Tag: Cumberland Island National Seashore

Our #Take12Trips Challenge

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Wow we can’t believe we’re already a quarter of the way through 2016! We thought it would be fun to provide an update on our 12 trips in 12 months effort so far and our plans going forward. We’d also love to hear from those of you joining us in the challenge on where you’ve been and where you’re planning to go.

If you missed our original #Take12Trips post, be sure to check it out. Our New Year’s Resolution is to travel more often and travel differently, and it’s working!

How We’re Going to Travel More in 2016

January

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Stephanie started off the year in Florida visiting the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park. Later in January she also took an overnight trip to the Chattanooga area with a fantastic stay at the Chanticleer Inn.

The Beechwood Inn - www. AFriendAfar.com

Meagan’s January trip took her to the beautiful and delicious Beechwood Inn in Clayton, Georgia.

February

Meagan and Steph biking

We took a fun girls trip to coastal Georgia! First we went to St. Marys where we stayed at the lovely Spencer House Inn. Then we hopped over to Cumberland Island for a night at the stunning Greyfield Inn.

March

1842 Inn - A Macon Bed & Breakfast

March took Stephanie on a brief trip to Phoenix to catch a spring training game with her husband Ed. Meagan & Ryan did a weekend trip to Macon to stay at the 1842 Inn!

whale watching

We both went to Irvine, California for the Women in Travel Summit (WITS) 2016! Read a little about our experience there on our new friend Lindsay’s blog I’ve Been Bit. The night before we flew back home we went whale watching with Captain Dave’s and saw 5 grey whales. It was pretty exciting!

April

20160402_125319-1.jpgMeagan is more than a little in love with her day job. The Carter Center just held a staff retreat in Plains, Georgia, home of President and Mrs. Carter, and Meagan and her husband went to check out the small town. It’s the perfect example of a tiny southern town. The shops that you see above are all that make up downtown Plains, and that’s incredibly charming. Naturally, there’s a lot of President Carter pride there.

Stephanie is headed to Dubai and Durham, North Carolina for work in April! She’s hoping to have a bit of time to explore both.

May

iceland

[Photo credit: Ulrich Latzenhofer]

In early May, Stephanie is headed to the DC area for work and is also doing a girls weekend with two friends who live in the area to the Eastern shore of Maryland. Mid-month she’s headed to Iceland to do a trip around the Ring Road and is looking forward to seeing the original Geysir, waterfalls, ponies, lagoons and more! Photo credit

Meagan and her husband are heading to Istanbul for the first leg of their trip and will be there on their 5th wedding anniversary. They’ll be spending nights on both the Asian side of the Bosphorus in Kadikoy and the European side in Sultanahmet.

June

kasbah du toubkal

[Photo Credit: Kasbah du Toubkal]

After Istanbul, Turkey, Meagan and Ryan are headed to Marrakech, Morocco! They’ll be spending a few days in the city before heading out to the majestic High Atlas mountain range to stay at the Kasbah du Toubkal in Imlil. Can you believe that view?

Stephanie is dreaming about a domestic National Park visit for June but doesn’t have definite plans yet.

July

Stephanie is in the early stages of planning an epic Sound of Music tour of Austria, visiting WWII sites in Germany and maybe a visit to Prague in the Czech Republic.

Meagan has too many ideas, but none of them are concrete. Does anyone have a ticket to Hamilton that they’d like to share?

August & September

We’re both headed to Ireland with our husbands for the Georgia Tech versus Boston College American football game in Dublin! We can’t wait to explore the city and also see some of the iconic Irish countryside. If you’ve been, please give us your tips below since we’re still planning our trip!

October-December

At this point we just have ideas but nothing firm planned! Stephanie is dreaming about celebrating her three year wedding anniversary at Big Bend National Park in October. She also wants to visit Biltmore Estates in Asheville in December to see it all decorated for Christmas!
Meagan wants to take the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad through the North Georgia Mountains and is also looking at a trip with Georgia Conservancy.

What About You?

Where have you been so far this year? Do you have any exciting trips on your calendar? We’d love to hear all about them in the comments below.

If you have tips for any of our upcoming destinations, we’re all ears!

How to Travel More Often

#12 Trips How to Travel More

Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

The Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island

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Where History, Nature, and Luxury Meet

The magnificent Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island is more than a romantic coastal getaway. It’s a classic Southern destination. It’s an opportunity to enjoy Georgia’s coast at a slower pace. And it’s a chance to take a step back into another era.

Cumberland Island overflows with natural history as well as stories of America’s past, and those continue at The Greyfield Inn.  As soon as you step off the boat and are guided toward the old Carnegie home, you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into a Southern Living magazine. You’ll find yourself wondering how long you can possibly stay before you really have to return home, and you’ll be in good company – everyone else is wondering the same thing. There are few inns that offer such an exceptional experience. This, friends, is how you vacation.

The Greyfield Inn - Cumberland Island Vacation Guide - www.AFriendAfar.com

For more on visiting Cumberland Island National Seashore, you can see our full guide here.

Cumberland Island Vacation Guide - www.AFriendAfar.com

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Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

Cumberland Island Vacation Guide

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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.

Cumberland Island Vacation Guide - A Friend Afar

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.]

