Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Adair Ellis wears fun summer fashion from Allie Harper Boutique as she enjoys a summery drink and snaps a selfie at Beachcomber BBQ.
Everyone wants their summer vacation to be perfect, even if you’re simply planning a Golden Isles staycation. Not only should it be filled with lots of fun and plenty of memory making, you’ll want to snap some selfies and find special spots that are worthy of Instagram feeds and digital travel blogs. EIL can help with that. We’ve styled a vacation vision book right here that features pics, panoramas, and places worth a visit as highlighted by our own Elegant Islandgram posts. If you live in this wonderful place, like we do, maybe it will remind you to get out and visit some places you haven’t been in a while.
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
St Simons Lighthouse pano
Stroll Around the Village
The Village near the Pier on the south end of the island is our “downtown.” This is where you’ll find our iconic lighthouse as well as the Neptune Park Fun Zone which offers a playground, swimming pools, and miniature golf course. The Little Light Music summer concert series offers live music on the lighthouse lawn on select Sunday evenings. There will be an end of summer concert in Neptune Park, behind the St. Simons Casino Building, in August hosted by Golden Isles Arts & Humanities featuring an Elton John tribute show.
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Mallery Street in the Village St Simons Island
On Mallery Street and Ocean Boulevard you’ll find numerous spots to shop and eat. Eclectic boutiques offer everything from island keepsakes to fabulous furnitures. Eateries range from date night upscale dining to bacon and Eggs Benedict brunch fare. You can certainly spend the entire day in the Village and not run out of things to do!
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Neptune Park
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Catch the Spirit
There are spirits among us on St. Simons Island. We’re leaving the tales about Mary the Wanderer and other ghostly apparitions to our Ghost Tour friends. The spirits we’re referring to are faces you’ll find peering out from trunks of the trees or eyes peeking out from old, weathered stumps where branches used to be. These are the famed Tree Spirits of St. Simons Island. While legend said that images immortalized sailors who lost their lives at sea aboard ships made from our island’s sturdy oaks, artist Keith Jennings says the faces reveal the soul of the tree. Jennings began carving these faces in the island’s oak trees in the 1980s, using gouges and a mallet and working only on areas of trees void of living tissue, such as areas damaged by lightning or stumps that remain when branches have been removed. There were initially about 20 tree spirits located around the island. Some have disappeared over time, but Jennings returned to the island to create some newly commissioned pieces with his talented son Devon in the past few years. Some of the tree spirits are on private property and cannot be accessed, but there are 11 tree spirits in public locations you are welcome to find and take your own selfies with. One of the largest is the mermaid on the large tree outside the Golden Isles CVB Visitors Center at 529 Beachview Drive (pictured in second photo below).
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Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Redfern Village Tree Spirit GIOO
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Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Mermaid Tree Spirit
You can stop in the Visitors Center and get a map of the locations for the tree spirits (also available on their website at goldenisles.com) and learn the tale of the mermaid, “Cora, Protector of the Loggerheads.” The first tree spirit pictured in the first photo above is one of the newest and is located outside Golden Isles Olive Oil at 306 Redfern Village. If you look carefully, there’s another, older spirit in Redfern Village to be found. This is a fun activity for the whole family and makes for a great photo keepsake book if you take pictures with them all.
Shop in Redfern Village
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Redfern Village Pano
Named for pilot Paul Redfern, this mid-island Village also offers excellent shopping and dining, plus wine and champagne bars, and great live music at multiple venues, both day and night.
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Make Some Historic Moments
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Christ Church Frederica
Besides the lighthouse, the most frequently photographed historic sites on St. Simons Island are Christ Church Frederica and the nearby Celtic cross in Wesley Memorial Garden. Christ Church Frederica gained recognition outside of the Golden Isles when author Eugenia Price penned The Beloved Invader, sharing the tale of the church that was rebuilt by Rev. Anson Dodge, Jr. as a memorial to his first wife Ellen, who tragically died on their honeymoon travels. Seeing the Dodge’s graves in the church’s cemetery inspired Price’s historical research and novel. She was so enchanted by the island that she eventually moved here and is now buried in that same cemetery. Stained glass windows inside the church include a Tiffany window, and depict not only religious themes, but prominent figures in our island’s history, including Dodge. Well worth a visit! For more information, visit ccfssi.org.
