St Marys GA, Gateway to Cumberland Island
Coastal Georgia Town has Historic Homes, Submarine Museum and More
Feb 4, 2009
Located on Georgia’s southern coast, just off I-95 near the Florida state line, St. Mary’s, Georgia is a quaint river town with a history that goes back more than 200 years. It’s also the access point for the Cumberland Island National Seashore and just minutes away from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
Is it any wonder, then, that St. Mary’s is a renowned headquarters for outdoor activities? Camping, hiking, kayaking and birding (on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail) are just the start. There’s also fishing, both freshwater and deep sea charter fishing, boating, swimming and sunning on the beach.
Surprisingly, tucked in with all of those outdoor sports is one of only two Trident submarine bases in the world, Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, and some of the country’s most elegant hotels, like the Greyfield Inn, built in 1900 as a home for one of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie’s children.
St. Mary’s has a downtown historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, that includes a 36-site Braille Trail, the only tour of its kind in the South designed for the seeing impaired. Among the many homes and buildings in the historic district is the Jackson-Clark-Bessant-MacDonnell House, built in 1801, where Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr stayed after his infamous duel with Alexander Hamilton in 1804.
In addition to historic bed and breakfast inns, restaurants and antiques shops, St. Mary’s also offers visitors a variety of attractions.
Attractions in St. Mary’s
- St. Mary’s Submarine Museum, 102 W. St. Mary’s Street – extensive collection of submarine artifacts including a working periscope, sonar panels, reading and reference rooms and a gift shop
- Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum, 129 Osborne Street – displays of the island’s history include the Timucuuan Indians, the Carnegie family and the mansions they built, and the last battle of the War of 1812 called the Forgotten Battle
- Orange Hall House Museum, 311 Osborne – daily tours of an antebellum Greek Revival mansion built between 1829 and 1833
- Cumberland Island Visitor’s Center, 113 St. Mary’s Street – displays on Cumberland Island’s three distinct ecosystems, loggerhead turtles, whales, dolphins and wild horses
- Howard Gilman Memorial Park and Tilden Norris Marsh Walk, West St. Mary’s Street on the river – fountains, swings, children’s play area and a great place to watch the river traffic and marsh wildlife
- Cumberland Queen, the dock on West St. Mary’s Street – ferry to Cumberland Island, takes 45 minutes
- Lang’s Marina, West St. Mary’s Street – full service marina and a deep sea charter fishing fleet
For more information about St. Mary’s, things to do in the area, and to obtain a walking map of the historic district, contact the St. Mary’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, 406 Osborne Street, (912) 882-4000.
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