January 22 – February 1 Savannah, Georgia
Skidaway Island State Park
What do you think of when you think of Georgia? Atlanta? Savannah? Augusta? Columbus? Florence (Buc-ee's)? Did you know that the coast of Georgia has hundreds of miles of barrier islands?
We are continually drawn to these sandy areas of nature. They aren’t quite hidden gems anymore as over the years, many traveling peeps like us, have discovered these gorgeous areas.
We landed at Skidaway Island State Park for 10 glorious days, amongst the tropical foliage and majestic oak trees draped with Spanish moss (air plants). The weather was a bit coolish and it rained a couple days. Enough so that the eerie fog rolled in amongst the jungle….We had many critter visitors too……
Great hiking trails around the park. We saw lots of wildlife and “signs” of wildlife. What’s called Alligator Holes was quite evident in many areas. Embedded deep into the woods, were the remnants of moonshine still. Pretty cool!!! Towards the end of our hike, we had a close encounter with a beautiful Egret.
Savannah has all of the charm you would expect from the south. River Street, along Savannah’s historic waterfront, is the best place in town to walk the cobblestone streets, grab a bite to eat, and stroll along the water to watch the ships come and go. Parking is uh….tight….but we managed to get Journey into a spot – whew!!!
With so much history in the city and many memorial statues, we had no trouble getting our steps in while we perused the many blocks and streets, in awe of the remarkable architecture before our eyes!!!
Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island. This is where the Union Army successfully tested rifled cannons in combat during the Civil war in 1862. It was also used as a prisoner-of-war camp.
Tybee Island (a barrier island) was a short drive from Fort Pulaski. It’s a quirky and colorful beach town, where coastal charm meets laid-back beach vibes. It’s a 3 square mile enclave jam-packed with local shopping, dining, bike trails, restaurants, lodging, and best of all, white sand beaches!! A great day trip….
Jekyll Island (a barrier island) about 90 miles south of Skidaway, was another great day trip to a truly hidden gem. Lunch was in order and we found just the place – overlooking the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. With full tummies, we headed to Driftwood Beach, ranked #3 in the US as a traveler’s beach. A prime example of “Ghost Forests” – a type of forest erosion caused by rising sea levels. Hundreds of massive dead oaks bleached by the sun, wind, and tide. What a spectacular scene of sand and surf!!!!!
A cotton and indigo plantation was established by The DuBignon’s. In 1886 until 1947 the grounds were developed in a resort – The Jekyll Island Club. Tycoons of New York City wintered in the upscale environment. Once reserved for families such as the Goodyear’s, Pulitzers, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilt’s and such, the aftermath of The Great Depression made it so all can enjoy!
The Jekyll Island Club Resort receives financial support from Georgia State Parks and the Jekyll Island Authority, in order to maintain the historic “Millionaire’s Village”. The restored island homes are charmingly furnished with what they should look like.
As the sun started to sink, we drove to the opposite end of the island to walk the virtually deserted beach. We were in our glory – within 5 minutes we had found our 1st sand dollar. The hunt was on!!!!!
It was almost dark as we made our way back to the parking lot. Wait!! What was that? Is that an Armadillo? Do they have Armadillo’s in Georgia? Well I’ll be – they sure do. Who knew? Oh and let’s not forget all of the deer was saw too!!
Good times…………and we’ll be back!!!
