One of Sapelo Island's favorite Atlantic coasts is Cabretta Island Beach, an ideal place for a day trip. It can be accessed by taking a ferry ride through Dooby Sound. You can also camp on the island, at the Cabretta camp, under live oak trees and close to opportunities to observe coastal wildlife. Like some of the best-kept secret beaches off the coast of Georgia, the shores of Sapelo Island require prior registration to visit them.
They are research destinations, as well as refuges for migratory birds and marine wildlife. Nanny Goat Beach is located on the Atlantic coast, a little further south than Cabretta de Sapelo Island beach. The United States of America has some of the best beaches you could ever hope to see, and the wonderful thing about American beaches is that you can find some surprisingly beautiful ones in the most unlikely places. Everyone knows the beaches of Hawaii, Florida and California, but if you start looking outside of these three big coastal states, you'll find even more fantastic coastal locations in areas like New England, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Georgia.
The Peach State, in particular, is home to some of the best beaches on the Atlantic coast of all, and one of the best things about Georgia beaches is that they're often much less crowded and less commercial than the sandy spots of neighboring Florida. We recommend that you call attractions and restaurants before your visit to confirm current opening hours. Despite the name, Little Tybee Island is actually larger than Tybee Island. In fact, it's twice as big, but it doesn't draw the same crowds as its neighbor.
This means that Little Tybee Island Beach is one of the best beaches in Savannah for people who want to get away from the noise and attractions and see something more natural and raw. Much of Little Tybee Island's beach is completely untouched by the tourist industry and there's a very romantic atmosphere on this beach, making it a pleasant place to walk hand in hand with someone special when the sun starts to set. The local landscape is a pleasure to behold and you can also see a lot of wildlife on this beach in Georgia, where you can often see many groups of dolphins splashing near the coast. Other fun activities to enjoy on this beach include fishing and shell hunting, and there are also basic camping facilities if you want to spend the night under the stars and watch the sun rise on the sand first thing in the morning.
Simons Island is actually the smallest of all of Georgia's Golden Isles, but the beaches on this beautiful, small piece of land prove that size doesn't really matter when it comes to having fun in the sun. It's a little far from Savannah, but if you're looking for something different from classic Tybee Island days, it's a fantastic place to go and a lot of tourists don't usually stop here, so there's a very quiet and relaxing environment here that's ideal for people who want to sit on the beach and relax or reflect. Simons Island is an ideal place to sit with a good book for a few hours or bring a picnic to share with family and friends. It's also a great place to visit if you're a wildlife enthusiast, as you can see deer, alligators, rabbits and many types of birds all over the island, while manatees and dolphins can be seen in the waters.
Other fun activities to enjoy here include hiking, biking and sailing, and there are also several great golf courses in the local area. With millions of visitors making this trip every year, it goes without saying that Hunting Island State Park is without a doubt the most popular state park in South Carolina. A short drive from Savannah, Hunting Island State Park features 5,000 acres of secluded semitropical land, five glorious miles of beautiful beaches, a saltwater lagoon, and even an ocean cove. Not only is the park ideal for recreational activities, but it also has some great historic sites to visit, such as the Hunting Island lighthouse from 1875.
Visits to the lighthouse can be booked in advance, and recreational visitors can also make camping reservations thanks to the 100 campsites equipped with water and electricity. Just south of Charleston is Folly Beach, a city on Folly Island that is highly regarded for its incredible beaches and exciting beachside activities all year round. Folly Beach is best known for having a relaxed culture and atmosphere that attracts surfers and anglers from near and far. Whether you're at Folly Beach to enjoy spectacular surfing or to explore the island's history, there's something for every guest to experience.
Stop by the iconic Folly Beach pier, known for stretching more than a thousand feet into the ocean, learn the story behind the 1876 Morris Island lighthouse, or stop by Center Street to explore the local sights and sounds of Folly Beach. Located in Chatham County on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah is actually the oldest city in all of Georgia, making it a fascinating cultural and tourist spot. A major port city during key periods in United States history, such as the American Revolution and the Civil War, Savannah is the fifth largest city in the state and has many interesting stories to tell and places to visit. The city is home to some 146,000 people, but attracts thousands of additional visitors each year, and many people travel from Georgia, neighboring states, and even from abroad to visit this unique and beautiful city and visit its famous historic sites and charming local beaches.
Georgia has a fairly long stretch of coastline with views of the Atlantic Ocean. The state's coastline stretches for around 110 miles in total and also has more than a dozen barrier islands to admire and explore. Savannah is definitely a great city to visit first if you want to explore Georgia's beaches, with lots of fantastic coastal spots not far from the famous port city. Read on for all the details on the features, services and activities at the best beaches near Savannah.