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Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

The Historic Spencer House Inn and St. Marys, Georgia

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For our February trip of our Take 12 Trips Challenge, we began our weekend away at the Historic Spencer House Inn in St. Marys, Georgia. St. Marys is the perfect coastal town to use as a base for not only exploring Cumberland Island National Seashore (since the park ferry departs from the port) but also other surrounding areas including Savannah, the Golden Isles, Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville and even St. Augustine.  At  a little over a 5-hour drive from Atlanta, an hour and 45 minutes from Savannah, and 45 minutes from Jacksonville, it’s a great long weekend destination.

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The Historic Spencer House Inn

The Spencer House Inn was built in 1872 and was known as one of the finest hotels in all of southeast Georgia. It operated as a hotel until 1942 when it changed ownership and was run as a rooming house. In the 1980s it was renovated and used as a professional building until 1990 when it was restored again and preserved as the Historic Spencer House Inn. The current owners, Mary and Mike Neff,  took over in 1995!

The Historic Spencer House Inn
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Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

National Parks and Seashores of the East in the US

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There’s something about summer that makes me want to plan a domestic trip where I spend most of the time in the great outdoors. Last time I wrote about National Parks I focused on camping trips to parks out West. But the Eastern part of the US also has amazing national parks and seashores that are completely worth exploring.

National Parks and Seashores of the East- Cades Cove - www.afriendafar.com #greatsmokymountains

National Parks

National Parks and Seashores of the East- Cataloochee - www.afriendafar.com #greatsmokymountains #cataloochee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the first national parks I ever had the pleasure of visiting. Cades Cove and Cataloochee are two of my favorite areas in the park because of the wildlife viewing opportunities, including deer, elk and bears, and their campgrounds. The park also has excellent hiking, biking, horseback riding, waterfalls, and historic buildings to see. If you love the mountains, start planning your trip to this park. As an added bonus, this is one of few parks that is absolutely free to visitors! [Great Smoky photos by Laura Brown]

National Parks and Parkways of the East- Acadia Sunrise- www.afriendafar.com #maine #acadianp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acadia National Park in Maine is such a unique and stunning park. Being from the Southern US, I love the rocky beaches of the park but of course found the water too cold for my taste. Acadia is perfect for camping in the summer since it stays cool, but Bar Harbor and other nearby communities also have other lodging options. You can wake up literally at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain, which is the first place in the US to the see the sun each day (though technically it changes depending on the season). Other activities include hiking, biking and boating. I’m sure the leaves are gorgeous in the fall, but I’ve only been during the summer. [Acadia photo from Mainethingstodo.com]

National Parks and Seashores of the East- Skyline Drive from Bearfence Mountain- www.afriendafar.com #shenandoahnationalpark #virginiaisforlovers

Shenandoah National Park is easily reached from Washington DC if you want to make a side trip while visiting our nation’s capital. Although, there’s enough to see to warrant it’s own trip as well! There’s plenty of adventure awaiting you along Skyline Drive, the 109 mile scenic roadway that runs the length of the park. Across from the Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center on Milepost 51, Big Meadows is perfect for rambling around and viewing wildlife. There are a lot of hikes in varying levels of difficulties, including Bearfence Rock Scramble and Viewpoint at Milepost 56.4, which affords you 360 degree views of the Blue Ridge mountains.

National Parks and Seashores of the East- Cape Hatteras National Seashore- www.afriendafar.com #capehatterasnp #outerbanks

National Seashores

National Parks and Seashores of the East- Hatteras Lighthouse- www.afriendafar.com #capehatterasnp #outerbanks

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks and consists of three barrier islands: Bodie Island, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island. The pristine beaches, fun lighthouse climbs, and hiking trails with wildlife viewing are all big draws. I have many fond childhood memories camping there with my family. There are four campgrounds to choose from and other lodging options outside the park.

The northern entrance of the national seashore is in Nags Head, NC, while the southern entrance is in Okracoke and can only be reached by ferry. The ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands are free while the ferries between Okracoke to the mainland require reservations. Riding the ferry is one of my favorite parts of the Outer Banks experience!

National Parks and Seashores of the East- Cumberland Island Campground- www.afriendafar.com #capehatterasnp #outerbanks

Cumberland Island National Seashore is my favorite beach in my home state. No cars are allowed on the barrier island, so you must take a pedestrian ferry that leaves from St. Mary’s, Georgia. Most people go to Cumberland Island as a day trip, but if you like camping, the gorgeous Sea Camp Campground is pretty amazing with its stunning shade from the live oaks that lean away from the beach. Try to make reservations well in advance since it’s a popular place, and keep in mind that you do have to pack all supplies in and out. There’s also wilderness camping available if you like backpacking.

Once on the island, you can either walk or rent bicycles from the ferry company. The beach is beautiful and unspoiled with white sand and decent waves for bodysurfing. The best part of the island is seeing the wild horses and the Dungeness ruins. The first Dungeness was built by Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene’s widow, while the second Dungeness was built by the Carnegies on the original foundation but burned down in 1959. Plum Orchard Mansion is gorgeously preserved in Georgian Revival style and is open Thursday to Monday. Cumberland Island made the news in 1996 when John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette were married in the First African Baptist Church in the Settlement, which is one site I’ve yet to see. Guess that means I’d better plan a trip back to the island soon! [Cumberland Island photos by Laura Brown]

Planning Tip

If you’re visiting multiple parks during the year, think about buying the $80 annual pass! Also check out my posts 2 National Parks of the West to Visit, Camping Out West in the US,  and A Quick Guide to National Historical Sites for more inspiration on which parks to visit.

Stephanie at A Friend Afar

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com