A Day at Cumberland Island

Even though my family has lived in Georgia for many years, we had never been to Cumberland Island until this year. There is an odd thing about this island. More tourists from other states, and countries seem to visit, than people who live close by.

Maybe this is because the island is a planned excursion by many college groups, photography clubs, and tour groups. They come in buses, and the ferry ticket price is part of the trip expense. Those of us that live here, have to make an extra effort to go somewhere that we can't take our cars, or even our own bikes. It is a beautiful place to visit though, and I wish we would have gone sooner.

Cumberland Island is in the very most Southeastern part of the state. The ferry to get there departs from St. Marys, Georgia. March 1st to November 30th, the ferry is on a daily schedule. From December 1 to February 28th, there is no ferry on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The cost of the ferry is $17 for adults, and $12 for children.

There are no traffic jams to worry about on this island. As I said before, you are not allowed to take your car.

Plan on staying the whole day. My husband and I were on the first ferry of the morning, and stayed until the last one in the afternoon. This is a place that is actually better for adults, or families with older children, than young families with babies and toddlers. I don't think most parents of two year olds would make it through the entire day here.

Plan on lots of exercise. There are miles of beautiful trails to walk, or bike. You also can tent camp in primative camping areas. There are bathrooms and picnic tables, but no fast food to buy. Also, there are no drink machines. Whatever you want to eat or drink, you must bring with you. I had packed a backpack with lots of goodies, and we enjoyed picnicking.

There are no trash cans on this island. Whatever you bring in, you take back with you when you leave.

Many photography groups and clubs come to Cumberland Island.  The natural state of the island makes it a photographer's dream.  The pictures you can take here are as varied as the colors of a rainbow.

While on the ferry, I took many pictures of the water, and golden marsh views of the island.  Also there were sailboats, docks, and a beautiful sunset viewed on the afternoon ferry.

On the Island there are wild horses, deer, raccoons, snakes, birds, turtles and many other species.  There are trees with moss, mushrooms, wild flowers, oyster shells, tabby.  There are white sand beaches, sea shells, and dolphins.  All just waiting for your camera.

Of course there is also ruins of the Dungeness mansion, old cars, and graveyards. After a short tour given by a park ranger, we spent the rest of the day hiking, and picture taking.

I did not go into the history of Cumberland island here. That is because I just wanted to tell my story of a visit to the island.  There is already a great hub by another hubber that tells the rich history of the island.

Below is a link to the hub, "The Magic of Cumberland Island" It is by the hubber, habee.