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/30/09
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Page 1
THE SEA ISLANDS
PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS
of south Carolina, Georgia, and Florida
rtlett
eorgia, she spent 20
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karen t. bartlett
Antebellum plantations, shrimp boats, and sweetgrass baskets… lighthouses
and driftwood-strewn beaches...wisteria, Spanish moss, and ancient oaks…
charming seaports and funky beach towns… intimate inns and island-chic
resorts… Lowcountry native Karen T. Bartlett reveals the secrets of the
Sea Islands.
the sea
of sout
Georgia
A PHOTOG
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ward-winning professe travel articles and
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THE SEA ISLANDS
Karen T. Bartlett
Book design by:
SYP Design & Produ
www.sypdesign.com
RTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS
THE SEA ISLANDS
a
photographic
portrait
P H O T O G R A P H Y A N D N A R R AT I V E B Y
Karen T. Bartlett
Copyright © 2009 by
Twin Lights Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any form without written
permission of the copyright owners. All
images in this book have been reproduced
with the knowledge and prior consent of the
artists concerned and no responsibility is
accepted by producer, publisher, or printer
for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to
ensure that credits accurately comply with
information supplied.
First published in the United States of
America by:
Twin Lights Publishers, Inc.
8 Hale Street
Rockport, Massachusetts 01966
Telephone: (978) 546-7398
http://www.twinlightspub.com
ISBN:1-885435-84-3
ISBN: 978-1-885435-84-2
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Tybee Pier at Dawn (opposite)
An icon since 1885 when the Savannah
socialites traveled by train for big band
concerts and a day at the beach, the Tybee
Pier and Pavilion is among the Georgia
island’s best fishing spots and most
beloved landmarks.
Gulls at Cumberland Island (frontispiece)
R.J. Reynolds estate (jacket front)
Shrimp boats at Folly Island, Mermaid Art
in Beaufort, Sweetgrass baskets (jacket back)
Special thanks to Jenny Stacy (Savannah),
Patrick Saylor (Georgia’s Golden Isles),
Liz Mitchell and Catherine Hipp
(Beaufort), Katie Chapman (Charleston),
Charlie Clark (Hilton Head), Dan Carter
(Edisto), James Maund (Sapelo), Scottie
Lingerfeld and Laurie Frost (Darien).
Additional appreciation to the innkeepers
and hosts at The Westin Resort, (Hilton
Head), Edisto Island Vacation Rentals,
Riverview Hotel (St.Mary’s), Tybee
Vacation Rentals, and The Ballastone Inn,
(Savannah).
Photograph of Millbrook Plantation,
Georgetown South Carolina (page 4)
used with the permission of Mr. and Mrs.
John H. Parrish.
Book design by:
SYP Design & Production, Inc.
www.sypdesign.com
Printed in China
S
uspended in time somewhere between
Gone with the Wind, Porgy and Bess, Forrest
Gump, and The Prince of Tides lies a mass
of islands so extraordinarily steeped in textures and
flavors, soulful colors and magical light that they
stir artists to greatness and move historians to tears.
On these isles, the sultry salt air can feel as thick
as molasses. Azaleas grow blossoms as large as teacups, and the intoxicating fragrances of wisteria and
jasmine waft from trellises and hidden gardens. Here,
ghosts and “haints” are as common as the timeworn shrimp boats and Spanish moss which, in fact,
is neither Spanish nor moss. Time passes slowly.
World class resorts have slipped in, adopting the
laid back ambience of the islands, and great white
herons with five-foot wingspans now soar over windswept oceanfront golf links. Yet, the descendants of
slaves still weave their sweetgrass baskets and sell
them from wooden shacks along the highway.
White-columned plantation houses still languish
beneath canopies of ancient live oak trees. And on
one island, wild horses, abandoned by 16th-century
Spanish explorers, still run free on the dunes.
These seductive islands, hundreds of them, hug
the Atlantic coastline from Amelia Island, Florida
near Jacksonville; to Georgia’s legendary Golden
Isles, and fringe the Lowcountry from Savannah,
Georgia to Georgetown, South Carolina, just north
of Charleston. Mapmakers of the 18th and 19th
centuries called them, simply, The Sea Islands.
4
The West African slaves who toiled on the rice,
indigo, and Sea Island cotton plantations helped
shape the rich culture of the Lowcountry. The
cadent Gullah accent, as it is called in South
Carolina, or Geechee, as it is called in Georgia, still
falls sweetly on the ears like a song.
These images are offered as a Sea Islands appetizer,
as savory as Gullah-inspired slow-cooked barbecue
and sweet potato pie. While each island thrills the
senses in a different way, they’re inextricably woven
together by sea oats and magnolias, shell-strewn
beaches, imposing lighthouses and spectacular sunrises. Many bear visible scars of wars and slavery, and
all were influenced by the major seaports of Amelia,
Brunswick, Savannah, and Charleston. This connectedness is what I hope you will feel as you travel these
pages, regardless of the island on which I may have
captured a particular photograph.
7
As a Lowcountry native, I’ve yearned to revisit
these islands—to feast on boiled peanuts and blue
crab, drink sweet tea, and listen to hand-clapping
Gullah spirituals. I wanted to peek into gracious
Victorian inns that once were family homes like my
grandmother’s when I was growing up. I longed to
watch the dawn mist rise over the marsh; to feel the
textures of old brick, and touch crumbling tabby
ruins dating back more than two centuries.
I’m grateful to Twin Lights Publishers for sending me on this quest; to the family and friends who
provided a place to sleep along the way, especially
Ayla and Eric Hemeon, and my grandmother,
Vollie Jeffords, who passed away before she got to
see the finished book. Ron Wofford fed me fried
oysters, showed me hidden plantations, and revived
my Southern accent. Hilton Head bird photographer David Lynch shared his favorite rookery.
Author/historian Roger Pinckney, who dug me out
of a sand dune, knows more Daufuskie secrets than
anybody, and quintessential Lowcountry hostesses
Laura and Meredith Devendorf of Dunham Farms
gave me the run of their camellia gardens. Their
movie-set avenue of oaks is pictured on page six.
9
SOUTH CAROLINA LOWCOUNTRY
A Peaceful Paddle (top)
Why So Serious? (bottom)
Beach House Memories (opposite)
There’s hardly a more peaceful paddle than
through a maze of marsh tributaries and
creeks, like this wildlife-rich, protected estuary on Folly Creek, along the shores of Long
Island. Wherever there’s water, there’s sure to
be an outfitter nearby.
Ha! Ha! Hahahahaha! The laughing gull
earns its name with its raucous call, usually
in concert with other members of its large
colony. Migrating laughing gulls spend their
winters in the Sea Islands, particularly in
marshes, creeks, rivers, and beaches.
“See you at the beach house” echoes along
the southern Atlantic coastline year-round
as local families and visitors escape to weathered cottages and paintbox-fresh stilt houses,
like this one on Folly Island, to make memories for a week or a weekend.
