To start your adventure, you should visit Fort Frederica located on Frederica Road. Here you can tour the fort, visit the Bloody Marsh National Monument and learn all about the battle that secured these islands as an English territory. If you’re interested, we’ll come back to this fort later.
After you’ve had your fill of history for the moment, it’s on to the Coastal Center for the Arts for a little right-sided brain activity. With six galleries and over 12,000 sq feet of museum, there’s a lot to look at here. Showcasing local St. Simons artists as well as other Georgia artists, this really is a must-see museum.
For lunch you can move on the Village area of St. Simons. This is the heart of the island, town center if you will. Here in the village you’ll find an abundance of restaurants and shops. If you’re craving breakfast for lunch or just a good burger, try Dressner’s Village Café located on Mallery St. If you’d rather a more home-style lunch, Barbara Jean’s is just down the road and has a wide variety of “easy southern” cuisine.
After lunch, spend the afternoon in the village. You can check out the pier where you’re welcome to fish and Neptune Park which has a mini putt course if you’re channeling your inner child. Also located in this area is the St. Simons Lighthouse and Museum. You can climb the 129 steps to the top and take in the gorgeous view.
One of the most unique ways to see the island is through Dragonfly Copters. That’s right, you can take your very own helicopter tour! View the island(s) and their breathtaking sights from above and have a story to make all your friends back home jealous. With tours starting as low as $35 a person, they have a tour for every size budget. If you want to make this experience even sweeter, schedule your tour for sunset. A sunset helicopter tour? Perfect!
J. Mac’s Island Restaurant is the perfect place for a romantic dinner. Located back in the village, this fine dining restaurant has everything you could hope for including fresh seafood, lobster, steak and even lamb. There’s a piano bar as well for a little mood music.
After dinner take a moon-lit stroll along the beach. Take off your shoes, roll up your pants and feel the sand and water between your toes. Take some time and enjoy the beach at night. It’s a completely different experience from the beach in the daytime.
If you interested in ghost stories and haunted places, St. Simons Island is full of places to explore the world of paranormal activity. If you take a ride back towards Fort Frederica, you can investigate the ruins where it is said you’ll hear spirits speaking in their native Cherokee, German and Spanish. You can also check out the nearby Christ Church Cemetery and the eternal flame that burns there in the late night hours. The story goes that a women living on the island was so afraid of the dark she kept a candle burning all through the night and after she died, her husband brought a lit candle to her grave every night until his death so she wouldn’t be afraid. Spooked yet? There’s no greater feeling than being scared and having someone’s hand to hold on to.
