Now the island’s serene landscapes and 17 miles of gorgeous sand and surf mix with moody marshes, maritime forests, and fading reminders of a grander time to provide a memorable visitor experience. The NPS ferry operates twice a day shuttling passengers between the town of St. Marys, Georgia, and CINS. Most day-trippers catch the 9 a.m. ferry to join the ranger-guided and narrated “Land & Legacies” tour. This six-hour, 30-mile van tour covers much of the island, visit-
endangered loggerhead sea turtle and gopher tortoise. Information: 850-934-2600 in Florida, 228-875-9057 in Mississippi www.nps.gov/guis. Canaveral Located adjacent to Kennedy Space Center, Canaveral National Seashore (CNS) is a peaceful and pristine barrier
community of Eldora. CNS provides habitat for 14 endan- gered or threatened animal species, including three species of sea turtles—log- gerhead, leatherback and green—that come ashore from May through August to nest on island beaches. Mosquito Lagoon provides refuge for manatees dur- ing the spring and summer. Bottle-nosed dolphins also frequent both lagoon and ocean. Bird watching is great here too, especially during the winter.
Left to Right: Fort Massachusetts is a Civil War-era fortress on West Ship Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore. Check out the interpretive signs or take a hike on the many trails at Canaveral National Seashore. No matter which National Seashore you visit, plan on great beaches. Birds of all kinds—pelicans, terns, and gulls—and sand dunes, greet you at Cumberland Island National Park.
ing its most important scenic and historic sites. Highlights include the ruins of 18th-century Dungeness Mansion, Plum Orchard Mansion, and The Settlement. Plum Orchard is a beautifully renovated Classic Revival-Style manasion built by the Carnegies in 1898. The settlement was established in the 1890s for workers. Other visitor options include hiking or cycling the island’s main road and 50 miles of trails. Information: 912-882-4336 www.nps.gov/cuis.
island spanning 24 miles—the longest stretch of undeveloped beach on Florida’s east coast. The island is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and Mosquito Lagoon on the west. CNS offers water-based recreation, including canoeing and kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, and wildlife viewing. Boardwalks provide easy access to Apollo and Playalinda beaches. Four nature and historic trails are found in the northern reaches of the park. Turtle Mound Trail, a self-guided 0.3-mile track leads to an ancient 50-foot-high Timucuan Indian shell midden. Eldora Trail leads about the same distance to the long-abandoned Mosquito Lagoon
Information: 321-267-1110 www.nps.gov/cana. Cumberland Island
One of several of southern Georgia’s “Golden Isles,” Cumberland Island was established as a national seashore in 1972. Cumberland Island National Seashore (CINS) is accessible only by NPS ferry. Its semi-isolation, and the fact that most of the island served as the domain of the wealthy Carnegie family from the 1880s until it was acquired by the NPS in 1971, have spared it for posterity.
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