14
15
An Island Institution
Sea Treasures (left)
No Chewing Required (right)
Locals know they can get all the supplies
they need for catching, or—if they don’t feel
like fishing—cooking and eating fresh fish,
shrimp, and oysters at Crosby’s Fish &
Shrimp Co, on James Island between
Charleston and Folly Island. The dock at
Folly Creek is a popular spot to drop a line
or a crab net.
Ancient whelks and other fossil shells, long
buried in the thick, quicksand-like “pluff
mud” of South Carolina’s tidal creeks, are
often dislodged by fishermen, shrimpers,
and summer storms.
Brown pelicans are most often seen plungediving into the ocean for their fish dinners,
but some have gotten lazy and stake out
spots on piers and docks, waiting for handouts from fishermen. This one holds the
fish in his pouch for a few seconds, to the
amusement of observers, before swallowing
it whole.
16
17
Morris Island Light
The original 1767 Morris Island Light,
rising out of Charleston Harbor between
Charleston and Folly Island, was destroyed
by the Confederate army to prevent Yankee
troops from using it as a lookout. This
158-foot beauty, rebuilt in 1876, was nearly
swept away with 14 other buildings and the
18
Laid Back Folly Island (top and bottom)
very island they occupied by Hurricane
Hugo in 1989. Now, completely surrounded
by water, it has been salvaged at a cost of
$1.5 million by Save the Light, Inc. and
sold back to the people of South Carolina
for one dollar.
There’s nothing stuffy about fun, funky
Folly, an eclectic sea island barely 10 miles
from the polished, pedigreed city of
Charleston. Just six and a half miles long
and two miles wide, its white sandy beaches,
casual restaurants, and souvenir shops evoke
the laid back spirit of the mid 20th century.
19
Oyster Roast (top, left)
On the Half Shell (bottom, left)
Bon Appetit! (right and opposite)
An oyster roast is a quintessential Sea Islands
experience, best enjoyed on the beach, on a
creaky dock overlooking the salt marsh, or
beneath a canopy of oak trees. The feast typically includes many Lowcountry delicacies,
including hush puppies, pit barbecue, and
peach cobbler. Even children can master the
fine art of oyster shucking.
Picturesque clusters of inter tidal oysters are
exposed in the salt marshes on the receding
tide. South Carolina oysters, available fresh
year-round, are among the most succulent in
North America. They’re delicious served
with a squirt of lemon and perhaps a drop
of hot sauce, although purists prefer to slurp
them without adornment.
At Kiawah Island Resort’s traditional weekly
oyster roast, fresh oysters are placed on an
open pit and covered with wet burlap.
Flames lick briefly at the pile to steam them
open, and then they are scooped up with a
long-handled shovel and heaped before
hungry guests at wooden tables.
20
21
Cycling the Lowcountry (top)
Seining and Crabbing (bottom)
Beachwalker Park (opposite)
The number of bicycle rentals throughout
the Lowcountry attests to the joys of leisurely
cruising down back roads, along the tide
line of hard-packed sand beaches, over
bridges and through saltwater and freshwater ecosystems, kissed by the sun and
embraced by gentle salty breezes.
Young guests of Kiawah Island Resort can
sign up for naturalist-guided beach combing,
crabbing, and seining for tiny sea life. The
Georgia/South Carolina coast is among the
few spots in the world to witness bottlenose
dolphins as they herd schools of fish into the
sand banks, sometimes beaching themselves,
in a dramatic technique called strand feeding.
Stephen “Dr. Beach” Leatherman, America’s
most respected authority on world-class
beaches, has called Kiawah Island’s Beachwalker Park one of the top ten beaches in
the country. Its 11 miles of sandy beach
with sea-oat covered dunes, reveals mysteries
of the sea in shallow tidal pools left by the
receding surf.
22
View from the Cart Path
Ocean Course, Kiawah Island (above)
America’s Toughest Course? (pages 26–27)
A common sight on the lush, marsh-fringed
Lowcountry golf courses is the gathering of
great blue herons, white herons, snowy
egrets, roseate spoonbills, and wood storks
feeding on small crustaceans and fish in the
mud flats at low tide. A particularly popular
feeding spot lies between a stand of ancient
oaks and the marsh near the third tee of
Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course.
Gently rolling fairways, lush greens, golden
sea grasses, tropical palms, and windswept
trees turn an island golf game into a spiritual experience. The backdrop is the sound
of ocean waves beneath a Southern sky of
ever-changing hues. This moment was captured just after sunrise on the back nine of
Kiawah’s Ocean Course.
The seaside Kiawah Island Ocean Course
designed by Pete Dye, has the most oceanfront holes in the Western Hemisphere. The
movie location for The Legend of Bagger
Vance, and site of prestigious world and
U.S. tournaments, its stunning layout and
unpredictable breezes inspired Golf Digest to
name it “#1 Golf Course in South Carolina”
and “America’s Toughest Resort Course.”
24
25
Sullivan’s Island Light (above)
Hunting Island Light (opposite)
One of the “youngest” lighthouses on the
Eastern Seaboard, the 165-foot high
Sullivan’s Island Light is barely more than
half a century old. Instead of the traditional
endless staircase, an elevator zips to the top
in seconds. With one of the brightest lights
in the Western Hemisphere, Sullivan’s Island
Light is visible 26 miles out to sea.
The beautiful Hunting Island Light, relocated more than a mile inland in 1889 due
to erosion, is South Carolina’s only lighthouse open to the public. Though no longer
active, those willing to climb 167 steps to
the top are rewarded with spectacular vistas.
A flock of resident cardinals swoop in to
accept seeds from visitors’ hands.
28
29
Shrimp (top)
Wood Stork (bottom)
Homecoming – St. Helena Island
Forrest Gump’s friend, Bubba Blue, spoke with
the heart of a shrimper when he said, “You can
barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it.
Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp Creole, shrimp
gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried…
There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp,
coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup,
shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich…”
The endangered wood stork is a wading bird
with a preference for the semitropical
lagoons and wetlands of Florida, Georgia,
and South Carolina. It is the only stork that
breeds in North America. Though its bald
head keeps it out of most beauty contests, it
has beautiful black-fringed plumage, and its
five-foot wingspan is dramatic in flight.
Hungry gulls provide noisy escort as a
shrimp boat returns to the docks with a
hold full of bounty. Its passage through the
cuts in narrow tidal creeks creates an illusion
of sailing on a sea of marsh grass.
30
31
Night Heron (above)
Coffin Point Plantation (opposite)
The black-crowned night heron loves the
marshes, rivers, and creeks of the
Lowcountry. Despite its name, it often
comes out to feed during the day when the
boats come in, especially during breeding
season.
At the end of a picturesque half-mile long
avenue of oaks, overlooking St. Helena
Sound, sits the circa 1800 family home of
Ebenezer Coffin. At 2,000 acres, it was the
largest Sea Island© cotton-producing plantation in the Carolinas. The Coffins fled the
island just ahead of the advancing Union
army in 1861.
32
Sunrise on Sullivan’s Island (opposite)
Beaufort Inn (above)
In that quarter-hour between the moment
the night sky pales and the first shore birds
awaken with thoughts of a seafood breakfast,
the morning light changes from lilac to pink
to pale yellow; each phase reflected in the
ebb and flow of the tide.
