St. Simon's Island -- Georgia's Lovely Barrier Island Full of History and Charm

While on a jaunt up the East Coast from Miami to New York City, we stopped for two days on St. Simon's Island. I 'm not the first to sense that coming to the barrier islands that border Georgia is like coming home. Maybe for me, it's because of summers I spent as a child on a barrier island further north, and something about the look, feel, and most importantly the smell of these isles that reminds me of those summers.

I look over the sea grass and tidal creeks as we cross over the Sidney Lanier Bridge and ride along Route 17 past Brunswick and onto the causeway that connects to St. Simon's. The nostalgic aroma of the salt marsh brings on a most pleasant, comforting sensation, and even without directly connecting in memory to summers long past, I know my senses have already brought me there.

The state of Georgia is barricaded from the ocean by a chain of these small islands along its more than 150 mile coast line. Georgia's barrier islands, I learned from the film shown at the Maritime Museum at the Historic Coast Guard Station, are growing as opposed to similar barrier beaches further north which the sea is reclaiming despite man's attempt to hold on to them.

Shrimp boats lingering at the horizon at dusk remind visitors of what should be fresh in the many seafood restaurants here. Pamphlets and posters around the island proclaim the values of wild local shrimp vs. the imported or farmed fish with less nutrition and more potential for contamination. Unfortunately, the cheaper imported and farmed variety is driving the price down for the wild shrimpers..making it more and more difficult to make their living at this long-standing industry. I did manage to enjoy some Shrimp and Grits at a favorite spot on the Island: Barbara Jeans.

St. Simon Island also has a rich colonial history...going back to the early settlement, established on the island in 1732 at what became Fort Frederica, by General James Oglethorpe. The stated purpose of the settlement was relocation of poor Londoners, but Ogelthorpe's main mission was to establish a stronghold against further encroachment by the Spanish who claimed rights in Georgia. The remains of Fort Frederica (mainly excavated foundations of houses that made up the military town and the Fort) are now a National Monument worth a visit -- a short film provides a good orientation to the grounds and the history. It's a lovely setting cluttered with large live oaks draped in Spanish Moss. Many of the Revolutionary warships were made from St. Simon's oaks, including Old Ironsides.

St. Simon's is linked by a causeway to Sea Island, home to one of the top resorts in the country, The Cloisters of Sea Island, with a bit of history itself. At the Lighthouse Museum on St. Simon's, there is a photographic exhibit on the G8 Summit held on Sea Island in 2004.

In addition to visiting the National Monument, Lighthouse, and Maritime (with a great little video on the Coast Guard), we ventured up Lawrence Road which is dotted with historical markers telling about the plantations that once thrived on the Island. (Many very wealthy, powerful South Carolina planters and slave owners came to Georgia in the early 19th century and established plantations with cotton as a primary crop.) Today the road winds under canapes of Oaks with long strands of moss hanging like icicles creating an eery, yet sensual atmosphere. Large, splendid mansions line the edge of the savanna and river on the right of the road ending at the Hamilton River Club Marina where you can depart by boat for Little St. Simons's Island (A private island with 7 miles of untainted beaches that can be toured by reservation only).

Another restaurant we visited on the Island was Catch 228 in Redfern Village. A smallish local place, it might look like a hole-in-the-wall, but go on in. The food is outstanding, fresh fish of all kinds, and the service is friendly and efficient. I had the blackboard special of blackened mahi and shrimp with cheesy grits and the most delectable hush puppies ever.

For other particulars on visiting St. Simon's see www.comecoastawhile.com, the visitor's site for Brunswick and the Golden Isles. Their driving tour brochures are excellent.