Cumberland Island National Seashore is one of our absolute favorite places in Georgia! Pristine beaches, wild horses, and a mansion in ruin are a few highlights of why we love this place! If you’re a nature lover like we are, look no further for your next unique beach destination.

Nature on Cumberland Island

There’s a whole lot of the natural world to see on Cumberland Island. It’s Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier Island; in fact, it’s almost twice the size of the island of Manhattan! Cumberland Island hosts a variety of wildlife, and you’ll see numerous species even on a short day trip. The island is famous for its wild horse population. They tend to congregate in areas where there’s grass, so it’s not unusual to see them near the ruins and houses. The population of horses is usually between 150 and 200, so it’s very likely you’ll also see them along paths or in the sand dunes. You might also run into armadillos, rattlesnakes, white-tailed deer, wild boars and turkeys, and even the occasional alligator, not to mention all of the birds! We’ve even seen dolphins on the ferry ride over there, so don’t forget your camera! [Note: Keep a healthy distance from the wild horses. The photos below are an exception as this young horse near Greyfield Inn came up to us! We let her nibble on our sleeves a bit, but then we gave her some space.]

Just as famous as the wild horses, loggerhead sea turtles make their way to the island for part of the year. May through October is the sea turtle nesting season on the island, and Cumberland’s pristine, undeveloped beach, which stretches over 18 miles, is one of the most important loggerhead sea turtle nesting areas in Georgia. You can find out more about their nesting areas and the endangered loggerhead turtles from the National Park Service.

Not to be outdone by the island’s charismatic fauna, the landscape of Cumberland Island is as diverse as it is breathtaking. Wide beaches and wind-swept dunes stretch along the entire eastern coastline, while the western edge is dotted with salt marshes. The tall and twisted live oaks, dripping with Spanish moss, make for the most iconic views of the island. The hiking trails are lined with saw palmetto and under the shady canopy of Spanish moss. Trust us, there’s no place quite like it!

 

A Brief History of Cumberland Island

Talk about a well-rounded vacation spot! With all the breathtaking natural history on the island, you may be surprised to know that Cumberland’s American history can more than hold its own!

While native Americans were the first to settle  the island, the settlements and homes you’ll see during your visit are far more recent. During the plantation era, the island was home to large cotton plantations and multiple large antebellum mansions. Then, in the 1880s, Thomas Carnegie purchased land on Cumberland Island to build a winter retreat. The expansive mansion was named Dungeness after a hunting lodge owned by Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene that had once been on the same spot. The Carnegie family lived on the island with over 200 staff until the Great Depresssion, during which time they built multiple homes and owned around 90% of the island.

In the mid-1950s, the Carnegie family invited the National Parks Service to assess the island for conservation status as a national seashore, and efforts were soon underway to preserve it. Plans were complicated, however, when some of the family sold thousands of acres to a real estate developer. Other members of the Carnegie family, along with wonderful organizations like the Georgia Conservancy and the Sierra Club convinced the developer to sell the land to the National Parks Foundation, and it was dedicated as a National Seashore in 1972. What a huge success for conservation and public lands!

 

Activities on Cumberland Island

Historic Sites

Now that you know a little of Cumberland’s fascinating and rich history, you’ll want to check out the island’s historic sites! Unfortunately, Dungeness burned in 1959, but the ruins remaining at the southern end of the island are not to be missed. You can walk around the perimeter of the ruin and imagine the house during its heyday. Be on the lookout for horses. They love to call this place “home!”

Other historic sites of interest include Plum Orchard and the Settlement on the north end of the island. Plum Orchard was another Carnegie home that was donated to the NPS in 1972. You can tour the home with NPS guides. The Settlement, which was a segregated residential area for the island’s black workers, includes the First African Baptist Church. Built in 1930, you may recognize this tiny church as the location of JFK, Jr. and Carolyn’s wedding.

Take the Tour!

Since these two spots are on the far north end of the island, it’s typically very difficult to visit them if you are only on Cumberland for the day. One way to visit these sites is to take the Lands and Legacies Tour run by the NPS concessionaire. If you’re staying at the Greyfield Inn, they have naturalist tours led by former park rangers. We’ve taken both, and highly recommend them if you have the time!

 Hiking Trails

There are so many wonderful trail options on Cumberland Island – over 50 miles, in fact!The Georgia Conservancy recently partnered with REI to restore Cumberland Island’s trails. You can find more details on that amazing project here.

If you’ll be  staying a few nights, check out the NPS website for more information and grab a trail map at the visitor’s center before you take the ferry. If you’re just there for a day, you can walk a nice loop starting at Dungeness and cutting across to the beach by way of a historic cemetery and boardwalk. Then, walk up the beach and cut through Sea Camp before walking down the live oak lined Main Road back to the Dungeness Dock. Or, if you get tired you can always get picked up at Sea Camp dock, just don’t miss seeing at least part of the Main Road- it’s gorgeous!

If relaxing on the beach is more your pace, there are miles of unspoiled, wide beaches to enjoy. You may even see some horses in the dunes!

How to Get To Cumberland Island

The National Park Service’s concessionaire runs a ferry from the visitor’s center in St. Marys, Georgia. You can now book your reservation online for the ferry service, and they can be made up to 6 months in advance. The ride itself is 45 minutes long and stops first at the Dungeness Dock to drop off day trippers and then the Sea Camp Dock to drop off campers with their gear. There’s also a limited number of bicycles allowed on the ferry. Of course, if you have access to your own boat, that’s another option for coming over to the island!

Where to Stay

Spencer House Inn

If you want to visit Cumberland Island as a day trip from the mainland, we highly recommend booking a stay at the Historic Spencer House Inn in the charming coastal town of St. Marys, Georgia. From the inn, you can walk down the main street to catch the ferry! It’s a lovely place to stay and is so convenient for visiting Cumberland Island and surrounding attractions. The friendly hosts will also provide a picnic lunch that you can take to the island!

Camping

There are a limited number of camping spots available in Sea Camp, and reservations should be made via phone well in advance. You must carry in and carry back out all of your food and supplies and make the half mile walk from where the ferry drops campers off to the campground. Sea Camp is absolutely beautiful with all of the live oaks that make a gnarled canopy overhead. It has easy access to the beach and amenities like a bath house, potable water, and food storage. There are other campgrounds as well, and you can find them all on the NPS site.

Greyfield Inn

If you want to overnight on Cumberland Island but prefer not to camp, consider staying at the luxurious and gorgeous Greyfield Inn. It absolutely feels like you’re stepping into the pages of a Southern Living magazine and is no wonder JFK, Jr and Carolyn Besset Kennedy chose the inn as their wedding reception venue. It’s a historic Carnegie home and is full of original furnishings and loads of character. All meals, the ferry from Fernandina Beach, bicycles, naturalist led tours, and kayaks are included in the package price. It’s the perfect place to escape from it all, slow down, and relax while reading and rocking on the amazing porch.

When to Visit

Because the fun animals below aren’t the only ones you might come across, we highly recommend visiting in the winter, spring, or fall to avoid bug bites. During all seasons, make sure you pack insect repellent for the mosquitoes and Skin So Soft for the sand gnats!

Have you been to Cumberland before? Do you have any tips to add? Does this post make you want to go to Cumberland now? Let us know in the comments section!

This is part 2 in a 3 part series on Cumberland Island. You can find part 1 here!