Catch a ferry from a quiet historic town to an island where wild horses roam: Here’s what to know

Wikimedia Commons/Idawriter
St. Marys’ best-kept secret sits offshore
St. Marys sits in Georgia’s far southeast corner where the St. Marys River bends toward the Atlantic, and most people speed past it on the way somewhere else. That’s a mistake. This is one of the oldest cities in the country, with oak-shaded streets, a riverfront you can walk to from anywhere downtown, and a ferry that drops you on a barrier island where wild horses outnumber people. You won’t find neon signs or high-rise hotels. What you’ll find is harder to come by. Wikimedia Commons/Mjrmtg
From Buttermilk Bluff to one of America’s oldest towns
Long before Georgia was a state, the Spanish had already been here, settling the area in the mid-1500s. The British drew up town plans in 1767 under the name Buttermilk Bluff. After the Revolution, 20 American proprietors bought the land and established the town in 1787, and French Acadians exiled from Canada were among the first to call it home. The downtown earned National Historic District status in 1976, which means the bones of the original town are still very much there. Shutterstock
Oak trees, white picket fences and the heart of old downtown
Osborne Street is where you start. Giant oaks and palms reach over the sidewalks and block out the afternoon heat. White picket fences wrap around landmarks that have been standing since before the Civil War. Turn-of-the-century buildings now hold gift shops and antique stores worth an easy hour of browsing. Rocking chairs sit on porches the way they’re supposed to, and nobody’s in a rush. The whole street moves at a pace that takes some getting used to if you’ve come from anywhere bigger. Wikimedia Commons/Michael Rivera
Shrimp boats, swings and the river rolling past
Walk down to the Howard Gilman Memorial Waterfront Park and you’ll hit the water fast. A boardwalk runs the length of the riverfront with swings hung just right for watching the view. Brick walkways cut between palms that sway with any breeze off the water, and if you time it right, you’ll see shrimp boats heading back in with the day’s catch. There’s also a playground, a dock, and a public boat launch if you’ve brought something to put in the water. Wikimedia Commons/Gpwitteveen
Spy the whole town through a real submarine periscope
The St. Marys Submarine Museum sits right on the waterfront in a building that used to be a movie theater, and it’s one of the largest submarine museums in the South. Two floors hold model submarines, naval uniforms, photographs, and memorabilia going back decades. A short film walks you through what daily life looks like aboard a submarine. Then you step up to the working periscope and scan across the river and back over the rooftops of downtown.

It’s a small detail that lands harder than you’d expect. Wikimedia Commons/John Phelan
Revolutionary War soldiers rest beneath the Spanish moss
Oak Grove Cemetery was established in 1788, which puts it among the oldest surviving cemeteries in Georgia. The oldest marked grave dates to 1801, and about 29 soldiers of the American Revolution are buried in the grounds. Live oaks draped in Spanish moss shade the whole place and make it feel sealed off from the rest of town. It’s not a somber visit so much as a quiet one, the kind where you find yourself reading names and doing the math on dates without planning to. Wikimedia Commons/Jud McCranie
A Greek Revival home built when the republic was still new
Orange Hall went up around 1830 and stands as one of the earliest Greek Revival buildings in America. The name came from the orange trees that once grew around it. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the grounds are open to walk through. The interior is currently closed for repairs and renovations, so you won’t get inside for now, but the exterior alone is worth stopping for. The columns and proportions tell you something about what ambition looked like in a small Georgia town almost 200 years ago. Wikimedia Commons/Bubba73
Old churches, a smuggler’s horse and a presidential oak
Two of St. Marys churches have been standing since before most American cities existed. The First Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest in Georgia, and the St. Marys United Methodist Church dates to 1799. A memorial oak was planted here in honor of George Washington. Local lore also holds that smugglers once hauled a horse up into a church belfry, which raises more questions than it answers. Both churches sit within walking distance of each other downtown, close enough that you pass them without trying. Shutterstock
Marsh walks, dolphins and miles of flat coastal trail
The Tilden Norris Marsh Walk takes you out on a boardwalk over the marsh to a covered gazebo, and dolphins show up often enough that it’s worth standing still for a few minutes. The Tabby Trail runs from the waterfront toward Crooked River on a flat, wide path through wetlands, live oaks, and past Victorian homes. The whole route is easy walking and easy cycling with no serious elevation to deal with. You can cover a lot of ground without working very hard, which is exactly the point on a trip like this. Wikimedia Commons/DeBuskPhotography
Coastal woods, old sugar ruins and a river worth fishing
Just outside St. Marys, Crooked River State Park lines the shore with hiking trails that push through coastal woods and along the water. You can fish, camp, or find a picnic spot without going far from the trailhead. Occasional boat tours run from inside the park. A short distance away stand the tabby ruins of the old McIntosh Sugarworks, the remains of a 19th-century operation built from a mixture of oyster shells and lime. The ruins sit in the trees and look exactly as old as they are.

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The post Catch a ferry from a quiet historic town to an island where wild horses roam appeared first on When In Your State.

Shutterstock
Wild horses, crumbling ruins and miles of empty beach
The ferry to Cumberland Island leaves from the St. Marys waterfront, and the barrier island is only reachable by boat. Herds of wild horses move freely across the beaches and through the trails, and they don’t pay much attention to the people watching them. Inland, the Dungeness ruins sit in the middle of maritime forest, a collapsed estate that the trees are slowly pulling apart. Miles of undeveloped beach stretch in both directions with no development in sight. Cumberland is what the Georgia coast looked like before anyone built anything on it. Shutterstock
Fresh seafood, a parade and the river as the backdrop
The St. Marys Seafood Festival brings the waterfront to life with a parade, races, fresh seafood, live entertainment, and rows of arts and crafts vendors. The event marks the town’s long maritime history and the fishing that shaped it. Live oaks line the festival grounds and the river runs right alongside, which gives the whole thing a setting most towns couldn’t pull off. If your visit lines up with the festival, it’s the fastest way to understand what St. Marys has always been about. Wikimedia Commons/Mjrmtg
Explore St. Marys’ Historic Downtown and Waterfront in Georgia
Park the car once and leave it. The historic district is walkable from Osborne Street all the way down to the riverfront, and you won’t need to move it between stops. The St. Marys Historic Downtown and Waterfront are open to explore daily. The St. Marys Submarine Museum is located at 102 St. Marys St. W and is open Tuesday through Sunday; admission is charged. The Cumberland Island ferry departs from the downtown dock and reservations are required through the National Park Service. Book the ferry early, especially in spring and fall. This article was created with AI assistance and human editing. Read more from this brand:

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The post Catch a ferry from a quiet historic town to an island where wild horses roam appeared first on When In Your State.