Barrier Islands - Good Cheer Publishing

Travel Talk

The Barrier Island Experience
By Jacqui Good and Leon Cole

The 'posh primitive' lodge on Little St. Simon's Island, Georgia.

We have acquired a passion for barrier islands. It began with our stays on Amelia Island in North Florida which remains our first and greatest love. But lately we've been flirting with life on some of the other barrier islands in this part of the world.

They're easy to love. First of all, just because they're islands and --even with a bridge or two connecting them to the mainland -- they keep their feeling of separation and isolation. But these 'low country' islands have their own special ambiance, which is quite unlike that of, say, verdant PEI, arid Aruba or volcanic St. Kitts.

These are sturdy sand spits with split personalities. On one side there's a wild and barren beach which is battered by the often-wild Atlantic. On the other, a calm marsh teeming with wildlife, glimmering in the sunset. That Jekyll and Hyde contrast is what makes the barrier islands endlessly fascinating. And, ahem, that brings us to JEKYLL Island.

This 'golden' isle off the coast of Georgia wasn't named for a Robert Louis Stevenson character but, rather, for a British financier who helped fund an early colony there. There's a surprising amount of history hereabouts. These were some of the earliest communities in the New World and the islands of the edge of Georgia and north Florida were the places that the English and Spanish rubbed against one another. There were bloody skirmishes, massacres on both sides and the maltreatment of both native Americans and African slaves. On Jekyll Island, a French family established a plantation and you can see still visit the ruins.

But the real centerpiece of this island is its millionaire's colony founded in the 1880s. That's when a group of the most influential men in America -- of the likes of Rockefeller and Goodyear, representing a sixth of the wealth of the entire world -- purchased the island for a winter retreat devoted to hunting, tennis, golf, yachting and escape from the press. Even then, privacy was the most precious commodity among the super-rich. And, until 1942, Jekyll Island provided it -- in a luxurious club house, America's first 'condominium' and a series of 'cottages' that provided an elegant life style without a great deal of pretension.

Today, the island belongs to the state of Georgia and you can wander among the homes and the homey Faith Chapel (with spectacular stained glass windows by Tiffany and friends.) You can pretend it's the turn of the century as you lunch on crab chowder and shrimp salad in the Grand Dining Room at the restored Jekyll Island Club House. You can walk out on the pier and imagine the dozens of yachts that used to moor there. The ghosts are all around.

All this refinement and history is on the inner side of the island, of course. The outer edge is a beach with its dunes hunched against the wind; miles of hard white sand fringed with sea oats. There is an affordable collection of well-situated motels on the beach -- one advertises comfortable units for $49 a night in the off season. A far cry from the days of the Rockefellers. There are some modern private homes on the island, on land leased from the state, but much of the land is undeveloped. There are bicycle and footpaths everywhere and a lovely sense of quiet.

The modern day "rich and famous" are more likely to head for nearby Sea Island, an enclave dominated by "The Cloisters" resort. This is so exclusive that it refuses to even let AAA on its property for an inspection and rating. And it's not easy to find a way to walk to the beach if you're not staying there. The architecture is all beige and low-key and even a bit dowdy.

Neighbouring St. Simon's Island has a much larger population -- and a quicker pace of life. But even here, there are large swaths of undeveloped marsh, forest and beach. And a fascinating bit of history at old Fort Frederica. This was a bulwark against the Spanish in the early days of the Georgia colony, picked out by Governor James Oglethorpe in 1734. A self-sufficient community grew up on the high bluff to serve a regiment of soldiers who saw action in 1742. The 'Battle of Bloody Marsh' ended the Spanish threat to Georgia and, in a way, spelled the death of the Fort too. It deteriorated and eventually burned. Today there are only foundations left -- but interpretative signs, a film in the visitor's centre and the beautiful setting give you a glimpse back in time.

Again there's a charming little downtown area around the harbour and the lighthouse. And again, there's a long stretch of beach facing the Atlantic, great for walking in bracing sea air.

From St. Simon's Island you can take a boat to Little St. Simon's and stay at the poshly rustic Lodge at Little St. Simon's. It's something like summer camp for grownups with accomodation for no more than 30 visitors who get to hike and horseback ride around an undeveloped island filled with shore birds, wild deer, armadillos, alligators and rattlesnakes. Surprisingly, no one seems to worry much about the snakes or gators. The staff is attentive and the food superb.

You'll gather that we really like the Golden Isles. We are much less sure about Hilton Head, an hour or so up the road at the edge of South Carolina. It's the largest of the islands and, by far, the most developed. It reminds us of Naples, Florida with its many lovely homes and condos and, especially, its dozens of golf courses. It's easy to understand why so many people enjoy spending time here -- but the history and the nature of the place have been all but erased.

Nonetheless, we did manage to startle a family of three dainty deer who live in the woods near the ruins of an old estate in the gated Sea Islands Plantation (you pay $5 admission for the privilege of getting inside the gates for a day). And we enjoyed a meal with a view at Harbour Town with its candy-striped lighthouse (built in 1969) as well as walking on the beach in front of some of the large hotels.

But our most magical experience is one of the closest to our home base on Amelia Island. Cumberland Island, the largest of the barrier islands, is little more than a stone's throw away from the Fernandina Beach harbour and is best known for it's role as backdrop to JFK Jr's wedding. A ferry regularly takes people across to stay at the exclusive (and very expensive) Greyfield Inn. For ordinary folk, the likeliest option is the public ferry from St. Mary's , across the border in Georgia.

Our crossing was a little choppy -- but very scenic -- and when we arrived we had a picnic and a fabulous four mile hike that took us to the ruins of Dungeness, the old Carnegie estate (Thomas and Lucy Carnegie raised their nine children there around the turn of the century.) Wild horses munched the grass on the lawn as we strolled by -- we walked through an enchanting forest of huge, twisted live oak trees, bearded with Spanish moss, dappled by sunlight. One large tree held a bevy of small children, each curled up in a cozy corner. Then we climbed up the dunes, feeling like we were extras in the movie "Lawrence of Arabia", and took a long stroll along the empty, wind-swept beach. We saw a couple of rare OysterCatcher birds, with their long red (and very sharp) beaks with which they open (guess what?) oysters.

On the return boat trip some wild waves broke over the bow and drenched us. But it was a marvelous day and we are resolved to return (perhaps even for a meal at the Inn.) And we're compiling a short list of other "must see" barrier islands. You can never visit enough islands.