With their secret gardens and courtyards,
historic cottages and jasmine-draped walls,
Victorian gingerbread inns, dating back to
the 1800s, represent the best of Southern
hospitality throughout the South Carolina
Lowcountry. The shell-pink Beaufort Inn, in
the National Historic Landmark District, consistently ranks among the finest in the U.S.
35
Sweetgrass Baskets (opposite and bottom, left)
Rhett House Inn (top)
Gullah Art (bottom, right)
Three hundred years ago, slaves from the Rice
Coast of West Africa brought their basket
making skills to the rice plantations of the
Lowcountry. From generation to generation,
using filed-down silver spoons to weave the
fragrant marsh grass with palmetto and longleaf pine, their descendants have kept this
Gullah tradition alive. These baskets are the
artistry of Mount Pleasant artist Jery Taylor.
Beaufort, “Queen of the South Carolina Sea
Islands,” represents the Antebellum South at
its architectural and romantic best. The luxurious Rhett House Inn was not named for
Gone With the Wind ’s Mr. Butler, but for
the Charleston planter who built it as a
summer residence in 1820. The Inn’s guest
register is a “Who’s Who” of celebrities and
Hollywood stars.
Visitors who stumble upon Red Piano
Too on St. Helena Island can’t fail to be
enchanted by the extensive museum-quality
collection of colorful Gullah folk art, fine
art, quilts, books, and jewelry. More than
150 self-taught artists are represented. A
chat with owner Mary Mack alone is worth
the visit and yes, there really is a red piano.
37
Mermaid Art (top)
Mansions of Beaufort (bottom)
Queen of the Sea Islands (opposite)
The whole town got involved when the Arts
Council of Beaufort County sponsored The
Big Swim, a public art project honoring the
elusive mermaid, so prominent in seafaring
lore. Several artistic interpretations of the
“siren of the seas” can still be seen around
Beaufort, like this especially beautiful one
at a residence near the waterfront.
Wide verandahs, columns, and gracious lawns
of some 400 antebellum homes and 18th to
19th-century mansions have made Beaufort
a popular movie location. Visitors recognize
scenes from The Big Chill, Prince of Tides,
The Great Santini, and Forrest Gump. Local
residents don’t mind respectful gawking.
They’re likely to smile and wave as you
stroll by.
Beaufort occupies Port Royal Island, halfway
between Savannah and Charleston. A languid,
romantic air permeates the historic waterfront,
tidal marsh, and narrow, live oak-shaded
streets, replete with antebellum mansions,
moss-covered walls, and ancient cemeteries.
Horse-drawn buggies clip-clop along cobblestone streets as their drivers recount 300 years
of history and lore.
38
39
Hydrangeas (top)
Passion Flower (opposite)
Lush, showy banks of hydrangeas are the
pride of Southern gardens, and the Sea
Islands provide a particularly stunning
springtime display. Mature hydrangeas can
reach a height of 12 feet. Variations in the
pH balance in the soil can transform blue
flowers to pink or purple, often with many
shades on the same plant.
Exotic and sensuous though it is, Passiflora
was named by Spanish missionaries who used
it as a symbol of the passion (final days and
crucifixion) of Christ. The fragrant royal
purple Passiflora incense averages five inches
wide, with a lacy corolla over the petals.
Passion flower vines grace walls and fences,
and meander through wetlands along the
southeastern coast.
40
Southern Cross of Honor
Chapel of Ease, St. Helena Island
In 1862, the Confederate States of America
(CSA) created the Southern Cross of Honor
medal featuring the Confederate battle flag,
in tribute to the valor of its armed forces.
Many graves throughout the South are distinguished by the Iron Cross of Honor
marker, inscribed with the letters C.S.A.
The pink-toned tabby ruins of the mid 18thcentury Chapel of Ease rests beneath a canopy
of ancient oaks. Built by Beaufort’s prominent St. Helena Parish for members managing their island plantations, it was destroyed
by fire in 1886. Though many people insist
it is haunted, it remains a popular backdrop
for wedding and family portraits.
42
43
Daufuskie Island
Tucked between the mouth of the Savannah
River and Calibogue Sound, not far from
Hilton Head, is an island so steeped in
Gullah culture, that a world class resort
might seem intrusive or out of place. The
Daufuskie Island Resort and Breathe Spa
is neither. Set graciously at the end of an
imposing avenue of oaks, where the Melrose
44
Sunrise Over Melrose
Mansion once stood, The Inn at Melrose
Place exudes casual sophistication without a
shred of pretense. Guests arrive by ferry or
private yacht and get around the island on
golf carts, by horse and carriage, on horseback, or by bicycle.
A romantic gazebo overlooks the stunning
7081-yard, 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature
golf course, and a sweeping crescent of white
sand beach behind the Inn. Its scores of
honors include Conde Nast Traveler’s pick
as one of the top golf courses in the world.
45
Hallow Groun’
Angel Watch (opposite)
Daufuskie’s only white cemetery, established
in 1790, is named for Mary Dunn, who
granted the land to plantation families.
Tucked behind a rusted iron gate deep in
the island’s northwest corner, it marks the
graves of indigo and Sea Island cotton
planters and their families. Six black cemeteries dot the island.
The pretty angel perched on the wall of a
family plot seems to be waving a gentle
goodbye. According to Gullah tradition,
graves face east so the spirit can “fly away
home.” Nearby is Mary Fields School, where
Southern writer Pat Conroy once taught and
later immortalized the two-room schoolhouse in his novel, The Water is Wide.
46
47
Golf on Daufuskie Island
Hardy Flower
Daufuskie has two championship courses.
The Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish-designed
Bloody Point Course is home to a bald
eagle’s nest (7th hole) and an osprey’s nest
(15th hole). Bloody Point ran red with
blood during the 1715 Yemassee Wars
between the Royal Colonial Militia and the
native Yemassee tribe. Pictured here is the
9th hole of the Melrose Course.
The brilliant red bottlebrush flower, with its
fragrant sticky filaments, is irresistible to
bees and butterflies. The hardy, droughtresistant evergreen bush can grow to 8 feet
and makes dramatic seaside hedges that
bloom in spring and summer.
48
49
First Union African Baptist Church
Slave Houses Preserved
The historic white frame church on Old
School Road was established in 1881 by former slaves on 12 acres of the former Mary
Field Plantation. Behind the main sanctuary
is an authentically recreated slave Praise
House. African worshippers, forbidden to
beat drums, made music by clapping their
hands, stomping their feet, and beating sticks
on the wooden floor.
Mount Pleasant, just north of Charleston,
is home to Boone Hall, one of South
Carolina’s best-preserved antebellum plantations. While most slaves were housed in
wooden shacks, John Boone housed his 40
slaves in brick cabins. Several of these cabins, which later became sharecroppers’
homes, still stand.
50
51
Boone Hall Plantation (left)
Gullah Lessons (right)
Avenue of Oaks, Boone Hall (opposite)
Boone Hall Plantation lures major filmmakers
to its authentically preserved depiction of the
Antebellum South. Movies shot on location
here include John Jakes’ North and South;
Queen; the sequel to Alex Hailey’s Roots; and
Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook. Programs
include daily tours and re-enactments spanning two centuries of plantation life.
