First things first: we did not do one of these offroad tours. But, because we did spend quite an amount of time on the island, we met the jeep tour several times. They always go to Punta Sur (on the sandy road) as well as San Gervasio (the Maya Ruins in the center of the island).

These jeep tours are loud, they are usually heard before they are seen. Several jeeps drive in a line, they follow each other. The guests need to stay in that line and are not allowed to drive anywhere else. The jeeps look quite cool, no roof, roll bar and they are always full. When you are less than 4 in a group, you need to share the jeep with someone else.

To me, these jeeps drive rather slowly, the tour itself is not even that cool. All the streets (in Punta Sur and San Gervasio) are regular but unpaved streets and a standard passenger car is sufficient for the streets. Offroad simply means an unpaved road, nothing else.
These offroad tours are sold as a whole day package including lunch, beach visit and snorkeling tour. If you have very little time, this might be an easy way to see Cozumel quickly. But that’s it. It’s definitely not a huge offroad challenge, we did all the same routes on a scooter.

I would not do the tour but that is very much up to you.

Der Beitrag Taking an Offroad Jeep Tour in Cozumel – Would I Buy One of these Day Tours? erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Punta Sur: How to Reach

Punta Sur is south of the ferry and the cruise port in Cozumel. From the ferry port in San Miguel de Cozumel it is 35 km and 45 minutes (from the cruise port further south the ride is 10 minutes less).

You can either take a cab, rent a car or a scooter. A scooter is sufficient to get there. Until the cruise port, you share the road with the rest of the traffic, in particular with the locals. But they definitely are considerate and take care of tourists on scooters. A little south of the cruise port, the street splits into two: there is a regular (“big”) road and on the right a smaller version of it. On a scooter, the smaller road is the best place for you. This small street ends shortly before Punta Sur.

The Punta Sur entrance is on the west, the nature-protected area is at the eastern side (ocean) of the island. They charge 14 dollars and after that you can drive along a sandy coast-road. We could easily do this on a bike; the street was unpaved but good. I think you don’t necessarily need a car. See also here – an artcile on renting a scooter on Cozumel.

The Coastal Road in Punta Sur: Coast, Mangroves, Lagoons and Beaches

Some advice to find your way: there is a reggae bar right at the entrance where they sell all kinds of cheesy tourist items. From here, a 4-km-road leads to the lighthouse the island’s southern peak. On this way, you have already overshot a little lagoon that you will further circle on the way to the beaches.

After another 4 km along the coastline, you reach the final destination of the park: Punta Sur Beach. The beach has a restaurant, sun beds, umbrellas and several snorkeling and diving options. The sun beds are for free (basically included in the 14 dollar entrance fee you had to pay).

The Punta-Sur-Coast road is about 8 km, you need approximately 20 minutes. It’s definitely worth to go slower and stroll around a bit. You can even stop, check the inland or enjoy the view. You see the ocean but also a lagoon with mangroves and fresh water where alligators live. If you are lucky enough you can see many rare birds. Several spots have wooden bridges and platform that offer a good view at the swamps and lagoons.

There is also a smaller riff, right in front of Punta Sur. The larger ones can only be reached by boat, though. You don’t need to come to Punta Sur for the riff, the boat leave even further north at the hotels.

There are some more offers we did not do: taking a boat tour in the lagoon, taking and offroad jeep tour.

I would definitely visit Punta Sur again, we liked it so much, we even came twice.

Der Beitrag Eco park Punta Sur in Cozumel: A beach area full of dunes, mangroves, forest and coral reefs erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Far Away From Everything Else: The Forgotten Coast and its Protected Areas

In Panama City, you reach the end of the Emerald Coast. Highway 98 continues along the coastline. Florida’s Forgotten Coast starts in Port St. Joe. Coming from the west, you can change routes and reach the interstate 10 up north in Panama City (highway 231) or Port St. Joe (highway 71). This is the option to drive directly to Tallahassee on the Interstate. On this northern route on I-10 and the little village Marianna, you can reach the Florida Caver State Park. These are the only cavers in Florida that are open to tourists. It only makes sense to do these caverns when you decide to stay on I-10 because you are now too far from the coast highway.

If you decide to not do that route, you can take the beautiful coastal highway 98 until St. Marks Wildlife Refuge. No matter how nice these coast routes are, you always need to consider that you cannot move fast at all. To do the entire route from New Orleans to Jacksonville on the coast highways, you need to plan several nights on the route. You can go from New Orleans to Jacksonville on the interstate in one or two days but you do not see get to see more than an interstate.

I liked all the retirement homes at the coast along that route, in particular for veteran homes. Spending your retirement like that is a dream, usually good weather and no cold winters.

There are many protected areas on route east of Panama City. For example the St. Marks I mentioned above (as the end point of the route) but also St. Joseph Bay and St. Vincent Wildlife Refuge. Further north, there is Walkulla Spring Park, a recreational area and common holiday destination for Americans with lots of flora and fauna. In Walkulla, the Tarzan Movie from 1938 was shot.

Tallahassee as a Stop

Floridas capital Tallahassee is now close. Tallahassee is not one of the most spectacular cities I have ever seen. But it makes sense as a stop after several days at the coast. Tallahassee it the biggest city in Florida’s North (180,000 people) and has many hotel options. Interesting for tourists are two places: Goodwood Plantation and Museum (a former cotton plantation) and the Knott House Museum, that shows an exhibit about Florida’s history.

In Tallahassee you have temporarily left the coastline. You now have three options to continue your route.

You can go east to Jacksonville and the Atlantic Coast. Again on I-10, it takes 3 hours. You can continue your route further south from here.

A second option is to go north from Jacksonville to Savannah and Charleston.

