You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Local Attractions' category.
The PGA TOUR and RSM McGladrey, one of the nation’s leading accounting, tax and business consulting firms, announced Tuesday a three-year title sponsorship agreement that will bring a new PGA TOUR event to renowned Sea Island Resort on the southern coast of Georgia beginning in 2010.
The McGladrey Classic will be held October 7-10 as part of the PGA TOUR Fall Series and will be played on the Seaside Course, which has been featured in Golf Digest’s list of Top 100 Courses in the United States. Longtime PGA TOUR member and Sea Island resident Davis Love III, whose foundation will be the tournament host organization, will serve as Tournament Chairman, and his brother Mark Love will be Executive Director of The McGladrey Classic. TOUR member Zach Johnson, also a Sea Island resident and a “Team McGladrey” member, will serve on the tournament board.
The purse will be $4 million and the tournament’s charitable beneficiaries will include Special Olympics, the official charity of RSM McGladrey’s golf platform, as well as local charities in the Sea Island-Brunswick area.
“We are delighted to announce the establishment of The McGladrey Classic and welcome RSM McGladrey to our family of title sponsors,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “This represents a partnership between a dynamic new sponsor, a host organization founded by a prominent member of the PGA TOUR, and a world-class resort serving as the host venue. This unique collection of partners, combined with the direct involvement of Davis and Zach, brings distinction to the tournament that is unlike any other we have on TOUR.”
In addition to becoming a focal point of its charitable support of Special Olympics, the sponsorship expands RSM McGladrey’s existing presence in professional golf, which includes sponsorship of Team McGladrey comprising six-time PGA TOUR winner and Masters Champion Johnson, three-time PGA TOUR winner Chris DiMarco and LPGA TOUR professional Natalie Gulbis.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for RSM McGladrey to build greater awareness of our services and brand while expanding relationships with our clients and prospective clients,” said RSM McGladrey President C.E. Andrews.
“The real power of any relationship comes through understanding, which leads to trust and a partnership based on integrity. At RSM McGladrey, we know that our clients and prospects enjoy playing and watching golf. Partnering with the PGA TOUR enables us to connect with these individuals in a meaningful way, while also providing a new platform to strengthen our support of Special Olympics and other philanthropic organizations. We are honored to sponsor The McGladrey Classic.”
“As a longtime resident, I’m very excited to bring a PGA TOUR tournament to Sea Island, which undoubtedly will be a terrific host venue for The McGladrey Classic,” said Davis Love III. “I believe the players will really enjoy the Seaside Course, which is both beautiful and challenging and will be a great site for the tournament. I’m particularly pleased about the economic and charitable impact the tournament will have.”
The Seaside Course, which opened in 1929, was originally designed by noted architects Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison, and in 1999 was renovated by Tom Fazio. It measures 7,055 yards and plays to par 70. The resort also features the Plantation Course, designed by Walter Travis and renovated by Rees Jones in 1998.
The McGladrey Classic will feature a 132-player field. Love and Johnson, both major championship winners and past winners of Fall Series events, already have committed to play. The Fall Series features late-season drama as players vie to finish in the top 125 on the PGA TOUR Official Money List to earn their cards for 2011.
A Fall Series victory earns a trip to Maui for the season-opening SBS Championship, plus invitations to the following year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, THE PLAYERS Championship, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley, AT&T National and PGA.
Massengale is a popular and busy public park, where the smells of grilled hamburgers and hot-dogs mix with the happy shouts of playing children. Because of its extensive use, it has the worn look of a public park. Nevertheless, it provides access to the southern end of East Beach, and visitors who head north from here will experience the best beach the island has to offer. The sand is hard-packed and suitable for biking.
The park came about due to philanthropy by the Sea Island Company, which was in the process of limiting public access to its beaches and wanted to provide a public beach area for St. Simons residents, but not on Sea Island. The Sea Island Company bought the property in 1945 in an attempt to get the state to build a state park, but it was deemed too small, and the state instead purchased Jekyll Island. In 1955, the Sea Island Company donated the property to Glynn County for the park.