Where once it grew cotton and pecans, Boone
Hall now grows strawberries, peaches, and
other produce, with seasonal u-pick fields.
Living history programs include storytelling,
music, and Gullah language lessons by descendants of slaves still living in Mount Pleasant
and on nearby Johns Island. Frank Murray,
with his wife Sharon, preserves the culture
through their company, De Gullah Enny Pry.
It took two hundred years for the two perfect rows of oak trees planted by John Boone
in 1743 to meet overhead and create one of
the finest avenues of oaks on the Southern
coast. The 3⁄4 mile moss-draped canopy leads
to the Classic Revival plantation house.
52
Blue Crab (top and bottom)
Brothers and Sisters Oyster Society Hall
Besides shrimp, the best-loved crustacean of
the Sea Islands is the blue crab. Tangled in
shrimpers’ nets, lured onto string lines tied
with decaying chicken necks, or captured in
commercial crab pots; the sweet meat is best
enjoyed steamed with bay leaf and spices or
“deviled” in the shell like the famous “Fuskie
Devil Crab” on Daufuskie Island.
In the 1920s, some African American oyster
shuckers moved this two-story house to a
wooded site on the former Maryville Plantation and made it their social club. Like the
social clubs of white high society, the
Brothers and Sisters Oyster Society Hall held
meetings, initiations, parties, and dances.
Locals are working to preserve the historic
150-year-old icon of Daufuskie culture.
54
55
Island Colors
The Purple House
Rainbows pale in comparison with the brilliant hues of beach cottages all along the
Lowcountry coast, and especially on the Sea
Islands. Picket fences, palmetto palms, and
towering pines complete the scene.
Visitors to Daufuskie Island are enchanted
by the colorful row of private homes scattered behind the dunes along Calibogue
Sound. Among the most artful is the Purple
House accented with sherbet colors.
56
57
Antiques and Kitsch
Haint Blue (top, left)
One Stop Shopping (bottom, left)
A Mess o’Crabs (right)
Though it’s just 45 miles south of
Charleston, it’s not a straight shot to Edisto
Island, which is perhaps why it has retained
a charming laid-back island ambience.
Visitors can’t resist exploring treasures in
local shops like this one on Hwy 174,
guarded by a pair of pink flamingoes.
It’s widely known in Gullah culture that bad
spirits (“haints,” hags, and witches) are afraid
of the water and will not attempt to cross it.
This is why so may windows and doors
throughout the Lowcountry and the islands
are painted “haint blue,” the color of water.
To be entirely safe, many people paint their
entire house or store blue.
Hankering for some boiled peanuts? Fantasizing about that trophy fish? Want to see
some dolphins, rent a kayak, go shelling on
a deserted island or take a plantation river
cruise? Edisto Watersports and Tackle is the
place. The family-owned business is operated
by a popular couple, Captain Dillard Young
and his naturalist wife, Lindsay.
Tre-vaun’s bushel basket teeming with live
blue crabs offers a preview of what’s inside
the haint blue walls of Flowers Seafood
Company. Edisto natives Frankie and
Vincent Flowers are the guys to see on Edisto
for fresh-caught fish and shrimp, too.
58
59
George and Pink’s
Southern Peaches (left)
Official Dish of the Lowcountry (right)
Pink Brown, her father George, and family
surley must have the most picturesque produce market in the Lowcountry. Their legendary store, with its clean-swept dirt floor,
rustic scale, crates and baskets crammed with
homegrown fruits and vegetables, accompanied by the cackling of free-range chickens,
delights customers with a surreal, out-of-time
experience.
Georgia and South Carolina just love to
debate the issue of peaches. Georgia is officially “The Peach State,” but South Carolina
– harvesting more than 200 million pounds
annually, calls itself the “Tastier Peach State.”
Either way, Deep South peaches are
undoubtedly the sweetest and juiciest in
the world. This bountiful basket is from
King’s Farm Market, Edisto Island.
Whether savored in a five-star gourmet
restaurant or a weathered fishing shack,
nothing says “Lowcountry” more than a
creamy, savory dinner of shrimp and grits.
Recipes vary, among the best is Chef Louis
Osteen’s of The Fish Camp on Pawley’s
Island, however there are two non-negotiables: You must use a real cast-iron skillet
and never, ever use instant grits.
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Retirement on Edisto Island
Glimpses of Plantations (top)
Beach Houses (bottom)
Beloved fishing boats that have served their
owners well often get a prominent final
resting place that provides a condominium
for fiddler crabs and other marsh creatures.
This one has a view of the beautiful Edisto
River, the longest black water river in North
America.
A peaceful glide along a coastal South
Carolina waterway often yields a nostalgic
peek into the past, such as this picturesque
remnant of the early 19th-century Middleton
Plantation on the banks of the Edisto River.
Many preserved Lowcountry mansions,
particularly between Charleston and
Georgetown, are best viewed from the water.
Pale, beach-tone colors, gabled roofs, wide
porches, and long steps over the dunes to the
ocean characterize the beach houses strung
side by side in the family-friendly community
of Edisto Beach. House hunting on the coast?
It’s good to know that “first row” homes have
direct beach frontage, while “second row”
homes run parallel to the beach one lot back.
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Stylish Hilton Head
Golfing Paradise
Among the most polished and sophisticated
of the Sea Islands is Hilton Head, where
grand and exquisitely appointed homes
sprawl gracefully along lush golf courses,
creeks, the ocean, and the Intracoastal
Waterway. At 12 miles long by 5 miles wide,
it’s the second largest barrier island on the
East Coast, distinguished by five star resorts,
world class dining, tennis, golf, and fishing.
Golfers worldwide dream of playing the
legendary golf courses of Hilton Head
Island, always listed among the world’s top
golf destinations. Meticulously maintained
courses wind through stands of majestic
oaks, along tidal creeks and mysterious
lagoons, and offer astounding views of
golden marshes and the Atlantic Ocean.
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The final hole of the prestigious annual
Heritage Classic tournament is played on
the lawn of the famed Pete Dye Harbour
Town Golf Links.
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Goldeneye (top)
Waiting for Dinner (bottom)
Harbour Town Lighthouse (opposite)
Despite bad press, alligators are rarely
aggressive with humans except when antagonized, surprised, or frightened. It is illegal to
harass an alligator. Almost any body of fresh
or brackish water can be a habitat for the
prehistoric creatures, providing a thrill for
spectators at a respectful distance.
Springtime is nesting season all over the Sea
Islands. Great blue herons, white herons,
and more return annually to fresh water
rookeries that are surrounded by water and
often protected by alligators. These snowy
egret and tricolor heron chicks await the
return of their parents at feeding time.
The pretty 90-foot “facsimile” lighthouse at
Sea Pines Resort is synonymous with Hilton
Head Island. It has a beacon, stunning 360degree views, a gift shop at the top, and
museum quality photos and artifacts all the
way up. Harbour Town, with its restaurants,
galleries, shops, town green, and glamorous
yachts at harbor, is a popular island gathering spot.
