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| Nature Preserve Wetlands Centers & National Wildlife Refuges |
Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge - Enjoy sports fishing for largemouth bass, wildlife, boating, observation and nature photography. Open half an hour after sunrise.
Amenities: Parking, Public Restrooms and Accessibility for mobility-impaired.
Phone: 921-496-7836 - Free entrance: 2700 Suwannee Canal Road, Folkston, Georgia 31537 |
| Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge - Half of the island is designated as a national wilderness area, with trails, beaches, birding and fishing. Free to the public. Amenities: Public restrooms. Open: Daily Sunrise to Sunset. Phone: 843-784-2468– Address: Blackbeard Island, Georgia 31305 |
Cay Creek Wetland Interpretive Center - Take the boardwalk and see marsh wetlands, native plants and wildlife. Open: Mon.-Fri. 8a.m.-4p.m. Free.
Amenities: Parking, Public Restrooms, Accessibility for mobility-impaired
Phone: 912-884-3344 – Address: 189 Charlie Butler Rd., Midway, Georgia 31320 |
| Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge is 2,824 acres of saltwater, marshes and woods. It offers habitats attracting many species of birds. Over 15 miles of paved roads and trails offer visitor access. Phone: 912-832-4608 - Address: Hwy. 17 and Harris Neck Rd., Townsend, GA 31331 |
Little Tybee Island - Just south of Tybee is Little Tybee Island, a wilderness island of marches, forests, and pristine uninhabited beaches. Activities: Beachcombing, fishing, picnicking, bird watching, nature hiking, kayaking, camping. No pets allowed.
Open 7 days a week. Some areas are posted off limits. Admission is free.
Please Be Aware: Approaching these islands, which must be done in a boat, can be very tricky even for experts. Be very aware of the tides. Many have gotten their boats stuck on shoals and had to wait 12 hours for a rising tide to carry them out. The water is shallow and the currents can be treacherous and deadly if you try to swim to the islands. Some get as close as they can, anchor their boat, and wade ashore. If you do this, you may want to consider leaving someone in the boat who can keep an eye on the tides.
Directions: All three islands are south of Tybee Island. There are no roads to these islands, so a boat must be used to reach them. Novice boaters may want to charter a nature cruise from a charter service out of the marinas listed here. It can be confusing trying to understand where one island begins and another one ends, so a nautical chart is necessary. The islands can be approached from the north end from Marlin Marina on Tybee Island, phone (912) 786-7508; the southern end from the Bull River Marina, phone (912) 897-7300; or Hogan's Marina on Wilmington Island, phone (912) 897-3474. |
Ossabaw Island - Accessible only by boat, this is Georgia's third-largest barrier island. Offers hiking, guided campling trips, scheduled group hunts and public beaches. Ossabaw Island on the Georgia coast…26,000 acres of maritime forest, tidal wetlands, wide beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. An unspoiled place set aside by the State of Georgia as a heritage preserve for natural, scientific, and cultural study, research, and education. Twenty minutes by boat from Savannah, yet worlds apart.
Ossabaw Island--where loggerhead sea turtles and endangered wood storks nest. Where students learn research techniques and the value of an unspoiled place. Where historic cultures are studied. Where photographers, writers, painters and musicians find inspiration. Call or visit website for more info. Phone: 912-727-2112 or 912-262-3173 - Address: 22814 GA Hwy. 144 - Website: http://www.ossabawisland.org/ |
| Savannah National Wildlife Refuge is a 29,000-acre refuge offers hiking, picnicking and wildlife viewing. Open: Sunrise-Sunset. Free. Amenities: Parking, Public Restrooms and Accessibility for mobility-impaired. Phone: 843-784-2468 – Address: South on Georgia Hwy 25, Savannah, Georgia 31405 |
| Gardens - Nature Trail - Marine Sanctuary & Swamp Park |
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Bamboo Farm and Costal Gardens is the oldest and largest collection of bamboo for public viewing on North America. Open: Call for hours. Free (donations excepted).
Amenities: Parking, Public Restrooms, Accessibility for mobility-impaired
Phone: 912-921-5460 – Address: 2 Canebrake Rd., Savannah, Georgia 31419 |
| Chatham County Garden Center and Botanical Garden - Beautiful gardens and an 1840s farmhouse located on 10 acres in south Savannah. Open daily from sunrise to sunset. Amenities: Parking, Public Restrooms, Accessibility for mobility-impaired. Free, but donations accepted. Note: fee for guided tours. Phone: 912-355-3883 - Address: 1388 Eisenhower Dr., Savannah, Georgia |
Earth Day Nature Trail features a wading-bird habitat, an osprey and eagle nesting platform, wildlife observation decks and an observation tower. Open: Daily Sunrise-Sunset. Free. Amenities: Parking, Public Restrooms, Accessibility for mobility-impaired
Phone: 912-264-7218 – Address: One Conservation Way, Ste. 300, Brunswick, Georgia 31520 |
Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary - About 20 miles off Sapelo Island, this reef is one if the largest near-shore live-bottom reefs in the SE. Open: Mon.-Fri. 8a.m.-5p.m.. Free.