The woodlands of the park and East Beach, supporting Live Oaks and pines, are remnants of the maritime forest on the Holocene fragment of St. Simons. Because of the younger, poorer soil, this forest is much less diverse, compared with the mid-island forests that are growing on richer, Pleistocene soils found west of Bloody Marsh. 
- Directions: From Brunswick, cross F.J. Torras Causeway. Go left on Demere Road to East Beach Causeway. After crossing the causeway, go right on Ocean Boulevard. Massengale Park is on the left.
- Activities: Beachcombing, picnicking, biking, bird-watching, nature study.
- Dates: Open daily 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
- Facilities: Park, picnic tables, restrooms, showers.
- Fees: None.
- For more information: St. Simons Island Chamber of Commerce, Neptune Park, St. Simons Island, GA 31522. Phone (912) 638-9014.
St. Simons Island’s beaches are limited to the southern end of the island in a band stretching 4 miles from Gould’s Inlet on the eastern side to King Creek on the southwestern side. The beaches have experienced tremendous changes since the beginning of the island’s recorded history, and continue to erode and accrete as a response to the effects of wind, waves, tides, and storms. Taylor Schoettle’s study of the beaches in A Naturalist’s Guide to St. Simons Island is an excellent primer on the subject. Not many sea turtles nest on St. Simons Island for reasons not entirely understood but probably due to the island’s mix of currents, sand quality, width of beach, rock seawalls, beach orientation, and development. From 1994–1998, an average of only one sea turtle has nested on St. Simons a year, compared with 74 on Sea Island, which has roughly the same length of beach.
St. Simons Beach, the area between the King and Prince Beach Resort and fishing pier, through the years has been assaulted by currents, tides, and storms and has eroded significantly. If not for the placement of the Johnson Rocks in 1964, naturalist Taylor Schoettle believes the beach would have retreated all the way to the brick county buildings behind Neptune Park. In the 1920s, the beach extended out to the wings of the present pier, and the old pier extended the length of the new pier from that spot. In the 1920s, people could drive their cars on the beach from the pier to the King and Prince, something that would be unthinkable today. At low tide, beachcombers can walk to the King and Prince, but at high tide, much of the beach is submerged as waves crash on the seawall known as the Johnson Rocks.
This small park provides a panorama of the eastern marshes of St. Simons Island, while it informs the visitor of the Battle of Bloody Marsh. Though it was a relatively small engagement, the outcome had a tremendous influence on the future course of Georgia. An exhibit explains the engagement and a plaque honors Oglethorpe’s resolve to keep the Georgia territory in the hands of the British empire.
Geologically, the high ground of the park is the Pleistocene (35,000 years ago) shoreline of St. Simons Island, which existed before Sea Island and East Beach were formed to the east 5,000 years ago. The “Bloody Marshes” filled the lagoon created by the younger, sandy barriers. Marsh species display zonation, with Live Oaks on the highest, driest ground, cedar at the woodland edge, and marsh elder and groundsel trees by the edge of the marsh, going down to saltwort, glasswort, bunch grass (Spartina bakeri), salt meadow cordgrass (Spartina patens), and needlerush. Wading birds, such as herons and egrets, are observed fishing the shallower open waters of the marsh, which drain into Postell Creek and enter the ocean at Gould’s Inlet.
In 1739, Britain declared war on the Spanish, called the War of Jenkins’ Ear. Jenkins was an English smuggler who had his ship boarded by the Spanish off the Florida coast. When the Spanish couldn’t find any contraband, Jenkins testified to the English House of Commons, one of the officers grew angry and sliced off his ear. This outraged England, which had been spoiling for a fight with Spain for years. In the vulnerable southern colonies of America, Oglethorpe decided to act first, and laid siege to Spanish-held St. Augustine in 1740, but he was unsuccessful. Two years later, the Spanish sailed past the guns of Fort St. Simons and landed near Gascoigne’s Bluff with approximately 2,000 men supported by 50 ships. Flanked and outmanned, Oglethorpe abandoned Fort St. Simons and withdrew his 900 troops along Military Road toward Fort Frederica.