Although the city of Savannah purchased the fort for use as a park in 1924, it wasn't fully restored until the 1970s. The Coastal Heritage Society, a non-profit organization established in 1975, currently operates the fort as a museum and also manages four other museums of historic importance in Savannah. You're reading The 7 Best Beaches Near Savannah Back to top The mission of the University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium is to inspire and encourage a deeper appreciation and understanding of Georgia's many coastal marine environments and to encourage respect for the beauty and complexity of these unique marine environments. The UGA Aquarium, Georgia's first saltwater aquarium, is a modern and state-of-the-art educational aquarium that has 16 large exhibition tanks showing more than 50 species of Georgia's marine life, including a tactile tank with invertebrates such as crabs and snails, fish and turtles.
The upper level of the aquarium has fossils of whales, sharks, giant armadillos, mastodons and woolly mammoths that were extracted from the bottom of the nearby Skidaway River. The exhibits also house Native American artifacts that date back to Georgia's prehistoric “Guale” era. The UGA aquarium has a new underwater camera system that allows both visitors and researchers to observe the behavior of marine animals in the aquarium, capture underwater images and record underwater activities for educational and research purposes. The UGA aquarium is also part of the Caretta Research Project, which rescues and rehabilitates loggerhead turtles and returns them to nature.
In addition to its award-winning aquarium and research facility, the University of Georgia's Center for Marine Education and Aquarium offers visitors a variety of other activities to explore and enjoy. UGA Aquarium activities include special conferences or presentations, treasure hunts, games about marine debris and salt marsh cleanups, community outreach programs, and national marine awareness festivals, such as National Estuary Day. The facility houses the Jay Wolf Nature Trail, which was established in 1990 and is currently maintained by the center and a local Boy Scout group. The trail has several geocache sites and kiosks along the trail that provide information on trails and other points of interest in the area.
The Skidaway interpretive booth offers a variety of interesting information about the natural history of the area, the people who settled there, and the educational activities of the campus partners. The Skidaway Learning Garden provides visitors with an opportunity to learn about the native fauna and flora of Georgia's coastal regions, with a variety of examples from across the region. Gardening activities include a gardening challenge, an alphabet and number search, and a naturalistic journal. The Skidaway Learning Garden is also an excellent place for bird watching and attracts all types of birds, including waders, waterbirds and songbirds.
The University of Georgia Aquarium and Marine Education Center offers a variety of educational programs for visitors of all ages, ranging from summer camps and internships to laboratory and field studies. Marine science summer camps offer informal, teamwork-oriented field experiences that emphasize coastal ecology and marine science and, at the same time, encourage each child's curiosity and creativity. Located on Cockspur Island, near Savannah, the Fort Pulaski National Monument conserves the site of Fort Pulaski, a 19th-century military installation that served as a prisoner of war camp and a critical combat site during the American Civil War. Fort Pulaski was one of several fortresses that the President of the United States, James Madison, ordered to be built after the end of the War of 1812, with the aim of protecting against future foreign invasion.
In 1861, after the secession of South Carolina from the United States led to the beginning of the American Civil War, the governor of Georgia, Joseph E. Brown ordered the capture of the fort for the Confederate States of America. After the Confederacy abandoned Tybee Island in December 1861, Union troops began to advance towards the fort on the other side of the Savannah River, leading to a fundamental battle in April 1862, in which rifled cannon bombardment was successfully used in combat for the first time. As a result, Colonel Charles H.
Olmstead handed over the fort to Union forces, a result that directly led Union General David Hunter to issue General Order Number Eleven, which freed African-American slaves in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. For the rest of the war, Fort Pulaski served as a Union prisoner of war camp and as a stop for the Underground Railroad. A variety of outdoor activities are allowed on the park grounds, such as running, walking, biking and kayaking. Fishing is allowed along the banks of the Savannah River, although all anglers must hold a valid Georgia fishing license.
Indoor and outdoor picnic areas are offered for visitors, although alcohol is not allowed inside the park's historic dam system. The visitor center and the lower level of the fort structure are fully wheelchair accessible, and interpretation services are offered for the park's exhibits, including braille transcriptions of the exhibition stations in Braille. Savannah is a great place for a getaway and is an ideal base for day trips, ghost tours, and a visit to one of the beaches surrounding Savannah is a must. A short drive from downtown Savannah is Butter Bean Beach, a hidden gem on the Island of Hope and a great beach to visit with family and friends.
Whichever of these beaches near Savannah you decide to visit, you'll be met with beautiful waters, golden sand, a cool breeze and, hopefully, sunshine. If you're looking for something more quiet, natural and secluded, this is one of Savannah's beaches for you. So, are you ready to see what beaches close to the savannah I have chosen for you? Grab a beach towel, your sunglasses and let me guide you to Savannah's best beaches. Read, and a McQueens Island trail runs along the route of the old Tybee rail line that connected Savannah to Tybee Island.
It's about an hour from Savannah, this is one of the beaches near Savannah that's really worth the trip. Feel comfortable in charming huts and inns, where time slows down and the most important decisions of the day are deciding where to place the beach chairs and what to eat for dinner. .