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Cruising the Sea Islands
Charleston Harbor
An authentic and romantic way to see the
Antebellum South is by water, following the
same marsh-fringed rivers traveled by the first
settlers, planters, and traders. The American
Spirit, captured here gliding on the South
Brunswick River beneath the graceful Sidney
Lanier Bridge, explores the Lowcountry and
Golden Isles from Jacksonville to Charleston,
including calls at Beaufort and Savannah.
Charleston and sailing go together like
mansions and mint juleps, Porgy and Bess,
live oaks and Spanish moss. Sailors get seaworthy at a young age in Charleston
Harbor, where junior members of the prestigious Charleston Yacht Club hone their
skills year-round. Their colorful mainsails
are a joyful sight from Historic Charleston’s
Battery Park and the Ravenel Bridge.
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GEORGIA’S GOLDEN ISLES
St. Simons Light (previous page)
Wesley Memorial Garden (above)
Epworth By the Sea (opposite)
With commanding views of St. Simons
Island, as well as the nearby Sea Island and
Jekyll Island, the 104-foot lighthouse is one
of only five surviving navigational lights in
Georgia. The keeper’s house is a museum.
It’s rumored that the ghost of a former lighthouse keeper, killed in an altercation with
his assistant, haunts the tower stairs.
An imposing Celtic cross, surrounded by
ancient live oaks, wisteria and azaleas,
presides over a two-acre garden near Christ
Church, honoring Anglican missionaries
Charles and John Wesley. They arrived with
General James Oglethorpe in 1736 to establish Georgia’s first military outpost, Federica.
The Wesleys returned to England where
they founded the Methodist movement.
Built in 1880, the Lovely Lane Chapel
stands on the former site of the prosperous
Hamilton Plantation. A lumber mill nearby
supplied the oak that built the USS
Constitution (“Old Ironsides”). Today the
land is home to a United Methodist Church
retreat center. Lovely Lane Chapel is among
the most popular wedding chapels in
Georgia’s Golden Isles.
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Village Inn & Pub (top)
Quintessential Sea Islands (bottom)
Slave House (opposite)
The ivy-covered 1930s beach cottageturned-gracious-inn on St. Simons Island is
dwarfed by massive, centuries-old oak trees.
Guest rooms are named for important
Georgia historical figures, including author
Eugenia Price and Georgia’s founder,
General James Oglethorpe. Set in the heart
of The Village, its authentic English pub is
a popular local gathering place.
An old tabby wall provides a gracious
backdrop for banks of azaleas in Wesley
Memorial Garden. Tabby is a concrete-like
mixture of lime, sand, crushed oyster shells,
and water. Many intact tabby buildings, as
well as the ruins of hundreds of plantation
houses, forts, stores, and lighthouses dating
back to the early 1700s remain throughout
the Lowcountry.
This former slave house built of whitewashed tabby is one of the only remaining
structures from St. Simons Island’s prosperous Hamilton Plantation at Gascoigne Bluff.
When the United Methodist Church
acquired the historic land overlooking the
Frederica River, they named it Epworth By
The Sea, honoring the English birthplace of
John and Charles Wesley.
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Rock Shrimp on Board (opposite)
Blessing of the Fleet (top)
Wild Shrimp (bottom, left and, right)
A common sight along the peaceful creeks
of the Brunswick River is the return of
shrimp trawlers from a week or more at sea.
Besides the familiar brown, pink, and white
shrimp savored throughout the Lowcountry,
local shrimpers are sometimes rewarded
with a hold full of sweet, hard-shelled rock
shrimp like these, headed for sale at Poteet’s
Seafood Company.
Each spring, the shrimping season begins
with solemn prayers for safety and a bountiful catch. Elaborately decorated boats
packed with families and friends receive
individual blessings, then a memorial wreath
is cast out to sea. Afterward, it’s all about
shrimp eating, street parades, and partying
on the river, Darien. Georgia’s event draws
weekend crowds of 70,000 or more.
“Wild Georgia Shrimp,” “Wild South Carolina Shrimp,” and “Wild Florida Shrimp”
aren’t just ad slogans. Shrimpers throughout
the Lowcountry take pride in the official
certification by Charleston-based Wild
American Shrimp, Inc. distinguishing their
coastal catches from farmed imports. These
succulent white shrimp are fresh off the boat
at Wando Shrimp Co. in Mount Pleasant, SC.
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Darien River at Twilight
Grilled Shrimp (top)
Better Than a GPS (bottom)
More than a dozen resident shrimp boats on
the Darien River take on an ethereal glow as
another perfect Golden Isles day comes to a
close. Darien is eight miles southwest of
Sapelo Island and about 12 miles north of
Jekyll and St. Simons Islands.
Those unfortunate enough to miss all the
seafood festivals throughout the Lowcountry
can still pick up some fresh shrimp, marinate
it in garlic-infused lime juice, brush it with
olive oil, sea salt and spices, and grill it up
themselves. Or head for Mudcat Charlie’s, a
marsh-side marina with character between
Brunswick and Darien.
Attention travelers: if you drive more than
five miles in any direction without seeing a
crab, shrimp or seafood sign, check your
GPS: you may no longer be in those magical
lands called the Sea Islands, the Lowcountry
and the Golden Isles.
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Ships Passing in the Night
Waving Girl
Among the most impressive sights from a
Georgia beach is the massive bulk of an
international freighter on the horizon,
bound for the deepwater ports of Savannah
and Brunswick. Each year, these two ports
alone handle close to 2 million tons of cargo
annually. Only one lone seagull and a photographer are witnesses to this moonlit scene.
Legend says that the lonely young sister of
Cockspur Island’s lighthouse keeper waited,
with her loyal collie, for the sailor she loved
to return from the sea. For 44 years,
Florence Martus waved her towel by day
and her lantern by night to every passing
ship, and each one sounded its foghorn in
return. Florence really existed, though it is
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unclear whether there ever was a lover. Ships
still sound their foghorns in respect as they
pass the beautiful bronze statues of Florence
and her dog on Savannah’s River Street.
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Kitesurfing Over Tybee (above)
Tybee Light (opposite)
One regular beachfront ritual at the
south end of Tybee Island involves bright,
crescent-shaped kites soaring overhead. But
it’s not the kites the gathering crowd is
watching: it’s the extreme acrobatics show
being performed by aerial athletes 10 to 15
feet above the rolling surf. Tybee has one of
the most active kitesurfing groups along the
Georgia coast.
Tonight, as she has for nearly 280 years, the
stately 154-foot tall black and white Tybee
Island Light will guide mariners safely into
the Savannah River. Restored at the turn of
the 21st century, she wasn’t always this pretty.
She and her previous three incarnations had
survived severe erosion, wind damage, an
earthquake, fire, and decades of decay.
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Fort Pulaski (left)
Tybee Light Stairs (right)
Fort Screven (opposite)
Heavy wood and iron gates helped guard
the fort that saw only 30 hours of military
action before surrendering in 1862. It succumed to newly invented rifled cannons that
shattered its masonry walls from a mile away.
