Leaving our Florida beach house Tuesday to return to Ohio. Being retired, we are in no hurry to get there. We thought we would spend a couple days in St Augustine then up to Savannah, turn left and continue on to Ohio. ANY ideas for things to do or places to stay along the way would be appreciated. Is anyone familiar with St Mary's Ga? It's about an hour and a half from St Augustine and looks like a nice place to spend a few hours. Thanks for any suggestions you can give.

Hi cd,

In addition to St. Mary's, GA, I'm not sure what other suggestions you are asking seeking.

Are you familiar with St. Augustine, or do you need ideas for there?

Hi Orlando_Vic

I guess I was not clear, I was giving our route and hoping for suggestions for day trips from St Augustine or Savannah. Places other Fodorites have foumd to be of interest. St Mary's is an example of a place I have never heard of but looks like an interesting place for lunch and a walk along the water. We love to explore and stroll and have drinks in new places. We love nature and wildlife.

Just north of Jacksonville, check out the historical attractions at Amelia Island & Fernandina Beach, particularly the Downtown Fernandina Beach Historic District. You can download a visitors guide here: http://tinyurl.com/aee9ro

I'm not sure why your title includes Apalachicola, Florida. There's not a lot to it, imo.
There are a few good places to eat & some shops to browse. A sleepy southern bayside town. If you were going though there anyway, I'd stop, but it seems way out of your way.

Thanks Orlando_Vic We will definitely check out Fernandina Beach Historic district!

olesouthernbelle, we are in Apalachicola now, well, Cape San Blas...I was just giving our beginning route in case there is something along the way that would be of interest between Apalachicola and St Augustine.

From Apalachicola to St Augustine, depending on how you choose your route, you could visit some neat places along the St. Johns River. But avoid the larger cities. One spot about 40-50 miles east of Ocala on Fla highway 40 is the Blackwater Inn restaurant near Astor, an old place typical of times past along the river. There are other spots a little closer to St Augustine, if you drive along the east side of the St Johns.

St Marys is a spot where I have spent a few nights in the old inn right on the river. (Don't recall the name precisely, but it's something like Riverview Inn) There isn't very much in St Marys except some antique shops and a few restaurants, but it's a great place to just relax, walk around, or maybe catch the shuttle boat that takes you on a river excursion.

South of Tallahasse is Wakulla Springs, where the early Tarzan movies were filmed. It's an incrediby clear and beautiful spring, one of the largest flow rates in the country, generating a river (Wakulla River) that flows south toward the Gulf. There's a wonderful old inn there (I think the correct name is Wakulla Springs Lodge) but you will know it when you get there. If you like the glass-bottom boat excursions into that crystal clear water, they can be fun too.

Just off I-75 near Brunswick, Ga is the Eighth Air Force Museum, with lots of historic items from WWII mostly. The guides are retired USAF personnel for the most part. This is a real jewel and something that people are just beginning to discover.

Islands along the Georgia coast are plentiful, and each is worthy of visiting -- but don't try to see them all. When you reach Savannah, you will have armed yourself ahead of time with tons of recommendations for that wonderful city, so I won't dwell on that.

That's enough for now. When I think of some other stuff, I'll make another note. Good luck.

Thanks Wayne. We will take #98 to #27 and then by looking at the map, it gets a little muddled. We will rely on our GPS so don't know exactly what way we will be going but I think St Johns river is futher to the south. The museum in Brunswick sounds interesting. You did mean 1-95 not 1-75 right?

Yes, I meant I-95. Sorry for the mistake.

Thanks everyone!

Orlando_Vic, we have decided to spend a couple days at Fernandina Beach, it's exactly what we were looking for. For budget reasons I think we will stay at the Florida House Inn, I know it is small but it sounds charming. Thanks again

Just remember not to hit Savannah around 3/17 Day celebrations - you don't sound like the type for drunken street parties.

smalltowngem
That's a great site! Thanks, Ive bookmarked it. We will at least take a few hrs to drive Jekyll, it's been yrs since we've been there. The Day's Inn looks like a possibility if we want to stay. Oceanside rooms for $103.00

Gail, actually I find drunken street parties intertaining.

I would also suggest Amelia Island. I hope you check back as I am curious as to what you think about the Florida House. We stayed there frequently until it changed hands 3 or 4 years ago, the restaurant changed, the bar was redone & it basically lost the atmosphere & locals that made it a great place to stay, as well as 'hang out'.

1] A night in Wakulla Springs Lodge [see above] is a must. After dinner, sit by the huge log fire & swap stories with the other guests. You may need to book ahead.
2] Read "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil", John Berendt, for an insight into the colourful life of Savannah!

SanParis2
We asked to see a room and the one that was available was across the street. It was cleam but like in a basement so we did not take it. There were other rooms available in the Inn but were the same price as the Hampton Inn which was much nicer and more amenities, which is where we stayed.

That's interesting as I didn't know they even had rooms outside of the main building(s). Many of the other B & B's are awesome, perhaps next time you can try one of those (?). Other than that how is/was you visit. If you are still there, I'd suggest Beech St Grill for dinner & you can easily walk there.

We looked into the Hampton orginally because Scarlett recommended it and we are glad and say thanks. We were upgraded to a suite that overlooks the marina and it is lovely! We ate last night at Bretts Waterway and can recommend it. The food was wonderful but the view is why we went. It sets overlooking the marina and water and is right behind our hotel. Anything having to do with water is a draw for us.

We will walk the little town this morning and then take off for Jykell/St Simons.

Bretts is great for lunch as their soup & specials tend to be very good. Glad you are enjoying your stay, in one of my favorite places. Ft. CLinch is also an interesting stop if you have the time.

We did enjoy Amelia! We then drove to Jekyll. What a wonderful place to retire! A beautiful Island with 20 miles of flat biking/walking trails amoung huge oaks. We spent some time walking the beach but most of our time was spent driving the area and enjoying the historical area.

We then drove to Savannah where we had a terrific meal at The Lady and Sons, spent the night and drove to Hilton Head for lunch at Hudsons on the water, really good food and really good views.

Tonight we arrived home for the first time in 2 1/2 months. Back to the real world. Cable that is out, my car needing a jump because it had set for so long and tires that need air, a dead mouse in my closet that is really freaking me out! Have never had a mouse in the house! Time for a drink.