The first action of the day occurred within sight of Fort Frederica at Gully Hole Creek, where a force of Scottish Highlanders, English Rangers, and Indians led by Oglethorpe repulsed an advancing regiment of 200 Spaniards, causing them to retreat. Back in camp, the Spanish commander and governor of Florida, Manuel de Montiano, learning of the defeat, sent several hundred troops up the military road to cover the retreat. Meanwhile, Oglethorpe’s men waited in ambush near the road, and at the last possible moment, the Scots and English rangers opened fire on the unprepared Spanish troops, causing anywhere from 100 to 500 casualties, depending on whose account one believes. The marshes reportedly “ran red with blood.” The Spanish returned to the south end, and after contemplating the situation for a week, destroyed Fort St. Simons, boarded their ships, and left the Georgia coast for good, ensuring that Georgia and the territories to the north would be of British heritage and speak the English language. The military clash passed into the history books as the Battle of Bloody Marsh.
- Directions: From Brunswick, cross F.J. Torras Causeway. Go left on Demere Road. Bloody Marsh Monument is located on the left after the Demere/Frederica intersection.
- Activities: Historic touring, bird-watching, nature study.
- Dates: Visitor center is open 7 days a week from 8–4.
- Facilities: Park, exhibit shelter, audiotape.
- Fees: None.
One-half mile south of Clam Creek Road on the eastern side of North Riverview Drive are the remains of the Horton House. The two-story tabby structure, one of the oldest in the state, was built in 1742 after Horton’s original structure was destroyed by retreating Spanish, who had just been defeated by Oglethorpe in the Battle of Bloody Marsh. An exceptionally large red bay occupies the northwest corner of the house. Across the street in a peaceful setting of cedars, oaks and pines is the du Bignon family cemetery. The du Bignons owned the island for nearly a century before selling it to the Jekyll Island Club millionaires. Major Horton Road, on the north side of the property, connects with Beachview Drive on the eastern side of the island. This road becomes a trail that passes freshwater sloughs and a pond open to freshwater fishing.
Maj. William Horton served as forward lookout on Jekyll Island for Gen. James Oglethorpe during the British colonial period. Horton, who commanded English forces after Oglethorpe returned to England, is best known for having the first brewery in Georgia, the ruins of which are seen south of this site on the western side of Riverview Drive.
- Trail: 1-mile.
- Directions: From Brunswick, travel south on US 17, cross Sidney Lanier Bridge. At causeway, turn left toward Jekyll Island. Continue across Ben Fortson Parkway to dead end. Go left. Horton House Ruins and trailhead are on left past Clam Creek Picnic Area.
by Katie Brown
There is nothing more relaxing and beautiful than boating in the Golden Isle of Georgia. The views from the water are breathtaking, and the excitement of the catch will keep you coming back for more!
Fishing has always been a part of life for me growing up in the Golden Isles. From a young age I would go with my father early Saturday morning and rig up for a day of fishing! My first big catch was a Jack Crevalle that I landed off of G Reef. I thought that fish was going to pull me into the water with it, but I was determined to get it to the boat and I did. My father has a rule that you have to land any fish you catch by yourself, or you won’t be going fishing with him again.
Now, I’m a member of the Pink Mullets, an all female angling team based out of St. Simons Island. The Pink Mullets are best know for the 2008 Golden Isles Kingfish Classic in which we sank our boat…..however, we did so after landing a beautiful Sailfish and a nice Kingfish. If you are ever on a sinking boat send out a distress call and mention that you are a boat of women….you will be amazed at the number of boats that come to your rescue!
