Georgia RV Travel
Our Georgia RV travel has taken us to a few places in the state. We
know that we will be back to explore some more, but for now, here are
some places we have been.
Jekyll Island:
Our first Georgia RV experience was an RV rally 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 rally participants 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 a great day at the Okefenokee Swamp hiking and taking a guide
boat tours. The swamp is located in southeastern Georgia and is
accessible from US 1 or US 121. We entered the Okefenokee National
Wildlife Refuge through the eastern entrance. The Okefenokee Swamp is
also known as the “Land of the Trembling Earth.” The entrance provided
us easy access to the Suwannee Canal Recreational Area and the wealth of
nature trails, boardwalks and the nearby Visitor’s center. At the
visitors center we learned about the diverse ecology of the swamp. The
swamp is actually a peat bog and has an ecosystem composed of cypress
forest, marsh, lakes, and islands. The ecosystem supports a vast
variety of wildlife that includes 400 species of animals including
alligators, Sandhill Cranes, and red-cockaded woodpeckers.
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.
Georgia RV trip to Savannah and Tybee Island:
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.
Jill Miller is the founder of Your RV Lifestyle. Trading corporate America for the open road, Jill, along with her partner Jose, began their RV journey, making an unconventional start by wintering in New Jersey. A natural adventurer, she was motivated by a desire to explore the USA and beyond, embracing the varied landscapes, communities, and cultures across the country.
For Jill, the allure of RV living was not about material accumulation, but rather the pursuit of an adventurous, fulfilling lifestyle. A lover of golf, bicycling, hiking, and line dancing, she has carried her passions across the country, engaging with them in diverse settings. Jill’s commitment to the RV lifestyle came after years of careful research, numerous consultations with RV owners, and personal trials, including living in a rental RV.