St Marys is the gateway to Cumberland Island, Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. Here pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes whisper the stories of both man and nature. Natives, missionaries, enslaved African Americans and Wealthy Industrialists all walked here. The Dungeness Ruins are the remains of a mansion built by Thomas Carnegie, brother and partner of steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie. Georgian Revival–style Plum Orchard is another Carnegie estate. The simple, 1-room First African Baptist Church lies north. Cumberland Island is also home to over 9,800 acres of Congressionally designated Wilderness. Horses which roam freely on Cumberland are feral and are one of the most sought-after sights by visitors coming to Cumberland.
Getting to and from the Island:
The only way to get to the island is by passenger ferry (not a car ferry) or private boat. For information about making a reservation with the National Park Service official concessionaire operated ferry visit Cumberland Island Ferry website. The National Park Service operates its ferry service from St. Mary’s, GA, stopping at both the Dungeness dock and the Sea Camp Dock but may not do both. Contact the Park service for information. We highly recommend signing up for the Land and Legacies tour where a guide will drive you around to the various locations! It’s done by the park service as well and you can sign up for it on the Cumberland Island Ferry website!
Cumberland can also be accessed through Fernandina Beach, FL, via the vessel operated by The Greyfield Inn. and they sometimes offer a Day Trip Package... call them at 904-261-6408 for details.
Lodging
There are two ways to stay on the island: at Greyfield Inn or at one of the National Park Service campsites. Most visitors to Cumberland Island gain their access through the National Park Service. They camp at one of the various sites on the island. The delightful Greyfield Inn is a more expensive way to stay on the Island. Greyfield is a converted Carnegie mansion still owned and managed by members of the Carnegie family. For more information, visit the Greyfield Inn website here. We treated ourselves to a 2 night stay at the Greyfield and it was simply wonderful!
Activities
The National Park Service provides highly recommended, ranger-guided tours of the Island. Details and schedule can be found HERE.
Kingsley Plantation – Visit the grounds and buildings of a sea island plantation, just 20 minutes south of Amelia Island in northeast Florida. According to the National Park Service, the Kingsley Plantation house, constructed in 1798, “is the oldest planter’s residence still standing in Florida.” Located riverfront, Kingsley Plantation on Fort George Island is worth a visit any day of the year (and admission is always free). It’s a scenic route from Amelia Island along Heckscher Drive through Big and Little Talbot Islands then onto Fort George Island. Once making the turn off Heckscher, the unpaved road leading into the plantation cuts through 2 miles of thick, native maritime forest.
The Ribault Club– Also on Fort George Island and established in 1928 as a playground for the affluent, much like the "millionaire's club" on neighboring Jekyll Island, the club has been the site of many memorable parties and events over the years, hosting foreign dignitaries, captains of industry and society mavens. It’s worth checking out while visiting Fort George Island
St. John’s River Ferry and Mayport– Also known as the Mayport Ferry, it’s about 20 minutes south of Amelia on Ft. George Island across from the entrance to Kingsley Plantation and the Ribault Club. An automobile ferry that crosses over the St. John’s river to Mayport, it’s a short, fun trip! Mayport has 2 restaurants on the riverfront, Singletons and Safe Harbor offering seafood, specifically shrimp, where you can sit outside overlooking the shrimp boats and commercial boating traffic along the St. Johns River. Safe Harbor also has a seafood market and the restaurant is wildly popular, so plan accordingly!
More than 2,000 animals and 1,000 plants occupy more than 115 acres at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, where you’ll find wildlife from every corner of the globe and a variety of family-friendly activities, educational resources, and attractions. Just a few of the animal exhibits you’ll find at the Jacksonville Zoo include the African Forest, River Valley Aviary, Giraffe Overlook, and Land of the Tiger.
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has given Jacksonville and Northeast Florida residents a place to love animals for decades. Now we also offer our community a public place to love plants, while setting a new standard for zoos in the process. These Garden Exhibits make up a first-of-its-kind botanical garden inside our Zoo that, unlike other zoos, is integrated among the animal exhibits.
We’re a Florida farm and restaurant dedicated to agriculture & culinary endeavors, and gathering the community to enjoy both. Born in 2014, Congaree and Penn began as a tiny rice farm.
Since then, we've grown from four acres of rice paddies into a thriving farm of orchards, you pick vines and fields, and home to fancy chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, goats, horses, and thousands of honeybees. Congaree and Penn boasts the largest (and youngest) Mayhaw orchard in the world, after planting over 5,000 trees throughout the past few years. Native to the South, this fruit bearing tree has inspired us to seek out and plant other native and hearty Southern species.
In 2016, Congaree and Penn began juicing seasonal fruit from local farms to produce shrubs, our nod to a Colonial era pastime. As we expand our orchard and pressing and milling operations, Congaree and Penn continues to innovate and introduce new produce and products.
We also fancy the farm as a stunning destination for weddings, farm dinners, tours and workshops.