Mr. Write's Page

I wrote this travel article back in 2000 for a small regional magazine that is now defunct. (Insert joke here.) Looking back, my verbiage is a bit over the top, but Sapelo Island is still a great place to vacation.

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June 1, 2000.

LAID BACK, PRICED RIGHT

Spending a weekend on clean, serene, economical Sapelo Island doesn’t mean you’re cheap. It means you’re sensible, practical, and value-oriented.

Okay, maybe you are cheap, but Sapelo is still one of the best vacation deals around, whether you go for a day or a week, and whether you travel solo or otherwise.

Sapelo is the fourth largest of the barrier islands along the Georgia coast. The island is only about 10 miles long and four miles wide, but it packs plenty into a small space: spectacular, pristine beaches and dunes on the Atlantic side, a buffer of tidal marsh on the west, and dense maritime forest in between.

Approaching the Sapelo Island boat dock.

Think white dunes and tall pines, Spanish moss and giant oaks, oyster beds along the creeks and sandy roads beneath a canopy of green. Sapelo is tranquil and unspoiled, and for good reason: the island is sparsely populated, accessible only by boat (a state-operated ferry makes regular runs), and managed 90-plus percent for preservation and wetlands research.

Most roads on Sapelo Island are like this.

Sapelo is home to an alphabet soup of state, federal, and other research organizations. You’ll see vehicles marked SINERR, the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, or NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or UGAMI, the University of Georgia Marine Institute, or GaDNR, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Most of the research facilities are housed in a restored sugar mill (circa 1809) and other interesting structures near the south end of the island. The R. J. Reynolds State Wildlife Refuge takes up the north half.

Only about 400 acres on the island remain in private ownership. Most of that is in the tiny community of Hog Hammock, the 70-some residents of which are the descendants of slaves brought to Sapelo in the early 1800s to work the plantations.

Today, several Hog Hammock families offer campsites, air-conditioned lodging, home-cooked meals, bike rentals, tours, and other amenities for visitors.

The Weekender, one of two inns on the island.

You won’t be staying at The Cloister, you understand, but these places are clean, tidy, comfortable, and inexpensive.

Nothing about Sapelo Island is commercialized. The only store on the island keeps irregular hours. That’s because the owner commutes from Savannah, and sometimes he closes down to run errands for his mama.

Transportation is by foot, bicycle, or hitchhiking. Most autos on the island predate the Reagan Administration – no kidding – and of the few roads that wind through the pine trees, fewer still are paved.

That means you’re stuck with what’s left: hiking, biking, fishing, crabbing, bird-watching, boating, photography, and whatever.

You can hang out at the boat dock or the airfield, walk the nature trails, explore Native American shell mounds, visit the tabby ruins of an old French estate, check out Nannygoat Beach, see the newly-restored Sapelo Lighthouse – or just pick a spot that feels right and groove on the atmosphere.

Nannygoat Beach.

You probably will be surprised to see the Reynolds Mansion, the opulent former home of R. J. Reynolds, the tobacco heir. Reynolds bought the island in the 1930s and thereby saved it from development until the 1960s, when ownership was transferred to the State of Georgia.

You can sign up for a tour of the mansion through the Visitor Center back on the mainland. Or, if you put together a group of 14 for a minimum two-night stay, you can rent the entire mansion for only $125 per person per night. Indoor pool privileges and all meals are included. THAT, folks, is a deal.

Salt water floods the marsh twice a day at high tide.

If you can’t stay on the island overnight, take the half-day tour. The Visitor Center runs a fine morning tour that costs just $10 for adults and $6 for kids.  That includes the ferry ride to and from the island, a bus ride through Hog Hammock and the research facilities, and a walk-through of the Reynolds Mansion. You also get a free hour to explore Nannygoat Beach, gather seashells, and wade in the surf.

If you have reservations on the island, the ferry will set you back a whopping one dollar each way. The boat runs on a seasonal schedule, partly based on the needs of the dozen Sapelo children who attend school on the mainland in Darien.

You’ll board the ferry along with the kids, assorted locals and science types, and a sizeable mound of building supplies, groceries, furniture and other goods going to the island.

More about the ferry: no pets, no bikes, no kayaks, no canoes. You can’t board unless you’re taking the tour or you have reservations on the island.

If you do have reservations at one of the island accommodations, your host will be waiting to drive you there when the ferry arrives at the island dock. After that, you’re on your own. If walking is your thing, go crazy. Otherwise, rent a bike.

To find out more about staying overnight, contact The Wallow (912-485-2206), a new five-bedroom lodge. They offer tours, pack lunches, and hayrides.

Or try The Weekender (912-485-2277), which can handle up to 14 guests. This place has a community kitchen (bring your own breakfasts and lunches), and they serve delicious evening meals, reservation only. They have great seafood and killer fried chicken.

To reach the Sapelo Island Visitor Center/museum and the ferry dock, go seven miles north of Darien on Georgia 99 and turn right at the sign. Call them at 912-437-3224 for ferry and tour information.

As you would expect, summer on Sapelo is hot and humid. Snakes and bugs and, yes, alligators abound. But it’s cool beneath the trees, and at night along the seashore, the stars will make your sunburn and other aggravations seem unimportant.

Besides, you can always plan a trip in, say, February, when most likely you will throw open the windows and sleep like a baby.

An island resident enjoys the morning sun.