Limber up your swivel neck before a trip to Cumberland, Georgia’s largest barrier island, because looking up, down and around all day long is enticing.

Canopy oaks cover the walking paths, wild horses charge ahead, wobbly-legged new foals graze in the sun, massive live oak trees curve to the ground, singing birds dart above the Spanish moss and resurrection fern – – that’s the bare beginning for this come-by-boat-only island.

The stories about Cumberland’s past and unfolding future are as compelling as the life in this wilderness if you want to dig them up. Just walking in the maritime forest and along the national seashore can feel abundant enough.

But if you like tales about cousins and siblings, parents and grandchildren and how they divvy up their wealth, this is a place to take the tours and buy the books.

Land holdings on this 18-mile barrier island are still changing, as some 40-year family leases come due in 2010 and recent federal legislation calls for new kinds of visiting opportunities.

The history of this National Seashore includes generosity, wilderness protection, elegant entertaining, private retreats and haul-in-your-own food camping. Striking contrasts.

The Cumberland Island future appears to have all that, and new styles too.

Catch the National Park Service ferry from St. Marys, the gateway city to Cumberland Island, a 45-minute ride to spend the day, or take your gear and camp. Reservations matter because only 300 people are allowed on the Island each day. That’s all about protecting the wilderness.

Plan some nights and days in St. Marys too.

Seems like a little city but the simple downtown map pointed me to more restaurants than I could try in a two-night bed and breakfast stay. Maybe they’re all good; for certain the two dinners I ate were distinctly different from each other and both quite fine.

Ever had the food and ambiance blandly all the same on a holiday in a small burg? Not here. St. Marys serves variety.

Three museums tell stories only pertinent here and the doors were open in the four historic churches I tried, so I went inside. That doesn’t happen too often, but I like some time on old pews when I roam.

Cumberland Island Museum on Osborne Street, one of St. Marys’ two main downtown roads, draws on National Park Service skills and the work of curator John Mitchell so the exhibits are handsome and fact-filled.

“The Island was the heart of a vibrant social life during the Gilded Age,” volunteer Ed Torgersen says.

An original Tiffany lamp with the 1920 globe, elbow-length silk gloves, hunting rifles, elegant table settings and hand-crafted furniture are among the displays, giving a good idea of life in the many Carnegie family and friends cottages.

Plum Orchard mansion– all 22,000 square feet — is the cottage you can visit on the Island, open for tours twice a month, second and fourth Sundays.

Be sure you really want to see this restoration more than the wilderness of the National Seashore because it takes all afternoon.

The ferry to get here is a 45-minute ride to the north end of the Island, on top of the first trip from St. Marys. That means an hour and a half home.

Interesting to pass Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base and to get a glimpse of Greyfield Inn, the Carnegie/Ferguson family home with high-end overnight room opportunities.

Conversations are underway to determine what might be appropriate as a land approach to Plum Orchard and the north end of the Island.

Right now, feet and bicycles are the transportation on Cumberland, and a few cars grandfathered in for residents already here in 1972 when the National Seashore designation took place. A few Park Service trucks too.

Wilderness on three sides of Plum Orchard and water on the fourth makes the setting as beautiful as the extensive oak flooring, walls and stairways with many landings, Tiffany turtle shell ceiling lamps, interior swimming pool, wallpaper bearing the Scottish griffin symbol, grand entrance hall with inglenook complete with fireplace and seating area.

Contrast is a striking part of Cumberland visits: the families who donated the land and buildings from a lavish era in American history also led the way to prevent development and maintain the wilderness.

“If it weren’t for the benevolence of those who gave the land, we would not have the National Seashore today,” says Fred Boyles, who just took over as Superintendent here for the National Park Service.

Beach time is quick to access if you stay on the ferry for the second stop, called Sea Camp. The walk is longer from the first stop, but worth it to stroll through maritime forest on clean wide paths.

Park rangers tell the stories of the founding families, including Catharine Greene, widow of Revolutionary War hero Gen. Nathanael Greene, in front of the stark remains of the home called Dungeness that replaced “Caty’s” four-story tabby with the same name.