Today I’m taking you to F Reef, and don’t worry…..we won’t be sinking any boats! The water is calm like a lake, that glorious smell of salt water surrounds you, and there is a chill in the early morning air! As we are leaving the Channel the sun is coming up on the horizon, and we make our run to F Reef (about 9 miles off the St.SimonsCoast) for a morning of bottom fishing. As we arrive to our marker we are greeted by a beautiful Sea Turtle. We then rig up with squid, drop the lines, and instantly start bringing up Sea Bass. We are hoping for Snapper or Grouper, but Sea Bass are tasty too! After 2 hours of ok fishing I think I’ve snagged the bottom, or have I??? The line starts racing, and I know I’ve got more than a Sea Bass on the line…..After a good fight I land my first Giant Redfish!!!! I’ve caught several Redfish inshore, but I’ve never caught a Giant before!! So here’s to another great day of fishing in Coastal Georgia.
by Katie Brown
I’d like you to go with me to the Swamp. Yes, you heard right…the swamp!!! Just a short drive from the Golden Isles of Georgia lies the “Land of the Trembling Earth,” or what most of the locals refer to as Okefenokee…..bet you can’t say that 3 times!!!
Okefenokee Swamp Park is the headwaters of the Suwanee and St. Mary’s Rivers. This National Wildlife Refuge covers a half million acres, and is also part of the National Wilderness System! This is the largest swamp in North America.
The Seminole Indians named Okefenokee the “Land of the Trembling Earth.” The Seminoles had miles and miles of canoe trails leading all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Today visitors to the park can board the Lady Suwanee, rent canoes, enjoy nature shows, and take a guided bout tour into the swamp. I highly recommend all of these!!!
While visiting the Okefenokee I saw several American Alligators. In this park the Alligators are free range, so be careful where you park! We saw 2 alligators sun bathing in the parking lot! These are photos of some of the American Alligators in one of the nature exhibits. The park is also home to deer, bears, otters, snakes, butterflies, turtles, frogs, fish, and birds. You couldn’t pay me to cross that bridge!
My next adventure in the swamp was to boarded the Lady Suwanee for a 1.5 mile train ride through the swamp and tour of Pioneer Island. The Lady Suwanee is a 36 gauge replica steam engine. The train ride was fun, and enjoyable for all ages!! 
After the tour on the Lady Suwanee I took in one of the interactive nature shows, and was able to pet a baby alligator. They also had several snakes on hand, but I declined on petting those….
My next adventure was my favorite while at the swamp. We went on a 1 hour guided boat ride through the swamp, and it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Okefenokee Swamp Park is located 8 miles south of Waycross, Georgia off U.S. 1 South on Highway 177. Look for our billboards in Waycross, GA.
From I-95: (Exit 29) In Brunswick, GA take Highway 82 West Exit 6 (Mile Marker 29) Go approx. 45 miles and take Hwy 177
For the first time since WWII, the St. Simons Island Lighthouse light will be turned off to accommodate extensive restoration and repairs. On Sunday night, September 27, from 6:30-8:30, come out and celebrate The Big Turn Off with entertainment from Mason Waters Band, Master of Ceremonies, Joe Willie Sousa and free refreshments. This is a FREE family event and is history in motion. Come see, learn and touch our beloved lighthouse. The Lighthouse is maintained exclusively by private funds and is not a state funded facility. The Coastal Georgia Historical Society staffs and maintains The St Simons Lighthouse, A.W. Jones Heritage Center & The Maritime Center at The Historic Coast Guard Station
Perhaps the most beautiful and recognizable landmark on the Georgia coast is the St. Simons Lighthouse, a much-visited, photographed, and beloved monument to the island’s nautical history. On a clear day, the climb of 129 steps to the top of the 104-foot gleaming white tower allows perhaps the most glorious view to be experienced on the Georgia coast. The keeper’s cottage, where the museum is located, is believed to be the oldest brick structure in Glynn County. It was built of Savannah grey brick with Georgia heart pine floors in 1872, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum is furnished with antiques that belonged to the old families of St. Simons, including one early nineteenth century secretary from Retreat Plantation.
