Coastal Region

The Coastal Region covers Georgia’s 100-mile Atlantic shoreline and the swamp-and-pine country extending inland to the Florida border. The terrain is flat and tidal at the coast — barrier islands (the Golden Isles), salt marsh, and the Intracoastal Waterway — with cypress swamp and pine flatwoods filling the inland counties down to the Okefenokee Swamp at the southern edge. Chatham County holds Savannah, the historic colonial city and the region’s main anchor. Glynn County holds Brunswick, Jekyll Island, St. Simons Island, and Sea Island; McIntosh holds Sapelo Island and Darien; Camden holds St. Marys (the gateway to Cumberland Island); Charlton and Ware counties cover the Okefenokee. Cumberland Island National Seashore, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Pulaski National Monument, and Tybee Island handle the major public lands. Most trips here split coastal and swamp. Savannah handles the historic-square walking itinerary — Forsyth Park, the riverfront, the Mercer-Williams House. Jekyll, St. Simons, and Sea Island carry the resort-and-beach traffic; Cumberland Island runs ferry-only wild-horse-and-ruins day trips; the Okefenokee draws birders and paddlers. Spring and fall are most comfortable; summer brings heat and gnats.