Phone: 912-598-2345 - Address: 10 Ocean Science Cir., Savannah, Georgia 31411 |
Okefenokee Swamp Park is located in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the Okefenokee Swamp Park is a magnificent show-window for this natural wonderland.
Phone: 912-496-7836 – Address: US 1 S., Waycross, Georgia 31501 |
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| Outdoor Walking & Driving Tours |
| The Altamaha Historic Scenic Byway displays a collage of history; from Guale Indians and 16th and 17th century Spanish missionaries to the pre-colonial occupation of Fort King George; from hardy Scottish Highland soldiers and colonists to the rice and cotton planters who succeeded them. Descendants of early African slaves who built the 19th-century plantations live in the area today, contributing their culture and traditions to life in communities scattered along the byway. The Geechee community still survives on Sapelo Island and descendants of the 177 Scottish Highlanders who first settled Darien are scattered throughout McIntosh County. Enhanced by the archaeological remnants of a long ago era, this byway adds a rich cultural and historical note to the ecological beauty found in the present. Byway map, pictures and route directions. |
Blackshear Civil War Prison Camp - Visit this historic site of a Civil War prison. The prison was an open camp in an out-of-the-way place, surrounded by a guardline, including some heavy artillery pieces. It was considered as a 'corral for human beings.' The prison guards were mainly from the 2nd Georgia Reserve Regiment and 3 companies of the 4th Georgia Reserves.
Phone: 912-449-7044 – Address: Hwy 203 N., Blackshear, Georgia 31516 |
| Bonaventure Cemetery is the final resting place for several of Savannah’s most famous residents. Self-guided tours available. Open: Daily 8a.m.-5p.m. Free. Amenities: Parking, Public Restrooms, Accessibility for mobility-impaired Phone: 912-651-6843 – Address: 330 Bonaventure Rd., Savannah, Georgia 31404 |
| Colonial Park Cemetery - This burial ground is believed to be the gravesite of Button Gwinnett, one of the three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence. Open: Daily 8am - 5 pm. Amenities: Parking - Phone: 912-651-6843 - Address: 201 E. Oglethorpe Ave., Savannah, Georgia 31401 |
| Folkston Funnel Platform - On the east side of the CSX main line in Flokston, gather with other train-watchers to view approaching northbound and southbound trains. Open Daily. Amenities: Parking, Public Restrooms and Accessibility for mobility-impaired. Free admission. Phone: 912-496-2536 - Location: Folkston Funnel Rd., Folkston, GA |
| Geechee Heritage Cultural Tours are a collaboration of scholars and Gullah-Geechee researchers that have developed historical celebrations of the Georgia sea island history and culture. Phone: 912-631-7761 – Address: 2218 Bull St., Savannah, Georgia 31401 |
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George Bancroft SSBN-643 Sail Exhibit - The sail of this decommissioned submarine is on display outside the security gate. Daily. Free. Phone: 912-882-2782
Address: Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, 102 St. Marys Street, St. Marys, Georgia 31558 |
Historic Walking Tours of Savannah will let you discover the splendor of historic mansion, churches and the moss-draped oaks through the square of this enchanting city.
Phone: 912-233-0119 – Address: 135 Bull St., Savannah, Georgia 31401 |
Laurel Grove South Cemetery - Dedicated on 1852 to the burial of slaves and free persons of color, this is the resting place of many of Savannah’s early prominent African-Americans.
Open: Daily 8a.m.-5p.m. Free. Amenities: Parking, and Accessibility for mobility-impaired.
Phone: 912-651-6772 – Address: 2101 Kollock St., Savannah, Georgia 31401 |
McIntosh Sugar Mill Ruins - These ruins are believed to have been built in the late 1820's. It is a tabby structure with very thick walls. At the time the sugarhouse was constructed, it is believed that thick-walled buildings such as this tabby one built by McIntosh were essential to insure the warmth needed for Superior production of sugar.
Phone: 912-882-4000 or Toll Free 800-868-8687 - Located Downtown St. Marys, Georgia 31558 Directions I-95, Exit 3 to Hwy 40. St. Marys |
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Colonial Coast GA Travel Region Printable Map
GA Coast and Islands:
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