Georgia Magazine - June 2023 - 24

The observation tower rises above the landscape at
the Okefenokee Swamp. The swamp is home to more than
10,000 American alligators and a host of other creatures.
" The beautiful and mysterious Okefenokee
Swamp should be on everyone's travel bucket list, "
says Kim Hatcher, public affairs coordinator for
Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites.
It is an unspoiled habitat, where wood storks,
black bears, red-cockaded woodpeckers, turtles
and other creatures-including more than 10,000
American alligators-make
their home. The park is a haven
for paddlers, photographers and
families, who can be absorbed
into a world of Spanish-mossdraped
trees and all manners
of swimming, scampering and
slithering wildlife.
But Stephen C. Foster State
Little St. Simons Island
Access to this privately owned,
11,000-acre island resort is only by boat,
and on-island transportation is by foot,
kayak and bicycle. The island's inhabitants
add the local color, and visitors tend to
marvel. A lot. That's because Little St.
Simons Island, one of Georgia's four
barrier islands known collectively as the
Golden Isles, is on the Atlantic Flyway for migratory birds.
Visitors routinely are charmed by birds that look like
The lodge on Little St. Simons Island off ers a
secluded, quiet place for families to enjoy the
natural surroundings.
Park is equally renowned for the
sights at night. The park, which
is designated a Certified Dark
Sky Park by the International
Dark Sky Association, is an ideal
spot to stargaze, see the Milky
Way and the constellations
within and possibly spot a
meteor streaking across the sky.
Hatcher, who lists Stephen
C. Foster State Park among her
favorite destinations in Georgia,
advises stargazers to pack
binoculars or a telescope and
head to the parking lot near the boat bay for best viewing.
" I'm always amazed at how many more stars you can see
characters from Dr. Seuss' imagination: pink-feathered roseate
spoonbills with red eyes and bald heads; showy painted
buntings in vivid technicolor; and American oystercatchers,
with their flaming red-orange bills.
Spot these birds and others-songbirds, sandpipers, sea
ducks-on naturalist-led birding excursions, beach strolls and
open-air truck safaris.
Nature-loving families can take a guided day tour or book
an all-inclusive getaway at the lodge and enjoy unhurried,
uncrowded " we " time, swimming in the saltwater pool, dining
on garden-fresh meals and exploring 7 miles of private beaches.
Stephen C. Foster State Park
This remote 120-acre wildland in Fargo is located within
the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and it may change
your mind about swamps and gators.
The park is a primary entrance to the Okefenokee Swamp,
which is North America's largest blackwater swamp, the
largest wetland in the South and one of Georgia's seven
natural wonders.
24 Georgia Magazine June 2023
from this location, " she says.
The park offers a variety of overnight accommodations,
including campgrounds for RVs and tents, cottages, groupfriendly
campsites and the Suwannee River Eco-Lodge. Visitors
can take daily 90-minute boat tours into the heart of the
Okefenokee Swamp to learn about the wildlife, history and
ecology of the park and swamp.
Kathy Witt is a freelance writer based in Kentucky.
When you go
* Cumberland Island National Seashore, 101 Wheeler St., St. Marys;
(912) 882-4336; nps.gov/cuis, bit.ly/exploregacumberland
* Greyfi eld Inn, Cumberland Island; (904) 261-6408; greyfi eldinn.com
* Historic Banning Mills, 205 Horseshoe Dam Road, Whitesburg;
(770) 834-9149; historicbanningmills.com
* Little St. Simons Island, 1000 Hampton River Club Marina Drive,
St. Simons Island; (912) 638-7472; littlestsimonsisland.com
* Stephen C. Foster State Park, 17515 Highway 177, Fargo;
(912) 637-5274; gastateparks.org/stephencfoster
EXPLORE GEORGIA
EXPLORE GEORGIA
http://www.nps.gov/cuis http://bit.ly/exploregacumberland http://www.greyfieldinn.com http://www.historicbanningmills.com http://www.littlestsimonsisland.com http://www.gastateparks.org/stephencfoster
Georgia Magazine - June 2023

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