Basic Georgia coast questions (Atlanta, Savannah: RV parks, home, camping)

[NorrisPA]

Hi,

I live about 40 miles north of Atlanta and would like to take a trip to the east coast and maybe get to see a loggerhead turtle come out to lay some eggs. I'd like to stay in a wooded campground that's on water of some sort and also take a ride on a water bus or water taxi or something not too expensive like that. Also would like to take a kayak and paddle around some intersting channels or streams and hopefully see some wildlife at low tide. I did that in Fort Lauderdale and saw birds and racoons looking for food along the shorelines. Can anyone suggest a good place to go to do those things?

Thank you for any help or suggestions!
David

[SavannahLife]

come see Cumberland Island. while it's still nice and preserved.

[Newsboy]

Tybee Island or Jekyll Island are your best bets. Both have campgrounds very close or right on the beach and both have sea turtle experiences. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is on Jekyll and the Tybee Marine Science Center is on Tybee. There's also several recreational outfitters on Tybee who do kayak, canoe, fishing execursions etc. I'm not as familiar with Jekyll but I know they have them too. Contact the visitor information websites. This will get you started:

https://tybeeisland.com/loggerhead-sea-turtles-tybee/

Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Welcome to Jekyll Island | Jekyll Island – Georgia's Vacation, Conservation and Educational Location

https://tybeeisland.com

As Savannah Life mentioned, Cumberland Island is an option though camping there is primitive only and far removed from the beach. Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina (just outside Beaufort) only recently reopened following Hurricane Matthew (damage was severe) and offers everything you're looking for as well:

[NorrisPA]

Thank you people for your help! After reading your suggestions and doing some mapping around I think I'll try Jekyll Island and stay in the campground and check out the turtle research place. Then go check out Cumberland Island but want to take my van to stay in so won't stay in a campground there. I can stay without power or water but do want to have the van in an attempt to get bitten by fewer little vampires than in a tent, and I like to watch some TV at the end of the day so need my batteries and inverter system.

While there on the coast I'd like to have a good fresh seafood meal if anyone can suggest a good place or places. Nothing fancy, just a good basic seafood place for some nice fresh soft fried oysters if there is such a place in that area. Don't need a bar...will drink beer after getting home to the campsite.

Thanks again for your help and any other suggestions!!!
David

[SavannahLife]

it sounds like you appreciate visiting preserved beaches, yes? If so, welcome! Jekyll you can camp there with van. Cumberland would be a day trip, you need to take the Park Service ferry. It is almost totally undeveloped, for now, as mentioned. If you have friends with boats, explore Little Tybee or Ossabaw. All untouched. You're the kind of visitors I enjoy seeing! The Turtle Center at Jekyll is neat. It's where they rescue and rehabilitate them but if you are (Very) lucky you will see them release one. I saw them release a gigantic one onetime. I think it was a leatherback because it was huge, 6 feet long or something. It just... shuffled on out to sea. Slowly. It was something to behold.

[NorrisPA]

Originally Posted by SavannahLife

it sounds like you appreciate visiting preserved beaches, yes? If so, welcome! Jekyll you can camp there with van. Cumberland would be a day trip, you need to take the Park Service ferry. It is almost totally undeveloped, for now, as mentioned. If you have friends with boats, explore Little Tybee or Ossabaw. All untouched. You're the kind of visitors I enjoy seeing! The Turtle Center at Jekyll is neat. It's where they rescue and rehabilitate them but if you are (Very) lucky you will see them release one. I saw them release a gigantic one onetime. I think it was a leatherback because it was huge, 6 feet long or something. It just... shuffled on out to sea. Slowly. It was something to behold.

Yes!!! Just the very idea....a little baby air breathing animal only an hour or so after hatching out of its egg being able to crawl out, enter that huge ocean wilderness and thrive for months and years, with no help learning from any other creature. When you stand there on the beach especially alone at night and really think about that situation, and that it's been going on for millions or billions of years...

Jekyll seems like the best place to stay and go out from there to learn about other places like Cumberland as well as the things available on Jekyll. Some things I just learned about watching a video are dolphin tours, shrimp boat excursions and horse riding. And I intend to take my bicycle and have seen that it's a great place for bike riding. And definitely check out the turtle center.

Can you tell me how many campground options there are? Doing searches sometimes it looks like the state park is an option and the only one, and other times it looks like there are other options farther south.

[Iconographer]

The only one on Jekyll Island I'm aware of is the Clam Creek facility:

Jekyll Island Campground | Jekyll Island – Georgia's Vacation, Conservation and Educational Location

Here are some others in the area:

St Simons Island Campgrounds, St Simons Island Camping, RV Parks and Resorts, Brunswick, GA Camping, Jekyll Island Campgrounds, Outdoor Recreation Facilities