Fort Pulaski, ranked among America’s bestpreserved “third system” coastal forts, offers
stunning vistas, as well as exciting interpretive programs including cannon firings.
The Confederate army burned the staircase
to the top of the Tybee Island Light to
thwart encroaching Yankees during the War
Between the States. The now-restored 178
steps lead to panoramic views of the island
and the Atlantic. The lighthouse and its five
outbuildings at Fort Screven are closed on
major holidays, including Savannah’s
favorite: St. Patrick’s Day.
Built in 1897, Fort Screven operated
through the Spanish American War, World
War I, and World War II. In 1947 it was
acquired by the town of Tybee and now
houses military and artillery artifacts under
the auspices of the Tybee Island Historical
Society Museum.
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Lowcounry Colors
Loggerheads in Art and Life (top)
Hemingway House (bottom)
Maybe it’s the brilliant flowers, the colors of
a sunset sky, or the lightheartedness that
comes with sunshine and warm weather.
Whatever the inspiration, color permeates
life in the Lowcountry and on the Sea
Islands, from homes to art, and storefronts
like this in the historic town of St. Marys,
Georgia. St. Marys is the point of departure
for the ferry to Cumberland Island.
Ma Cootah (Mother Turtle in Gullah), along
with her 22 other larger-than-life loggerhead
sculpture friends were auctioned as a fundraiser for Tybee Arts Association. Pictured
at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center
near the pier, Ma Cootah reflects the science
center’s involvement in stranded mammal
rescues, turtle monitoring, and interactive
marine exhibits.
Tybee’s modest beach bungalows of the
1930s and 1940s fell out of favor in the mid
20th century. Newly rediscovered in the
21st, they’re getting infused with brilliant
colors and celebrated as vacation cottages
and year-round homes. Savannah “cottage
rescuer” Jane Coslick is credited with the
rebirth of many such cottages, representing
the fun, unpretentious spirit of Tybee Island.
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Heart Cockle on Nanny Goat Beach
Sapelo Island Lighthouse
Lacy sea foam catches the light of a Sapelo
Island sunrise and frames a golden heart
cockle shell that rolled up with the tide. Sea
foam is a natural phenomenon caused by
decaying marine matter. Shell seekers on the
Sea Islands are also rewarded with moon
snails, razor clams, starfish, tiny coquina
shells, and sun-bleached sand dollars.
Views from the salt marsh-fringed, sandy
shell road are as rewarding as the view of the
Sapelo Light itself. Located on the island’s
southern tip, the 80-foot, circa-1820 tower,
inactive for nearly a century, once again
guides vessels around the treacherous hidden
shoals of Dolby Sound. The lighthouse is
part of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine
Research Reserve.
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Sapelo Settlements (top)
Four-hundred enslaved Africans once toiled
on Sapelo Island’s cotton plantation. After
emancipation, the freed slaves established
small settlements throughout the island,
with names like Behavior, Hanging Bull,
Raccoon Bluff, Chocolate, Hog Hammock
and Drink Water. In the 1930s, to consolidate his island holdings, tobacco heir R.J.
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Reynolds relocated most residents of these
settlements into Hog Hammock. The
restored First African Baptist Church at
Raccoon Bluff, listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, radiates joy
inside, with a blue ceiling (to banish evil
spirits), lemon-yellow pews, and antique red
and yellow stained glass windows.
Cherokee Rose (bottom)
Reynolds Mansion
The velvety petals and very prickly vine of
this climbing rose represent both the gentility and the strength of the Georgia people.
The state flower since 1916, the Cherokee
rose grows in profusion throughout the Sea
Islands, draping itself like garlands over
fences, bushes, and man-made supports.
During the 1930s, tobacco magnate R.J.
Reynolds bought much of Sapelo Island,
including the magnificent 13-bedroom,
11-bath Spalding Plantation manor house
and estate. Guided tours are offered daily.
Lodging is available to groups of 16 to 29
people. The estate is managed by the
Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
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Camellia
Mystical Morning on Sapelo
Azaleas and wisteria rule the springtime,
while magnolias are the most pedigreed
ladies of summer. But thanks to mild temperatures and filtered sunlight, the gracious
camellia owns the Southern coastal garden
all winter long. The showy camellia japonica
comes in more than 3,000 varieties, cultivars, and hybrids.
Dense oak canopies, graceful drapings of
ancient vines and Spanish moss filter the
rays of early morning sun, creating an
ethereal, out-of-time effect on the R.J.
Reynolds estate.
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Pretty in Pink (left, top and bottom)
Sapelo Honey (right)
Keepers of the Culture (opposite)
The camellia (top) is believed to have been
brought to the Lowcountry during the
1700s. Most camellias grow in shrub or tree
form, from six to twelve feet tall. The
beloved George L. Tabor azalea (bottom),
with its extra-large blooms and deep pink
dotted throat, transforms ordinary homes
into showplaces and dominates prestigious
home and garden tours throughout the area.
Sweet, locally produced Sapelo honey helps
raise money for the Sapelo Island Cultural
and Restoration Society (SICARS) to preserve
the island’s Gullah culture. One of the most
exciting SICARS fundraisers is a joyful, musical, colorful cultural festival each October.
With about 75 residents, Hog Hammock is
the last intact, island-based Gullah-Geechee
community in Georgia’s Sea Islands.
Hog Hammock is home to native Gullah
storyteller, and keeper of the culture,
Cornelia Walker Bailey. Those who meet her
will want to own her book: God, Dr.
Buzzard and the Bolito Man. At Cornelia
and Julius Bailey’s one-room store (when it
is open), visitors can buy sweetgrass baskets,
scuppernong jelly, or an artful Gullah doll
made by daughter Terry.
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Sea Whip (top)
Wild Horses (bottom)
Wisteria and Azaleas (opposite)
Bright-colored encrusting organisms in
tones of pink and yellow transform ordinary
sea grasses into beachcombers’ treasures on
Georgia’s Golden Isles. Sea grasses, seaweed,
starfish, and other marine life that has died
and washed ashore have a pungent smell
until baked dry under the island sun.
Introduced by 16th-century Spanish explorers, then abandoned to return to the wild,
a herd of once-domesticated horses has
roamed Cumberland Island for 500 years.
Though thin and scruffy, approximately 150
remaining feral horses still make a charming
picture grazing on the dunes, among the
castle ruins, and beneath the gnarled oaks
of 19th-century mansions.
Hardy, fragrant wisteria vines wrap their
tenacious arms around massive oak trees,
climb stone walls, and wend their way
through fence pickets and posts. Here,
they frame a six-foot high wall of azaleas
along an island road for a particularly
stunning springtime show.
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Castle Dungeness (top)
Almost as glamorous in ruins as it was in its
prime, the 44-room turreted Castle Dungeness was built in 1884 and burned in a raging
fire in 1959. Now it is inhabited only by
the wild horses that graze on its lands, and
perhaps the ghost of Henry “Light Horse
Harry” Lee, father of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army.
