Georgia RV TravelJekyll Island:
Our first Georgia RV experience was the Country Coach East Coast Reunion/Pre-rally. It was held in Jekyll Island, Georgia at the Convention Center. We had a front row parking spot overlooking the ocean! This event included delicious meals and entertainment for four nights (Prince Pele's Polynesian review, the Gurl and Girl Variety show, Swinging Medallions sock hop and Tommy Cash's tribute to Johnny Cash). There were seminars, few vendors and new coaches on display. We played golf one day in a "scramble", where each group plays the best ball. Another day, Jose won the Texas Hold-Em poker game held after the men's lunch. Meanwhile, the women's luncheon included a fashion show put on by the Go Fish store in St. Simon, with some of our very own Country Coach owners doing the modeling. We enjoyed the pretty community of Jekyll Island. It is Georgia's smallest barrier island at 5,700 acres, yet offers history, unspoiled natural beauty and a variety of recreational activities. You can bicycle around the island, play golf, go boating, fishing or horseback riding. You can learn about the loggerhead sea turtles that nest here, at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Or visit the museum in the Jekyll Island National Historic Landmark District, with exhibits and historic photographs showcasing the island’s heritage.
We also took a drive over to St Simon Island. On St. Simon, we toured the remains of Fort Frederica, had some excellent crab cakes and she-crab soup at Barbara Jean's restaurant and did some shopping in town. Places to camp include the Georgia RV campground on Jekyll Island and the Golden Isles RV Park is in Brunswick. Georgia RV trip to Perry FMCA Convention: Then we were off to Perry Georgia for the FMCA Convention. If you have a motorhome, or are even just thinking of getting one, you should definitely be a member of Family Motor Coach Association. This was the first time we attended the Perry convention and we lucked out with perfect weather (compared to some past years when there was a lot of rain). The fee to attend the rally was quite reasonable (about $100). There were many great seminars, an early morning exercise class, a ton of display coaches and vendors. Shopping temptations aside, we had a grand time. The evening entertainment included line/square dancing, a sock hop, the talented Lowe family, the fascinating Zyngara New World Cirque and the Oak Ridge Boys. As part of the daytime entertainment, we saw the Perry High School and Middle School bands and some cloggers. And of course, we enjoyed the performances of Flakey the Clown and the Frustrated Maestro's, both FMCA traditions. All in all, there was more to do and see than we could fit in! Oh well, there's always next time....we always have a great time at the FMCA rallies.
Georgia RV trip - Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge: We spent the entire day at the swamp driving the Swamp Island Drive, hiking the many nature trails and taking a guided boat tour. The drive is a nine-mile loop that takes you through the swamps’ diverse ecosystem. On one of the stops along the Swamp Island Drive was the Chesser Island Homestead trail, a short .7 mile trail that takes you to a well-preserved example of a “Swamper” homestead. Further, along the drive we were lucky to spot a female alligator with her young. Other interesting sights along the way took us past carnivorous plants, spiders hanging from their webs above the boardwalks, and an observation tower overlooking the Chesser Prairie and Seagrove Lake. The best part of our day at the swamp was the guided boat tour we took. The tour lasted about 90 minutes and we were fortunate to have the guide and the boat all to ourselves. The guide was a 4th generation “Swamper” and provided some insight into the history of the people who lived and worked in the swamp as well as pointing out wild life and identifying the plant life. The tour followed the Suwannee Canal for about 5 miles passing by forests of bay, cypress, pine, and shrubs. At the midway point, we stopped for a few minutes to listen to the swamp and were very lucky to spot a rather large alligator that slowly moved past us. Visiting the swamp by boat was a worthwhile experience.
This was really more of a day trip from Hilton Head than a Georgia RV stay. Our quick day trip was mostly just an exploratory visit, to check things out for future travels. We wanted to at least see a little bit of Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia. We spent only a few hours in Savannah. It really deserves at least a day to do the walking tour or take one of the narrated tour trolleys and explore the shops and restaurants along the pretty waterfront. And more time could easily be spent in this historic city. Tybee Island is located 18 miles east of Savannah. It is a small barrier island with a wide 3-mile long beach, with a pier and pavilion at its south end. In addition to the laid-back beach scene, Tybee also offers Fort Screven and the Tybee Island Lighthouse (circa 1773) for sightseeing. Fort Pulaski is just west of the island on Highway 80. We enjoyed a seafood platter, low-country boil style, at the Crab Shack restaurant. And we scouted around to spot the many colorful turtles that are part of a townwide collection of artwork on display. The only RV Park on Tybee Island is River's End Campground and RV Park. Another option near Savannah is the Georgia RV campground in Skidaway Island State Park After our Georgia RV travels, we were off to the South Carolina Low Country and Myrtle Beach.
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