Georgia's National Park Service Cumberland Island National Seashore Field Trips for Teachers - Sun, Sand, Beautiful Vistas and a Relaxing Atmosphere await you! Cumberland Island is GA's largest and southernmost barrier island.
Cumberland Island Fee Waivers & Form
Pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes whisper the stories of both man and nature. Come walk in the footsteps of early natives, explorers, and wealthy industrialists.
There are three criteria to qualify for an academic fee waiver: eligibility, educational purpose, and relevance of park resources or facilities.
Eligibility National or international applicants must prove they are a school or bona fide academic institution by submitting one of the following types of documentation:
A statement confirming educational or scientific tax exemption from the IRS or the applicant's national, state, or local tax authority; or
A statement, from a bona fide academic institution meeting one of these eligibility standards, confirming that the group is visiting for the purpose of providing transferable academic credit based on a curriculum; or
A statement of accreditation or recognition as an educational institution from a legitimate international, national, regional, sate, or local authority for the applicant's location.
Educational Purpose of the Visit Applicants must provide a written statement (documentation) verifying that the visit supports a specific curriculum for which academic credit is offered.
Relevance to Park Resources or Facilities Relevance to the park resources must be described. Applicants must provide a written statement identifying the park resources and/or facilities that will be used to support the educational purpose of the visit, and how they are relevant to that purpose.
Click on web page link below. Link to the fee waiver form is on this page. http://www.nps.gov/cuis/forteachers/index.htm - Print Entrance Fee Waiver Form, complete and fax to 912-882-6284 or mail to P.O. Box 806, St Marys, GA 31558.
Operating Hours & Seasons
Visitor Center is open daily 8am to 4:30 pm, Monday - Sunday. Park facilities are closed for Christmas on December 25. Cumberland Island is located 7 miles east of St. Marys, Georgia, and is only accessible by water. A concession operated passenger ferry departs from St. Marys. The ferry boat schedule follows: (Reservations Recommended) Spring/Summer/Fall (March 1st to November 30th) – The ferry departs St. Marys at 9:00am and 11:45am, and departs from Cumberland Island at 10:15am and 4:45pm. (March 1 to September 30 - Wednesday through Saturday there is also a 2:45 p.m. departure from the island.) Winter (December 1st to February 28th) - The ferry does not operate on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and there is no 2:45pm departure from the island. However, the two departure times from St. Marys and Cumberland Island remain the same.
The ferry does not transport pets, bicycles, kayaks, or cars. Charter services are available through NPS concessionaire. Reservations are required for Ferry Ride and camping.
Fees & Reservations
Ferry Fees - $17 Adult, $12 for 12 and under, $15 Senior [65 and over]. No pets are allowed.
Back Country Camping Fees - $4 person per day. Campers are required to pay Entrance Fee. Sea Camp Fees - $4 person per day. Campers are required to pay the Entrance Fee. Entrance Fees - $4 per visit. No entrance fees will be collected from individuals under the age of 16 years old. No camping fees will be collected from individuals under the age of 2 years old
Phone & Directions to Island
Phone: 912-882-4336 ext. 254 - Directions: Follow Hwy 40 East off Interstate 95 to St. Marys. The visitor center and ferry dock are located at the waterfront.
Interesting Cumberland Island Facts
There are many endangered species that rely on barrier islands such as Cumberland. They include wood storks, piping plovers, least terns, gopher tortoises, manatees and sea turtles.
Cumberland Island’s human history spans nearly 4000 years and features time periods including early native peoples, the Colonial expansion, the Plantation Era, the Gilded Age and finally its designation as a protected National Seashore.
The First African Baptist Church was established in 1893, and rebuilt in the 1930’s. The church was the site of the September 1996 wedding of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
Each summer Cumberland Island National Seashore participates in a Youth Conservation Corps program. This program is designed to promote environmental awareness and management of our natural resources. The participants are selected from the local high school and are between the ages of 15 and 18.
Cumberland Island Georgia contains 4 major historic districts and 87 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as the oldest known ceramics in North America and shell middens from early natives.
Cumberland Island provides important habitat for a number of species including threatened and endangered shore birds such as American Oystercatchers, Least Terns, and Wilson’s Plovers. The island is an important stopover point for migrating birds on the transatlantic migratory flyway.
Cumberland Island Map