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Greyfield Inn
The Dungeness Trail traverses maritime
forests and crosses some of the most beautiful dune fields in North America to a wide,
shell-strewn, sugary sand beach. Cumberland Island is managed by the National Park
Service, which operates the Cumberland
Queen ferry from St. Marys, Georgia.
Greyfield was built on Cumberland Island
in 1900 by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie’s
brother Thomas and his wife Lucy. Their
granddaughter, Lucy Ferguson, converted it
to an inn 62 years later and it still is personally managed by the family. The sensuous
live oak-canopied mansion, consistently
ranked as one of the most gracious and
romantic inns in America, hosted the 1996
wedding reception of John F. Kennedy Jr.
and Carolyn Bessette.
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Jekyll Causeway Towers
Crane Cottage
The six-mile causeway linking Jekyll Island
to the mainland at Brunswick, Georgia
traverses the legendary “Marshes of Glynn,”
immortalized in verse by poet Sidney Lanier.
After the state of Georgia acquired Jekyll
Island in 1947, it built the landmark Spanish
style towers that originally supported the
banner, “ Jekyll Island – Year-Round Beach
Resort.”
Plumbing industrialist Richard Teller Crane
and his wife admired a grand palazzo they
saw in Italy, so they built their Jekyll Island
“summer cottage” in its image. With 20
rooms and 17 baths, the Italian Renaissance
palace was the most opulent of the Millionaire’s Row mansions. Crane Cottage is now
part of the glamorous Jekyll Island Club
Hotel.
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Jekyll Island Club Hotel
Victorian Grandeur
At the turn of the 20th century, America’s
royalty—Rockefellers, Morgans, Astors,
Vanderbilts and others—who built their
extravagant summer cottages on Jekyll Island,
formed what was described as “the richest,
most exclusive, most inaccessible club in the
world.” Now on the National Historic
Register, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel is
ranked among the world’s top resort hotels.
If only the walls could talk in this fabled
Victorian clubhouse with the stately tower.
Between 1886 and World War II, social lives
were made and shattered here, and powerful
deals were brokered within its grand halls
and manicured gardens. It is said secret
meetings held here by the nation’s top
bankers launched the concept for the
Federal Reserve.
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Deserted Sands (top)
Cannonball Jellyfish (bottom)
Driftwood Beach
Beach walkers who seek peace and solitude
love Jekyll Island at sunset. A popular
daytrip destination, Driftwood Beach and
others around the island belong to locals
and resort guests as the day’s shadows grow
long. Every night brings a new color palette.
Tonight’s peach and yellow sunset may give
way to red and purple tomorrow.
If it’s true, as some believe, that the collagen
in cannonball jellyfish can control arthritis,
Driftwood Beach is a medical treasure trove.
In springtime, millions of this pretty, nonstinging variety of jellyfish populate the
waters throughout the Golden Isles and
the Lowcountry.
An ethereal play of light showcases the
artfully shaped oak and pine driftwood
sculptures that were created by shifting
sands. Some have been polished by surf and
sun for hundreds of years. Driftwood Beach
is at the north end of Jekyll Island.
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View From The Cottages (top)
A Fine Day’s Work (bottom)
Jekyll Island Pier
Once the private view of the privileged few,
the breathtaking sunsets from Millionaire’s
Row are now available to all. A path beneath
the palms leads to the historic Jekyll Wharf,
where the cream of American society once
disembarked for a winter season of hunting,
fishing, yachting, lawn parties, and other
leisurely pursuits.
Fishermen chug slowly into Jekyll Creek to
dock at the historic Jekyll Wharf. Prime
near-shore fishing targets are speckled trout,
redfish, and flounder. Offshore, it’s kingfish,
cobia, grouper, snapper, black sea bass, and
sheepshead. Jekyll Creek, part of the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, was critical
in the transport of cotton and indigo from
Jekyll Island’s plantations.
The 520-foot long free access fishing pier
at the north end of Jekyll Island affords
stunning vistas of Driftwood Beach and the
Sidney Lanier Bridge. Anglers can grill and
feast on their catch in the adjacent Clam
Creek Park.
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Little St. Simons Island
Sea Island Magic
Little St. Simons Island is the northernmost
and most secluded of Georgia’s Golden Isles.
Once part of a rice plantation, the privately
owned island is accessible only by boat. The
Lodge on Little St. Simons Island can accommodate up to 30 overnight guests to experience the 10,000 acres of pristine woodlands
and seven miles of isolated beaches.
Georgia’s Golden Isles receive some of the
most spectacular sunrise and sunset shows
on earth. On Little St. Simons Island, the
abundant population of resident and migratory shore birds, wading birds, and songbirds provide the music.
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The Lodge at Little St. Simons (opposite)
The Helen House (top)
A Step Back in Time (bottom)
At the heart of life on Little St. Simons is
the Hunting Lodge, where Lowcountry
meals are served family style, island
naturalists plan guided adventures, and
guests gather for cocktails at sunset.
The circa 1928, authentically preserved
three-bedroom guest cottage, with its tabby
walls, screened porch and open-beamed
living room, overlooks the salt marshes and
the Hunting Lodge at Little St. Simons
Island.
The movie-set 1930s ambience of the
lodge comes from rough-hewn pine furniture, generations of family photos, island
artifacts, and memorabilia from the visits
of distinguished visitors.
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Adorable Armadillo
Palmetto Forest
Though it can stand on its hind legs and
has kangaroo-like forepaws, the armadillo
(Spanish for “little armored one”) is not
related to marsupials. Its closest relatives
are sloths and anteaters. Its shell is made of
bone and it dines on insects that live in the
decaying wood of palmetto and hardwood
forests.
Live oaks have spent many centuries growing
their long, gnarled branches deep within the
palmetto forest. Soft carpets of oak leaves and
pine needles enhance the tranquility of the
forests, which shelter deer, wild turkeys, wild
boars, bobcats and other wildlife. As a stop
on the Atlantic Migratory Flyway, the Sea
Islands host hundreds of varieties of birds.
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ALLURING AMELIA
Golden Beaches (top)
Miss Amelia (bottom)
View from The Ritz (opposite)
Sophisticated and chic, yet relaxed and comfortable define Amelia Island, the unofficial
southern boundary of the Sea Islands. Here,
old island traditions are held dear, yet
world-class resorts fit in like the genteel
Southern ladies they are. In moments
between golfing, spa-ing, and active island
pursuits, an umbrella-shaded lounge chair
is never far away.
She’s bright and sassy, and just as alluring as
the resort she represents. The beautiful
young parrot, mascot of The Ritz-Carlton,
Amelia Island, loves the attention she gets
on her beachfront perch, especially from the
children. The Ritz-Carlton, renowned for its
elegance, offers championship golf, a luxurious spa, five star dining, romantic getaway
packages, and destination weddings.
White frothy waves and sugary white
dunes; royal blue umbrellas, green dune
grasses, and a blue-green sea: these are the
colors of luxury on Amelia Island as seen
from a balcony of the AAA Five-Diamond
Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. Amelia Island
is about 30 miles north of the Jacksonville
Airport.
