Cumberland Island
 

On our way back from another stay, I booked a cabin for two nights at Crooked River State park in Georgia. I was thinking about taking a day-trip by ferry to Cumberland Island with my 9 year old. Just wanted to enjoy the quiet, maybe see some animals, play on the beach. Are there any emergency facilities here? Bathroom facilities? And are any of the mansions/ruins within maybe a mile?

Cmmberland Island is a pretty remote island. I am not sure about restrooms, but there are no emergancy facilities on the island. I think your 9 year old would be very bored.
You may want to consider going to Jekyll or St Simons instead. St Mary's is almost right on your doorstep, and it's a very nice waterfront town.

There is a ranger, but I don't know what sort of emergency facilities there'd be at the station. There are rest rooms at at least one of the ferry landings.

The ruins of the old Carnegie mansion are well within a mile of the first landing (where we got off). You'll most likely also see some of the wild horses in this vicinity.

The beaches are pristine and you will have them to yourself. We did not see another soul along this stretch. We walked from the first landing to the mansion ruins, over the dunes then along the beach and back through a maritime woods to the 2nd landing where we caught the ferry back. Although it was some distance, it was also my first day off crutches so couldn't have been too long or hard...I can't recall now how far a walk it was as it's been probably 8 years since our trip. We all loved it, but you must be ready to "be on your own".

Yes, there are restrooms on the island.
You can join a ranger-led walk/talk as you leave the ferry.
There is no better place I know of for a 9 year old to run and play on a beach. Cumberland will stay in the child's memory forever.

What kind of emergency facilities are you asking about? National park folks are First Responders and you will be taken to a nearby medical facility in case of serious injury. Folks do live and work (research/ park) on the island full-time. I would guess the type of emergency you may be imagining is very rare, but you will have access to quality medical care if needed.

Cumberland feels very isolated, but is not that isolated in actual distance. (And, thank God IMO that such a place still exists).

check this out--

http://www.nps.gov/cuis/

Please notice that you need to take along all food and drinking water.

Your 9 year old might have a ball, he also might be bored stiff and you have to wait on the ferry to leave. He probably would enjoy Jekyll Island just as much. It's not as isolated.

Tour info -
http://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm

For kids -
http://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/justforkids.htm

FAQ -
http://www.nps.gov/cuis/faqs.htm

Hours for ferry (don't miss the ferry back to the mainland) -
http://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Bicycles - you can rent bicycles at Sea Camp -
http://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisi...ies.htm#biking

If s/he likes nature I'd go to Cumberland. It is really beautiful. Take plenty of water and your own food, as another poster suggested.

You are all awesome. I didn't expect such a fast response. As long as there is a ranger station, that covers any freaky emergency situations I think. My son loves nature walks here in Florida, so I am thinking this might be something he likes. And as a fallback we have the beach. I'll probably bring a kite, etc, in case he starts to drive me crazy. It looks beautiful so far.