Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Georgia’s coast runs about 100 miles from the Savannah River to the St. Marys River, and most of it is salt marsh, barrier islands and small towns rather than high-rise beachfront. That makes it one of the quieter coastlines on the East Coast. These are the 20 best things to do on the Georgia coast, grouped from north to south, with a guide to each coastal town. Each pick links to our full page with directions, fees and current conditions. We checked the fees below on October 20, 2026.
- Don’t missSavannah’s squares, Tybee Island, Jekyll’s Driftwood Beach and Cumberland Island
- From AtlantaAbout 4 hours 35 minutes to Savannah and 5 hours 50 minutes to Jekyll Island, without traffic
- Best seasonsApril–May and October–November for mild weather; June–August for the beach
- Heads upAtlantic hurricane season runs June through November; bring insect repellent for the marsh
Savannah and Tybee Island
1. Walk Savannah’s historic squares
James Oglethorpe laid out Savannah in 1733 on a grid of squares, and 22 of them survive, shaded by live oaks and lined with historic houses. Start with our things to do in Savannah guide or the Savannah weekend itinerary.
2. Drive the oak avenue at Wormsloe
A mile-long avenue of live oaks leads to the tabby ruins of Noble Jones’s colonial house, one of the oldest standing structures in Savannah. Adults $12.
3. Stroll Bonaventure Cemetery
Moss-draped oaks, marble angels and a bluff on the Wilmington River make this 1846 cemetery one of Savannah’s most photographed places. Free.
4. See the walls of Fort Pulaski
In April 1862, Union rifled cannons breached this brick fort from more than a mile away, and masonry forts were obsolete overnight. $10 per person ages 16 and up, cards only.
5. Climb the Tybee Island Lighthouse
Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse, 178 steps to the top, with the Tybee Museum at Fort Screven included in the ticket. Closed Tuesdays. See our Tybee Island guide.
6. Paddle to Little Tybee Island
An uninhabited barrier island of marsh, forest and empty beach just south of Tybee, reachable only by kayak or boat. Go with an outfitter if you don’t know the tides.
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The Golden Isles
7. Watch the sunrise on Driftwood Beach
Bleached, fallen trees on the sand at Jekyll Island’s north end make the most famous sunrise photo on the coast. Jekyll charges $10 per vehicle per day to drive onto the island. See our Jekyll Island guide.
8. Tour the Jekyll Island Club historic district
From 1886 the Rockefellers, Morgans and Pulitzers wintered here. The restored club and “cottages” now form a National Historic Landmark district you can walk or tour.
9. Visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center
A working sea turtle hospital on Jekyll, where you can see injured turtles being treated and learn how nesting season works on Georgia’s beaches.
10. Climb the St. Simons Lighthouse
The 1872 lighthouse at the island’s south end, next to the pier, Neptune Park and the shops of the Pier Village. See our St. Simons Island guide.
11. Explore Fort Frederica
Oglethorpe’s 1736 town and fort on St. Simons, where British troops turned back Spain in 1742. Today you walk among the excavated foundations under the oaks.
12. Walk Old Town Brunswick
The mainland port of the Golden Isles, laid out in 1771 on a Savannah-style grid of squares, with Victorian buildings, Lanier’s Oak and shrimp boats on the waterfront. See our Brunswick guide.
Darien, Sapelo and the Quiet Coast
13. Take the ferry to Sapelo Island
A 30-minute ferry from Meridian reaches an island of beaches, the Reynolds Mansion and Hog Hammock, one of the last Gullah Geechee communities on the coast. Visits are by tour or reservation.
14. Visit Fort King George
Built in 1721 near what became Darien, this was the southernmost outpost of the British Empire in North America, years before Georgia was founded. See our Darien guide.
15. Look for birds at Rhett’s Island and Harris Neck
Old rice-field dikes in the Altamaha delta and the Harris Neck refuge near Townsend draw wading birds, ducks and nesting wood storks.
16. See a rice plantation at Hofwyl-Broadfield
Between Brunswick and Darien, a rice plantation owned by one family from 1804 to 1973, with a marsh-side trail and the family’s antebellum house.
St. Marys, Cumberland Island and the Okefenokee
17. Spend a day on Cumberland Island
Georgia’s largest barrier island has more than 17 miles of beach, wild horses and the ruins of the Carnegies’ Dungeness mansion. The ferry from St. Marys is $44 for adults plus a $15 National Park Service fee. See our St. Marys guide.
18. Tour the St. Marys Submarine Museum
Periscopes, models and submarine history in the waterfront town next to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
19. Camp at Crooked River State Park
Campsites under moss-draped oaks, cottages on the river and a nature trail through maritime forest, a few miles north of St. Marys. $10 ParkPass.
20. Paddle the Okefenokee Swamp
An hour inland from St. Marys, the largest national wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi has blackwater canoe trails, alligators and the Chesser Island boardwalk. $5 per vehicle.
Georgia Coast Town Guides
Each coastal town has its own guide with the top things to do, events and drive times:
Savannah (about 4 hours 35 minutes from Atlanta) · Tybee Island (5 hours 5 minutes) · Darien (5 hours 20 minutes) · Brunswick (5 hours 35 minutes) · St. Simons Island (5 hours 50 minutes) · Jekyll Island (5 hours 55 minutes) · St. Marys (6 hours 20 minutes). For a route that links them, see the perfect 3-day Georgia coast itinerary, and for the beaches alone, our best beaches in Georgia.
Common Questions
What is the best town to stay in on the Georgia coast?
For history, restaurants and walking, stay in Savannah. For an easy beach, Tybee Island is 20 minutes from Savannah. For a quieter resort feel with bike paths and lighthouses, base yourself on St. Simons or Jekyll Island in the Golden Isles.
Does Georgia have nice beaches?
Yes, but they are wide, flat and backed by dunes and marsh rather than boardwalks and high-rises. Tybee, St. Simons and Jekyll have the easiest public access, and Cumberland Island has the wildest beach, reached only by ferry.
How long is the Georgia coast?
About 100 miles in a straight line from the Savannah River to the St. Marys River, but with its barrier islands, sounds and marshes the tidal shoreline is far longer.
How do you get to Cumberland Island?
Take the passenger ferry from the St. Marys waterfront, about 45 minutes each way. Adult fares are $44 plus tax, and the National Park Service entrance fee is $15 per person ages 16 and up. There are no cars or stores on the island, so bring food and water.
Sources we checked
Facts on this page were checked against official sources and our own detailed pages. Drive times are from downtown Atlanta (Five Points) using OpenStreetMap routing and do not include traffic. Hours, fees and event dates change, so confirm before you go:
- National Park Service: Fort Pulaski entrance fee ($10 ages 16 and up, cards only)
- National Park Service: Cumberland Island entrance fee and ferry fares
- Jekyll Island Authority: daily parking fee ($10 per vehicle)
- Georgia State Parks: Wormsloe, Crooked River and Fort King George; 2026 ParkPass rate
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Okefenokee refuge entrance fee
Spot something out of date? Email Contact@n-georgia.com and we’ll check it against the official source. Read how we research our guides.