Parks around Savannah

Modern day Gray's Reef comprises one of the largest nearshore sandstone reefs in the southeastern United States. Named in recognition of Milton B. Gray, a biological collector and curator at the University of Georgia Marine Institute, who studied the area during the 1960s, it's located 32 kilometers (17.5 nautical miles) off Sapelo Island, Georgia. Sanctuary boundaries protect 17 square miles of o...

Savannah NWR, which lies on both the South Carolina and Georgia sides of the Savannah River just upriver from the city of Savannah, Georgia, was established April 6, 1927. The refuge 28,168 acres include bottomland hardwoods and tidal freshwater marsh. A 3,000 acre fringe area of upland hardwoods exists along the eastern boundary. An additional 3,000 acres forming an impoundment system are man...

Wassaw Island, one of Georgia's coastal barrier islands, was designated a National Wildlife Refuge on October 20, 1969. Unlike many of Georgia's Golden Isles, little development and few management practices have modified Wassaw's primitive character. The 10,053-acre refuge includes beaches with rolling dunes, maritime forest, and vast salt marshes. The refuge is bordered by the Wilmington River...

Tybee NWR was established on May 9, 1938, by an executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as a breeding area for migratory birds and other wildlife. Located in the mouth of the Savannah River, the 100-acre refuge began as a one-acre oyster shoal, Oysterbed Island, used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) as a spoil disposal site to support their mandated harbor dredging activity. ...

For much of the 19th century, masonry fortifications were the United States' main defense against overseas enemies. However, during the Civil War, new technology proved its superiority to these forts. The Union army used rifled cannon and compelled the Confederate garrison inside Fort Pulaski to surrender. The siege was a landmark experiment in the history of military science and invention

Pinckney Island NWR, established December 4, 1975, was once included in the plantation of Major General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, a prominent lawyer active in South Carolina politics from 1801 to 1815. Few traces of the island's plantation in the 1800's exist today. From 1937 to 1975, when it was donated to the Fish and Wildlife Service, Pinckney Island was privately owned and managed as a ga...

Harris Neck NWR was established in 1962 by transfer of federal lands formerly managed by the Federal Aviation Administration as a WWII Army airfield. Located in McIntosh County, Georgia, the refuge serves as an important link in the chain of refuges along the Atlantic seaboard, and is the inland base for two neighboring barrier island refuges, Blackbeard Island and Wolf Island refuges, both locat...

The Blackbeard Island Wilderness now contains a total of 3,000 acres and is managed by the Fish & Wildlife Service. All of the Wilderness is in the state of Georgia. In 1975 the Blackbeard Island Wilderness became part of the now over 110 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitu...

Blackbeard Island was acquired by the Navy Department at public auction in 1800 as a source of live oak timber for ship building. In 1924 the island was placed under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Biological Survey to be maintained as a preserve and breeding ground for native wildlife and migratory birds. A presidential proclamation in 1940 changed its designation from Blackbeard Island Reser...

Located midway on the Georgia coastline on the eastern fringe of McIntosh County, Sapelo Island is defined by the Sapelo River to the north, the waters of Doboy Sound to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Duplin River to the west. The 16,500 acre island is the 4th largest barrier island in the State of Georgia. Sapelo Island is accessed by means of a scheduled public ferry. The ...

Wolf Island NWR, located approximately 12 miles off the coast of Darien, Georgia in McIntosh County, was established on April 3, 1930 to provide protection and habitat for migratory birds. The barrier island refuge consists of Wolf Island and two smaller islands, Egg and Little Egg. Over 75% of the refuge's 5,126 acres are composed of saltwater marsh. Wolf Island NWR was designated a National...

The Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge helps protect the largest undeveloped estuary along the Atlantic Coast, with rich bottomland hardwoods and fresh and salt water marsh offering food and cover to a variety of wildlife. ACE Basin stands for the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Rivers, which form the estuary and parts of the Refuge boundary. The entire basin encompasses more th...

Georgia's fate was decided in 1742 when Spanish and British forces clashed on St. Simons Island. Fort Frederica's troops defeated the Spanish, ensuring Georgia's future as a British colony. Today, the archeological remnants of Frederica are protected by the National Park Service.

The Cumberland Island Wilderness now contains a total of 9,886 acres and is managed by the National Park Service. All of the Wilderness is in the state of Georgia. In 1982 the Cumberland Island Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitude...

The Ashley River Road passes by three national historic landmarks -- Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, Drayton Hall and Middleton Place -- as it traverses a National Register Historic District that traces the history of European and African settlement, commerce and industry from their colonial origins to the present.

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Decades of growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on this Federal fort in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter surrendered 34 hours later. Union forces would try for nearly four years to take it back.

St Marys is the gateway to Cumberland Island, Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. Here pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes whisper the stories of both man and nature. Natives, missionaries, enslaved African Americans and Wealthy Industrialists all walked here. Cumberland Island is also home to over 9,800 acres of Congressionally designated Wilderness.

Charles Pinckney was a principal author and a signer of the United States Constitution. This remnant of his coastal plantation is preserved to tell the story of a "forgotten founder," his life of public service, the lives of enslaved African Americans on South Carolina Lowcountry plantations and their influences on Charles Pinckney.

Designated by Congress in 2006, the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor extends from Wilmington, North Carolina in the north to Jacksonville, Florida in the south. It is home to one of America's most unique cultures, a tradition first shaped by captive Africans brought to the southern United States from West Africa and continued in later generations by their descendents.

The Big Frog Wilderness now contains a total of 8,082 acres and is managed by the Forest Service. Georgia contains approximately 89 acres. Tennessee contains approximately 7,993 acres. In 1984 the Big Frog Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities ...

The Ellicott Rock Wilderness now contains a total of 8,274 acres and is managed by the Forest Service. Georgia contains approximately 2,021 acres. North Carolina contains approximately 3,394 acres. South Carolina contains approximately 2,859 acres. In 1975 the Ellicott Rock Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy...

The Southern Nantahala Wilderness now contains a total of 23,473 acres and is managed by the Forest Service. Georgia contains approximately 11,770 acres. North Carolina contains approximately 11,703 acres. In 1984 the Southern Nantahala Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities a...

As the name implies, the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway provides a chance to experience the varied terrain of northwest Georgia. Mountain overlooks and fertile farmlands can be found along the 51-mile byway as it travels U.S. 27, State Highways 156 and 136, and rural county roads. Outdoor activities ranging from hiking, camping, and picnicking to fishing and hunting can be enjoyed at the Keown Fa...

Surrounded by the beauty of the Chattahoochee National Forest, the byway winds through the valleys and mountain gaps of the southern Appalachians. From the vistas atop Brasstown Bald to the cooling mists of waterfalls, scenic wonders fill this region. Hike the Appalachian Trail or fish in a cool mountain stream.