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Amelia Island Plantation (top)
Exhilarating Golf (bottom)
Romantic Inns (opposite)
The AAA-Four Diamond family destination
resort at the southern end of Amelia Island
has it all: golf, tennis, spa, beach, and island
adventures. The 1,350-acre resort has a hotel
in case you want to visit—or marshfront,
oceanfront, and golf course homes in case
you decide to stay forever.
Amelia Island Plantation is world renowned
for its spectacular 72 holes of championship
golf, and none is more stunning than the
15th green of the Pete Dye/Bobby Weed
Ocean Links course. The challenging,
windswept links wind along a dune ridge
that features five dramatic oceanfront holes.
Another ten holes have gorgeous lagoon,
marsh, and wetland views.
Victorian gingerbread detailing, wide verandas, fireplaces and period antiques, a tranquil
courtyard with a three-tier fountain, and
gracious service draw visitors to The Addison
on Amelia Island. Tucked among crepe myrtles and live oaks on Ash Street, this circa1876 bed and breakfast inn is one of several
lovely romantic B&Bs that have made Fernandina Beach a top rated inn destination.
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Oldest Drinking Establishment
Coke Nostalgia
Back in the 1800s, when shipping brought
great wealth to Fernandina Beach, saloons
prospered along Centre Street. At the impressive Palace Saloon, complimentary towels
once provided to wipe the foam from patrons’
mustaches are gone, but the 40-foot bar, tin
ceilings, mosaic floors, gas lamps and elaborate murals in Florida’s oldest continuously
operating drinking establishment remain.
Coca Cola Company forged new advertising
ground in the late 1800s by painting its logo
on the sides of brick buildings, particularly
drug stores. The usual perk for the store was
a fresh coat of paint and their name above
the Coke logo. This one was probably first
painted in 1905, coincidentally the year the
Palace Saloon began serving Coke.
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Boardwalk over the Marsh (top)
Fernandian Harbor (bottom)
Roseate Spoonbills
This boardwalk over a wildlife-rich salt
marsh still wearing its golden mantle of
winter is among the best-kept secrets of
the Sea Islands. Tucked into a residential
community, within Amelia Island Plantation,
is Drummond Point Park, where heartstopping spectacles of sunrises and sunsets
are free to resort guests.
Fishing charters, pleasure craft, shrimp
boats, and sightseeing vessels make harmonious neighbors at the Historic Fernandina
Harborfront. The picturesque 50-block
cobble stoned historic district is popular for
strolling, shopping, antiquing, and dining.
The Chamber of Commerce occupies the
quaint red Florida Railroad train depot at
the corner of Front and Centre Streets.
Among the loveliest wading birds of Florida
and Georgia’s Sea Islands, roseate spoonbills
make a dramatic sight, both in flight and
reflected in the water as they scoop up their
breakfast in the mud flats at low tide. Their
spoon-shaped bills swing from side to side
to capture frogs, minnows, and tiny wetlands creatures.
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First Light on Amelia
Magical Last Light (top)
Mystical Landscape (pages 126–127)
While most of the Sea Islands still slumber,
early risers take advantage of dawn’s first
gifts. In this case, it may be a tasty coquina
or a silver minnow. While the Atlantic can
toss up some awe-inspiring waves, some
break over a sea as smooth as glass.
The fishing is great in the Sea Islands yearround, especially at sunrise and sunset. With
or without fish, when Mother Nature bestows
a gentle evening glow of cotton candy pink
over sea and sky like this one over Amelia, it’s
hard to pack up and go home.
A mystical quality permeates this summer
afternoon at the Savannah National Wildlife
Refuge, as the air temperature drops, wildlife take shelter, and thirsty grasses stand
perfectly still in anticipation of a quenching
rain.
124
125
Karen T. Bartlett is an award-winning professional photojournalist whose travel articles and
photography appear regularly in magazines,
travel guides, newspapers, and books throughout North America and the Caribbean.
A native of Savannah, Georgia, she spent 20
years at the helm of a leading Atlanta public
relations firm before pursuing photojournalism
as a second career. Since then, her assignments
have taken her from the savannas of South
Africa to the temples of Bali; from the medieval
cities of Tuscany to the jungles of Belize; atop
the eerie castle ruins of the Marquis de Sade in
the South of France and inside a teeming alligator pit at the edge of the Everglades. She was
interrogated in South Africa for traveling with a
Zulu spear, and she once dined on live termites
in Venezuela’s Orinoco Delta.
Karen went deep-sea fishing with former U.S.
president Jimmy Carter, earned a reindeer driver
license in Finland, and documented the primitive land-diving rituals on remote Pentecost
Island in the South Pacific. She has covered spa
therapies from the marble palaces of Asia to the
Dead Sea.
Karen is a member of the ASMP, American
Society of Media Photographers, and the
SATW, Society of American Travel Writers.
She is the travel editor of Gulfshore Life, the premier lifestyle magazine of Florida’s southwest
Gulf coast.
She is the photographer for Twin Lights’ topselling Naples, Florida: A Photographic Portrait,
and the author of several other books in the
Photographic Portraits series, including Cape
Cod, Tampa Bay and Long Island.
Many of the photographs featured in this
book are available as hand-signed note cards
and matted prints. For more information, visit
her website at www.karentbartlett.com.
128
/30/09
10:56 AM
Page 1
THE SEA ISLANDS
rtlett
eorgia, she spent 20
g Atlanta public relaphotojournalism as a
her assignments have
as of South Africa to
he medieval cities of
ize; atop the eerie casSade in the South of
g alligator pit at the
e was interrogated in
ith a Zulu spear, and
rmites in Venezuela’s
the sea
of sout
Georgia
A PHOTOG
Imagine the shrim
plantations in North
lum mansions in
Tides. These scenes
filmed on a strand
along the coastline
and Florida. On th
and jasmine perfum
shore birds and the
Gullah language fall
houses send out th
300 years.
Walk with Lowco
Bartlett beneath ca
oaks. Explore golde
port towns. See if
fresh-picked peach.
horses galloping thr
of cannon fire… th
Gilded Age… the w
over windswept seas
There’s magic in
creeps as slowly as a
enchanted.
karen t. bartlett
Antebellum plantations, shrimp boats, and sweetgrass baskets… lighthouses
and driftwood-strewn beaches...wisteria, Spanish moss, and ancient oaks…
charming seaports and funky beach towns… intimate inns and island-chic
resorts… Lowcountry native Karen T. Bartlett reveals the secrets of the
Sea Islands.
twin lights publishers
ng with former U.S.
ned a reindeer driver
mented the primitive
te Pentecost Island in
covered spa therapies
Asia to the Dead Sea.
he ASMP, American
hers, and the SATW,
l Writers. She is the
e, the premier lifestyle
west Gulf coast.
or Twin Lights’ topPhotographic Portrait,
er books in the Photoncluding Cape Cod,
.
featured in this book
note cards and matted
n, visit her website at
ward-winning professe travel articles and
y in magazines, travel
oks throughout North
THE SEA ISLANDS
Karen T. Bartlett
Book design by:
SYP Design & Produ
www.sypdesign.com

View Entire Book - twin lights publishers

Transcription

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