Island Profiles

  Let’s move on down the coast to the state of Georgia. In a previous post, we explored the history and sights of Jekyll Island. Jekyll is one of the so called ‘Golden Isles’ of Georgia, to  which Sea Island, St. Simons Island and Little St. Simons Island also belong. But first, a little bit about some of the islands near the stately city of Savannah. Tybee Island, is a part of the Savannah metropolitan area and for a time…

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The coastal islands of South Carolina include Atlantic barrier islands as well as inland islands formed by surrounding marshes, rivers, estuaries and inlets. Some lie within the city limits of Charleston and Beaufort and have an urban character. Some have been developed with tourism in mind, while others remain private gated communities. The group known as the Sea Islands begins north of Charleston with Bull’s Island, which is part of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Bull’s Island is undeveloped, but…

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In November of the year 1910, six men boarded a private train car in New Jersey using only their first names and rode by night for hundreds of miles. Their official story was that they were going on a duck hunting trip. After they arrived in Georgia, they boarded a private launch. Their destination was Jekyll Island. This group of men included Senator Nelson Aldrich, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee , A.P. Andrews, the Assistant Secretary of the…

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If you go to the city market in Charleston, South Carolina on any given day, it is likely that you will notice women selling or making sweetgrass baskets. You may also find them on King Street or elsewhere in town sitting on folding chairs, displaying their beautiful baskets on blankets on the sidewalk. These baskets are a tradition of the Gullah culture. The men and women who weave them also harvest the grass and dry it as they have for…

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This month we move on to the Sea Islands, a chain of coastal barrier islands lining the Southeastern Atlantic Coast from South Carolina to the northern tip of Florida. By the way, Island Profiles is celebrating its first birthday, having explored 12 exciting island destinations over the last year. We started with Montréal and the islands of Quebec last May. I am very excited about the Sea Islands. There is an incredible amount of history, culture and beauty to explore. …

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