Situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Georgia, near the Florida border, historic Cumberland Island is reachable only by ferry from St. Mary’s, Georgia — or by private boat from Fernandina Beach, Florida if you’re staying at the all-inclusive Greyfield Inn. This intimate retreat (just 15 rooms and two cottages) sits on 200 pristine acres, where guests can enjoy a quiet getaway in a 19th-century home that was originally built for the daughter of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie.
Cumberland Island feels untouched by time, with windswept natural landscapes, wild horses running along the beach and dense maritime forests of live oak trees draped in Spanish moss. There are a few structures on the island to explore other than the inn. Plum Orchard Mansion, the former winter home for several Carnegie families, is open to visitors, but is a 14 mile round-trip by foot or bike from the dock and is not recommended for day trippers. There are also remains of earlier estates like the Carnegie family’s Dungeness mansion as well as the tiny First African Baptist Church, where John F. Kennedy Jr. famously married Carolyn Bessette in 1996.
The best way to visit the island if you’re not staying at the inn is to take the round-trip ferry ride from St. Mary’s and reserve a spot on the Land & Legacies Tour. The motorized and guided five- to six-hour excursion visits the north end of the island and includes visits to the mansion, the church, and the ruins. You can also book the tour while staying at Greystone Inn.
Birding, biking, hiking, fishing, kayaking, and naturalist-led tours are some of the activities available to guests staying at the inn. Or you can enjoy a relaxing picnic lunch along the beach and enjoy one of the few wild places left in the South.