The first structure built in the area of the lighthouse was Delegal’s Fort, built in spring of 1936 by troops from South Carolina. It was replaced in 1738 by Fort St. Simons, which was destroyed by retreating Spanish troops after their defeat in 
the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742. The area became a plantation owned by John Couper, who sold 4 acres for $1 to the Federal government for the construction of a lighthouse. In 1807, James Gould of Massachusetts was hired to build the first lighthouse. Although the original specifications called for brick, Gould used tabby, a cheap, durable “coastal concrete” made of equal parts oyster shells, lime, sand, and water. He built a 75-foot octagonal tower, 25 feet in diameter at the base tapering to 10 feet at the top. The top 12.5 feet were constructed of brick, and supported a 10-foot-high, 8-foot-diameter iron lantern equipped with oil lamps suspended by chains. An 8-foot-thick base supported the weight of the structure. In 1810, Gould was appointed first keeper by President James Madison, and was paid $400 a year until his retirement in 1837. The lantern was originally powered by whale oil, but when the majestic animals were hunted to near extinction, lighthouses switched to kerosene. St. Simons Island author Eugenia Price wrote a historical novel about Gould’s efforts, titled simply The Lighthouse, which was the second installment in her trilogy about St. Simons Island.
In 1857, the lights of the lighthouse were greatly improved when it was fitted with a third-order, double-convex lens, which can cast a beam 18 miles. This improvement was to be short-lived, however, because of the arrival of the Civil War in 1860. Stationed at Fort Brown, a wooden bastion near the lighthouse to protect St. Simons Sound, were the Macon artillery troops and six field guns. In 1862, when Union warships blockaded the Georgia coast, the Confederates decided to abandon St. Simons, and before leaving, they dynamited the lighthouse and burned Fort Brown so they would not aid their enemy. The ruins of this first lighthouse are found on the complex grounds east of the tower.
After the Civil War, the Federal government decided a new lighthouse was needed on St. Simons Island. Hired to design and build the lighthouse and keeper’s house was noted Irish-born architect Charles Cluskey. He designed a graceful, 104-foot, round tower and a nine-room, two-story Victorian house for the keeper. The architectural details not only enhance the beauty of the house but also draw the eye upward to the lighthouse. Cluskey died of malaria a year before he was able to see his work finished in 1872. In 1876, the keeper’s house was upgraded and a speaker’s tube linking the house with the top of the tower was added. A fire-proof brick oil house measuring 9 feet by 11 feet that could hold 450, 5-gallon oil cans was constructed next to the lighthouse in 1890. This building’s purpose became obsolete when the kerosene lamp was replaced by an electrical one in 1934. When the last lighthouse keeper retired in the 1950s, the U.S. Coast Guard fully automated the lighthouse. Today, the Fresnel lens is illuminated by a 1,000-watt mogul lamp, which rotates once a minute.
In 1972, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society took over the unused keeper’s house, restored it to its original design, and opened it to the public. A series of renovation and restoration activities continued on the tower and complex until 1984, when visitors were allowed to climb to the top of the lighthouse.
Today, the romantic lure of the lighthouse is irresistible on a foggy night, as the light sweeps slowly out into the night, comforting sailors in the sound and reassuring residents in the community that part of their heritage remains intact for future generations to appreciate.
Directions: From Brunswick, cross F.J. Torras Causeway. Go right on Kings Way to Ocean Boulevard. At Mallery Street, continue to 12th Street. Turn right and proceed to lighthouse and museum.
Dates: Open Monday through Saturday 10–5, Sunday 1:30–5. Closed selected holidays.
Facilities: Lighthouse and museum, gift shop.
Fees: A small fee is charged for admission.
For more information: Coastal Georgia Historical Society, 101 12th Street, St. Simons Island, GA 31522. Phone (912) 638-4666. Museum of Coastal History, PO Box 21136, St. Simons Island, GA 31522. Visit saintsimonslighthouse.com.
Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival on Jekyll Island celebrates coastal cooking and southern hospitality. Since its inaugural year in 2006, the event has brought attention and public awareness to the unique sweet taste of Wild Georgia Shrimp. One of the primary purposes of Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival, is to bolster an affinity for Wild Georgia Shrimp. Highlights of the festival include, the amateur and professional cooking competitions, shrimp boat excursions, shrimp eating contests, cookbook signings, cooking demonstrations and much more. The festival is completed with live entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, and a kids’ fun zone!
Festival Grounds Times
Friday, September 18 – 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 19 – 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday , September 20 – 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Enjoy $3 samples of Shrimp & Grits form each of the vendors on Friday.