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Wesley Garden and cross
Across the street is the azalea filled Wesley Memorial Garden. The stone Celtic cross at its center is 18 feet tall and weighs 15 tons. This beautiful garden honors Anglican priests John and Charles Wesley, who visited the island and later founded the Methodist Church. In the spring, it’s a glorious sight with the colorful blooms of more than 4,000 azaleas.
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Fort Frederica ruins
Just north of Christ Church is Fort Frederica National Monument. Established in 1736 by Georgia’s founder, General James Oglethorpe, Fort Frederica was the focus of defense for the newly formed English colony of Georgia. The struggle for domination of the New World took place between Great Britain and Spain right here on St. Simons Island. The “debatable land” was claimed by France, Spain, and Great Britain. A British victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Bloody Marsh, which took place about six miles south of the fort in 1742, secured Britain's hold in Georgia, showing the importance of our fort and allowing the town around it to thrive. A different outcome may have led to a decidedly different future for this new colony of Georgia! After Oglethorpe’s regiment was disbanded in 1749, the fort and town fell into decline, and a fire in 1758 destroyed most of the buildings. Remains of the fortified settlement include ruins of the fort, barracks, walls, moats, and foundations of several houses and the site is maintained as a National Monument by the National Park Service. Also noteworthy is the Abbott Memorial. This obelisk monument near the visitor center honors the family of one of the most outstanding African- American figures of modern history, Robert S. Abbott. Born on St. Simons Island to a former slave, Abbott became the editor and publisher of The Chicago Defender, the most influential and widely read African- American owned newspaper in early 20th century America. Entrance to the park is free and pets are allowed if leashed, but not permitted in building or on ruins. For more information, visit nps.gov/fofr.
Shopping and Dining off Frederica Road
As you head back south toward the Village after visiting the historic sites on the north end, you’ll be passing Shops on Market Street and The Shops at Sea Island. Even farther down, before reaching Redfern Village, and as you approach the roundabout at Demere Rd., there are even more offerings in the Winn-Dixie Plaza and Longview Plaza. The stores and boutiques in these locations include some of our locals’ favorite shopping spots, so don’t miss out!
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Airport Environs
The St. Simons Airport is an easy icon to find and you’ll also discover that there are some locations that surround it that are well worth a visit. One fun selfie spot in particular is the colorful restored biplane outside Glynn Visual Arts at 106 Island Drive, just off of Skylane Road.
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Glynn Visual Arts biplane
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Honoring the Home Front
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
World War II Home Front Museum aerial
Coastal Georgia Historical Society’s World War II Home Front Museum, located in the Historic Coast Guard Station on East Beach tells the important and inspiring story of Coastal Georgia’s profound contribution to the World War II effort. Through state-of-the-art interactive exhibits that provide authentic and meaningful activities for visitors of all ages, it tells the multi-faced story of bold initiatives here in Glynn County. Members of our community protected the coast from German submarines with airships, trained fighter pilots, built Liberty Ships to supply troops overseas, and much more. Learn about the Liberty shipyard, airship base, and naval radar training facilities that were located here and hear personal stories told through interviews, artifacts, documents, and photographs. It’s a place where kids are invited to push buttons, learn to spot and identify planes, build a Liberty ship, see how much you can buy at the store with your ration points, brush up on your knot-tying skills, and listen to personal accounts of what it was like to live and work here during World War II. It’s a fantastic way to take a break from the beach or spend some time on a rainy day. The museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 12:00-5:00 p.m. Sunday. To get the most bang for your buck, purchase a combined ticket ($20 for adults, $10 for ages 6-12) for access to both the World War II Home Front Museum and the St. Simons Lighthouse Museum. These spots are both ripe for selfies and photos that capture the essence of the island, and they also offer a wide array of souvenirs and gift items. For more information, visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Marsh Beach Aerial
Arnold Street and Near the Beach
The Old Coast Guard Station where you find the World War II Home Front Museum is also one of the island’s most popular East Beach access points. Farther south is Arnold Road and another historic island icon, The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort. There are also some fantastic restaurants and more shops nearby that offer beach essentials and more.
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In sum, we encourage you to get out there and take pictures anywhere and everywhere, whether you use a camera or snap by phone, because beauty surrounds us in the Golden Isles and there are hidden treasures to be found around every corner. We hope you enjoy your visit here as much as we love living here!
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