Rene Noe was the outstanding storyteller my day; she’s lived on the Island 26 years, unusual stay-put assignment for a Park Ranger. Passion for the place she exudes and a wealth of knowledge.

Plan to repeat the walk: once to hear the stories and again to hear the quiet. This is also a place to find calm.

The ferry is $17 round trip, less for seniors and children; no need for money on Cumberland because nothing’s for sale. Take water and lunch.

I ordered a picnic-to-go from Mike Neff; he’s the head cook at Spencer House Inn, the 14-room 1872 house where I stayed two nights. Longer would have been better.

Porches the length of the house overlook Osborne Street; I longed for more time to simply rock. Talk with Mary Neff when making a reservation to select your favorite bath: claw foot climb-in tub or stand-up easy-access shower. One sexy room even has the old-fashioned tub on a platform near the bed.

Spencer House is a high-rise for St. Marys but the elevator eases access. Breakfast is big, so the handsome stairway and wide wood-planked halls can be helpful to work it off.

Mike served bread pudding my first morning; I thought that was dessert but decided I liked his style. He makes granola loaded with dried fruit and nuts and that’s available every day, along with fruit and just-baked breads. Poppy seed one morning and pumpkin the next, with cranberries and almonds.

Comfort reigns here even in the midst of fine furnishings, a good thing since a full day on Cumberland guarantees dirty shoes and sweaty bodies.

“Campers like to stay with us on either side of pitching their tents on the Island,” Mary says, “and that’s quite OK. History, comfort and some luxury work well after casual, sandy camping.”

Going out to dinner works well too, with campers and day trippers sharing notes in the Spencer House living room about where they ate the night before.

We enjoyed Lang’s Marina for all-you-can-eat shrimp, views of the river and an after dinner walk around the waterfront park.

A coastal restaurant with the unlikely name Silver Star Steakhouse was our second dinner; this calls for return visits for more outstanding flavors.

The great-grandson of the grocery and dry goods merchant in this building, catty cornered from Spencer House, really knows how to prepare crab bisque

Mussels, shrimp, sea scallops, calamari and basa tips plus garden vegetables covered a big bowl of fettuccine with a marinara sauce hinting of fennel for my main course.

Some steakhouse order, eh? Angus beef is available too.

Book buying is a good plan in St. Marys in the small amazingly well-stocked Once Upon a Bookseller. “Cumberland Island: Strong Women, Wild Horses” by Charles Seabrook was one of my choices, a pleasant easy read blending history and modern day concerns, and I regret not buying “Caty,” the biography of Catharine Littlefield Greene.

Orange Hall in the next block was the city library once; see it today as a two-story house museum, built circa 1829; bright light, furniture and historic preservation techniques are the high points here with remarkable huge windows everywhere.

Horsehair plaster techniques are displayed on the second floor, the result of a national conference held here with the Virginia Lime Works teaching traditional lime mortars for a hefty fee of $500 per person.

More choices abound near the St. Marys waterfront. Catch the Cumberland Sound ferry to and from Fernandina Beach, another great walking town. $15 round trip.

Pop in the Submarine Museum for a $4.00 fee; it’s the sixth largest submarine museum in the U.S. says manager John Crouse and he’s as comfortable talking about the early history as about sub ballistic nuclear power vessels at nearby Kings Bay.

The very idea I could immerse myself in this big collection of submarine memorabilia and then board a ferry to Plum Orchard or Fernandina Beach and pass by the real-deal naval base expanded my world.

Travel’s good for new understanding.





Accessing Cumberland Island from Florida



St. Marys is the National Park Service route to Georgia’s largest barrier island. Fernandina Beach, FL has the ferry dock for direct service to Greyfield Inn, the 1901 Cumberland Island home of Margaret Ricketson, daughter of Lucy and Thomas Carnegie.

Casual elegance and gourmet dining on 1,300 acres here today. Check it out with a day trip if you like before booking several nights. Stay over and explore in a vehicle with the naturalist too.

$95 per person provides two options: a day trip from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. with picnic lunch, bike and kayak use, a guided walk to learn a bit about the island and the house or a 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. evening experience with four-course dinner. Jackets and ties required for gentlemen.

Call first; only six people per day.