Golden Isles Marina Docks. Just beyond the piers are rich coastal estuaries and miles of marshland. A one-hour Salt Marsh Nature Tour will take you past large marsh-front houses, by the ruins of the Couper Plantation House at cannon's Point and by Little St. Simons Island. You'll usually spot a dolphin or two along the way. Longer tours go down the Hampton River to Pelican Spit, where you can explore a sand bar and look for shells, or to a nearby plantation. Day and overnight kayaking tours are also available.

There are many things to do on land as well. Guided nature walks and narrated trolley tours of the island are popular. Kids will love the Honey Creek Coastal Encounters Nature Center, a hands-on environmental education center for all ages, offering a variety of educational programs that include beach and salt marsh ecology walks, plankton labs, and summer camps for children. Relax at Neptune Park, an oceanfront public park that has picnic tables under stately oak trees, a children's playground, a miniature golf course, lots of benches for relaxing by the sea, a fishing pier and even a bandstand where events are held throughout the year. The Coastal Center for the Arts, a 12,000 square foot regional art center, promotes local St. Simons Island artists and other Georgia artists in its six galleries. You will also find several golf courses and tennis courts on the island.

St. Simon's Island is full of history. You can visit the 104-ft St. Simon's Lighthouse, reconstructed in 1872. Climb to the top of the lighthouse for a spectacular view of the Island. In the summer, on select Sundays, you can enjoy concerts on the Lighthouse lawn. Fort Frederica National Monument, the military headquarters of the Province of Georgia during the early colonial period, has on display archaeological remnants of a fort and town built by James Oglethorpe between 1736 and 1748. Hiking and nature trails are on site and historical tours are available. Nearby is the site of the Battle of Bloody Marsh, where on July 7, 1742, the British ambushed Spanish troops marching single file through the marsh. This marked the end of the Spanish efforts to invade Georgia during the War of Jenkins' Ear.

The island features a wide variety of eateries in the main part of town. In addition to American and international cuisine, seafood is very popular. Make sure to sample crab legs, raw oysters, soft-shelled crab, shrimp and grits, or she-crab soup while you're here, or taste local favorite Confederate bean soup, a mixture of onions, celery, bacon, sausages, ham stock, brown sugar, baked beans, and lots and lots of cream.

In St. Simon's Pier Village District you'll find many quality antique stores, selling 18th and 19th century English, French, and American antiques and vintage furniture and accessories. One store sells Colonial antiques from South Africa, India, Malaysia, and Asia. There are also vintage clothing stores and bookshops in town.

Spend the night at a bed & breakfast or any of the historic inns, hotels or motels around the island. A majority of the accommodations are located on or near Demere road, next to the airport. The rest are scattered to the north. Treat yourself to a night at Sea Island, a five-star luxury golf and beach resort.

Only 80 miles south of Savannah, Georgia, a vacation stop on the largest of the Golden Isles is a must. Feel free to leave your car at the city gate and get around this easily-accessible town on bike or by foot.