The Coastal Isles and the Okefenokee
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Coastal Isles and the Okefenokee - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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21. St. Marys Aquatic Center
If the heat has you, and the kids are itching to get wet, head to this full-service water park on the mainland, where you can get an inner tube and relax floating down the Oasis lazy river, hurtle down Splash Mountain, or corkscrew yourself silly sliding down the Orange Crush.
301 Herb Bauer Dr., St. Marys, Georgia, 31558, USA912-673–8118Sight Details
Rate Includes: $11, Summer daily; hrs vary, Closed Oct.–Apr. -
22. St. Simons Lighthouse
One of only five surviving lighthouses in Georgia, the St. Simons Lighthouse has become a symbol of the island. It's been in use since 1872; a predecessor was blown up to prevent its capture by Union troops in the Civil War. The St. Simons Lighthouse Museum, occupying two stories of the lightkeeper's dwelling, tells of the history of the island, the lighthouse, and James Gould, the first lightkeeper of the original lighthouse. The keeper's second-floor quarters contain a parlor, kitchen, and two bedrooms furnished with period pieces, including beds with rope mattress suspension. The last climb of the lighthouse is at 4:30.
101 12th St., St. Simons Island, Georgia, 31522, USA912-638–4666Sight Details
Rate Includes: $12, with combined access to WWII Museum $20, Mon.–Sat. 10–5, Sun. 1:30–5 -
23. Stephen C. Foster State Park
Named for the songwriter who penned "Swanee River," this 120-acre island park is the southwestern entrance to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and offers trips to the headwaters of the Suwannee River, Billy's Island—site of an ancient Indian village—and a turn-of-the-20th-century town built to support logging efforts in the swamp. The park is home to hundreds of species of birds and a large cypress-and-black-gum forest, a majestic backdrop for one of the thickest growths of vegetation in the southeastern United States.
17515 GA 177, Fargo, Georgia, 31631, USA912-637–5274Sight Details
Rate Includes: $5 per vehicle -
24. Summer Waves Water Park
At this 11-acre park more than a million gallons of water are used in the 18,000-square-foot wave pool, waterslides, children's activity pool with two slides, splash zone, and circular river for tubing and rafting. Inner tubes and life vests are provided at no extra charge.
210 S. Riverview Dr., Jekyll Island, Georgia, 31527, USA912-635–2074Sight Details
Rate Includes: $18, Closed Oct.–Apr. -
25. Suwannee Canal Recreation Area
Extensive open areas at the core of the refuge—like the Chesser, Grand, and Mizell Prairies—branch off the man-made Suwannee Canal, accessed via the main entrance to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and contain small natural lakes and gator holes. The prairies are excellent spots for sportfishing and birding, and it's possible to take guided boat tours of the area leaving from the Okefenokee Adventures concession, near the visitor center. The concession also has equipment rentals, and food is available at the Camp Cornelia Cafe. The visitor center has a film, exhibits, and a mechanized mannequin that tells stories about life in the Okefenokee (it sounds hokey, but it's surprisingly informative). A boardwalk takes you over the water to a 50-foot observation tower. Hikers, bicyclists, and private motor vehicles are welcome on Swamp Island Drive; several interpretive walking trails may be taken along the way. Picnicking is permitted.
Folkston, Georgia, 31537, USA912-496–7836Sight Details
Rate Includes: $5 per car -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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26. The First African Baptist Church
This small, one-room church on the north end of Cumberland Island was rebuilt in 1937 to replace a cruder 1893 structure used by former slaves from the High Point–Half Moon Bluff community. Constructed of whitewashed logs, it's simply adorned with a cross made of sticks tied together with string and 11 handmade pews seating 40 people. John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette were married here on September 21, 1996. The Kennedy–Bessette wedding party stayed at the Greyfield Inn, built on the south end of the island in 1900 by the Carnegie family.
Cumberland Island, Georgia, 31558, USA -
27. World War II Home Front Museum
Set in a restored 1936 Coast Guard station and renovated in 2017, this museum—geared as much to kids as adults—features the life of a "Coastie" in the early 1940s, told through personal accounts of the WWII history of St. Simons Island. Exhibits explore how small communities like St. Simons came close to conflict due to the threat of German U-boats just offshore, and how the military shipbuilding industry sprung up in nearby Brunswick. The museum demonstrates how Georgia's Golden Isles were transformed during and after the Second World War and the important role civilians played on the home front.
4201 1st St., St. Simons Island, Georgia, 31522, USA912-638–4666Sight Details
Rate Includes: $12, with combined access to lighthouse $20, Mon.–Sat. 10–noon and 1–5, Sun. 1:30–5
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