ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA

St. Simons Island is nestled between Sea Island, Jekyll Island, and Little St. Simons Island, just off the Georgia Coast. The Island’s rich historic past dates back to the 1700’s, when under the leadership of General James Edward Oglethorpe, English and German colonist defended Georgia’s Southern frontier against the Spaniards. The site where the battle between Spain and England climaxed, Bloody Marsh, and the ruins of General Oglethorpe’s colony, Fort Frederica, are visible today. Also of historical significance, St. Simons Island is home to Christ Church, founded by John and Charles Wesley in the early 1700’s. Many notable St. Simons Island residents, including Eugenia Price, are buried in the adjoining historic cemetery. A fully operational and tourable lighthouse, rebuilt in 1872 after confederate forces destroyed the original structure, still lights the way for ships in the sound. The Island's invitingly mild weather is ideal for beachcombing, golfing, boating, fishing, shopping, or exploring. After an eventful day of sightseeing, unwind in one of the many delectable Island eateries. From casual to gourmet, from Italian to Continental, the options are mouth-watering! Savor fresh seafood, including genuine Georgia wild white shrimp, hand-cut steaks, unique pastas, southern cuisine, and more.

If your St. Simons Island stay includes a weekend, join the locals for a stroll through the Village area. You’ll discover antique shows, arts and crafts fairs, and a variety of cultural pursuits, including Jazz in the Park and The Island Players. Visit the Lighthouse Museum and climb to the top for the best view on the Island!

Throughout St. Simons Island and the surrounding coastline, giant oaks draped with Spanish moss, panoramic marsh vistas and coastal wild life delight the senses.

From the comfort of The Beach Club, St. Simons Grand, North Breakers, 760 Ocean Boulevard, King and Prince Villa, or other private St. Simons Island Vacation Rental, you’re ready to partake in all the great adventures offered by Southeast Coastal Georgia. So, pack your spikes and your flip-flops and join us at the Coast!

MAINLAND, GEORGIA (BRUNSWICK)

Enjoy the charming neighborhoods of Old Town Brunswick with their interesting Victorian architecture, grand turn-of-the-century residences, and historic downtown shopping district. This quaint city, founded in 1771 and centered around the Port of Brunswick, was named for the ancestral home of England’s King George II. The bustling waterfront plays an important role in the economic and social fabric of the community. Here, the Liberty Ship Memorial Plaza, shrimp boats, casino ships, a marina, and Mary Ross Waterfront Park invite exploration and relaxation, while vessels of all types arrive and depart from and to ports scattered around the world. View the famous Marshes of Glynn, immortalized by Sidney Lanier, Georgia’s Poet Laureate, Lover’s Oak, and Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation.

Brunswick, the economic center of Glynn County and the Golden Isles, is only a short drive away from Jacksonville, Florida and Savannah, Georgia. The area is accessible by Interstate 95 and the Glynco Jetport, home to daily jet passenger service to Atlanta, Georgia. The city is sheltered by the protective curve of the Georgia Coastline and is the westernmost location on the eastern seaboard, approximately 80 nautical miles west of the continental shelf. The community enjoys a sub-tropical climate and a gentle Atlantic seabreeze.

JEKYLL ISLAND, GEORGIA

Jekyll Island, located just south of St. Simons Island, is a State Park and Nature Preserve highlighted by wide swaths of sandy beaches, public golf courses, a convention center with excellent accommodations, a family water park, and a fascinating historic district. Known now for its abundant natural beauty and interesting varieties of wildlife, Jekyll Island was the former playground of the Carnegies, Rockefellers, Pulitzers and other of the richest families in the country. Historians estimate that one-sixth of the world’s wealthiest people were members of the Jekyll Island Club in the early years of the twentieth century. Visit their homes at the Millionaires’ Village located in Jekyll Island’s historic district.

Now a state park, Jekyll Island is owned by the State of Georgia. Residents lease the land on which their homes are located. By state law, only a small portion of Jekyll Island can be developed; most of the land will forever remain in its natural, pristine state.

Activities on Jekyll Island take advantage of the mild, sub-tropical climate of the area, and include golf, fishing, boating, kayaking, beachcombing, biking, hiking and experiencing history of the area.

LITTLE ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA

Virtually untouched for centuries, Little St. Simons Island is a privately owned, coastal barrier island. Because visitors to the island are limited, its beaches, highlighted by untouched sand dunes, maritime forests, and shimmering marshes, remain in their natural pristine state. Once owned by Major Pierce Butler, the owner of Hampton Plantation on St. Simons Island, Little St. Simons was eventually inherited by his grandson, Pierce Butler II. The younger Butler’s wife, the actress Fanny Kemble, described visits to the island in her book, Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation in 1838-39.

Reservations are required to visit Little St. Simons Island. A private boat ferries visitors from Hampton River Club Marina to the island. The cost of accommodations, food, and recreational activities such as horseback riding, fishing, and kayaking are all-inclusive.

SEA ISLAND, GEORGIA

In 1924, Howard Coffin, founder of the Hudson Motor Company, purchased the “Isle of Palms,” now known around the world as Sea Island. Here, he built The Cloister, an intimate resort that offered good food, relaxation and exercise. From the beginning, Sea Island sought to attract a special clientele. The resort identified its target market as businessmen burdened by heavy responsibilities for whom a visit to Sea Island would rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit. Early ads appealed to visitors to “find a wealth of romance and history to charm your mind while nature mends jaded nerves.” Soon after its opening, The Cloister attracted Calvin Coolidge, John D. Rockefeller, Edsel Ford, Thomas Dewey, Eugene O’Neill and other great personages of the early and mid-twentieth century. In 2004, President George W. Bush hosted the G8 Summit on the island. Today, many of the world’s wealthiest and most prominent people come to Sea Island to relax and socialize.

WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE OF THE GOLDEN ISLES

Visit the quaint village of Woodbine, GA, where the crawfish festival draws visitors and locals alike, observe alligators and 100’s of species of birds in the natural environment of Okeefenokee Swamp, explore historic Savannah, GA, Sapelo Island, Cumberland Island, and picturesque St. Marys, GA. One of the area’s most interesting historical cemeteries is located in Midway, GA, a short drive north on Interstate 95. On your return trip from Midway, stop for lunch on the waterfront in Darien, GA. and tour Ft. King George, site of one of the area’s first defensive battlements.

If you enjoy birding, a canoe or boat excursion along The Altamaha River should be on your “to do” list while in the area. This watershed ranks among the most biologically rich river systems along the Atlantic seaboard. With a floodplain up to 5 miles wide at some points, the watershed sustains globally rare natural communities, including the only known example of old-growth longleaf pine-black oak forest in the county. The river supports numerous imperiled species.

MORE ABOUT:

Golfing | Fishing | Dining | Points of Interest

Lighthouse Museum | Fort Frederica | Christ Church | Avenue of Oaks | Marshes of Glynn | Coast Guard Station | Birding | Wildlife

Visit the St. Simons Island Travel Guide from AOL Travel.