See Georgia Island

We chose a third option which is to go from Tallahassee to the Okefenokee Swamp and to Savannah after that. We did not do Jacksonville at all to have more time in Okefenokee.

See Okefenokee Swamp

Some Information about the Panhandle

Don’t underestimate these routes. One example: driving along the southern peak of the forgotten coast (on highway 98 from Panama City to St. Joseph and St. Marks till Tallahassee) you need 5 to 6 hours for only 300 kilometers. The fastest route (highway 213, 20, and interstate 10) takes only 2 ¼ hours (180 km). That makes quite a difference. For these costal roads, you need time, rushing along these routes is pointless. You need to pick a few places that are important to you and decide what you want to do and what you can omit.

Anyone who enjoys crusing, stopping every now and then, seeing various nature preserve areas, watching birds or walking along a beach, has found the right place on earth in the Panhandle. Camping option are available and stopping is always possible. You can easily spend two weeks at the coast just doing that.

If you have less time, you are not able to see everything. You need to use the interstate 10 occasionally, just to make miles and drive a bit faster. Otherwise you would be spending your entire day in the car and you only have time for very shorts stops.
I prefer to mix these two options. In this case, that means: spending time outside, see the countryside, beaches and islands, with no rush there but also moving forward. I recommend this tour:

• Start in New Orleans
• First night somewhere between Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach. Depending on time and interest – 1 or 2 nights. Definitely stop in Perdido Key State Park. You can also camp here (or any other location from the Gulf Island National Seashore). Nature lovers and whoever wants to have more time for the countryside should plan to stay an additional 1- 2 nights
• If you like shopping – plan some time for the Silver Sands Premium Outlet in Destin. Depending on what you prefer – you can easily spend an entire day here; Drive to Panama City Beach – on the route you need some time to stop at beaches and swim if you feel like it. Two nights in Panama City to see the city and spend some time on the beach
• Next stop is Port St. Joe. Book a hotel somewhere close to the state parks. Now you have time to visit St. Joseph and St. Vincent and St. George Island
• Next Stop is Tallahassee – if you have time you can visit Walkulla Spring State Park on the way.

Is this the Right Holiday Destination For Me?

If you enjoy nature, like to be somewhere off the main tourist routes and don’t mind driving a bit longer, this is the right place for you. You find nature, coast, beaches and tranquility. Action and Entertainment are somewhere else, Orlando and Miami. I do like nature; it definitely looks different from everything I know from home. Bigger towns are everywhere; there you can get anything you need. You can visit these towns, but it’s not really necessary. Hotels and motels are everywhere, you always have many options. But you definitely need your own car and have to drive 2 – 3 hours per day. Depending a lot, of course, how much time you have and what you want to see. If you don’t mind that, the Panhandle is the perfect place for you.

This is Part 2.

Part 1 of this article can be found here:

The Panhandle: The Part of Florida Most People Have Not Even Heard Of – Part 1: Panama City, Emerald Coast and Information About the Climate

Der Beitrag The Panhandle: The Area of Florida Most People Have Not Even Heard Of – Part 2: The Forgotten Coast, Tallahassee and Route Options erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

From New Orleans To Jacksonville

Southern Florida is famous for its main tourist attractions in Orlando and Miami as well as its beaches and coasts. The so-called Panhandle, Florida’s Northwest is much less known. It’s called panhandle because its shape on the map resembles a panhandle. To locate it roughly, you can pick New Orleans as the starting point and depending on what you like Jacksonville or Tampa as the end point of your route. Of course, New Orleans is not in Florida, on this route you reach Florida after a little less than 3 hours driving (320 km). The total distance from New Orleans to Jacksonville is 880 km (to Tampa 1050 km). This is too much for a short field trip; you need to spend a couple of days in this area.

More Information on New Orleans can be found here.

The Panhandle as a Winter Destination and Year-Round Holiday Destination?

Is the Panhandle a good Year-Round Holiday Destination? Can I spend my winter holiday there and take a sunbath at the beach? Unfortunately, the answer is no. To find perfect beach weather, you need to go further south in Florida. The Panhandle is warm but not warm enough to take a sunbath and swim in the ocean. I was there in November in off-season. The plus side is obvious: very few visitors, the hotels were cheap and the weather was perfect to do some sightseeing in the cities. For a beach holiday, it was not warm enough. I did some walking along the beaches; it’s even warm enough to sit at the beach on midday. But it was not enough for sunbathing and swimming. To me, this is “T-Shirt-weather”, just like a nice, sunny spring day in Germany.

The only difference is that it starts raining all of a sudden. The residents always say weather at the coastline can change within minutes. That’s definitely true, we could see that all the time. Also, it’s quite windy, of course it is, we are near the ocean. Many Kitesurfers are here, we could see them regularly. This area is particularily interesting for them, we saw many residents kite surfing.

Emerald Coast: Gulf Island National Seashore, Pensacola and Panama City

Why would I want to go to the Panhandle anyways? The westernmost point of Florida is Pensacola. You can already experience the character of the Panhandle here: everything is more quiet, laid-back and less touristic. There is lots of pristine nature, long-stretched beaches and calmness. Some areas are protected, but this usually only means that you need to pay a fee (10 to 15 dollar entrance per car) and are only allowed to move within the designated areas. These nature protection areas are extremely important to flora and fauna and need support.

One example is the Gulf Island National Seashore (close to Biloxi). It has a 15 dollar entrance fee. There are beaches, you can go hiking, watch birds, kayak and enjoy the nature. Parts of the park are reachable by car. One of its islands is Perdido Key.
Gulf Island National Seashore is a coastal area, 160 miles long. It’s partly in Mississippi and Florida and consists of 12 different units. A car with less than 15 people in it costs 15 dollars. There are three visitor centers.

More information on: https://www.nps.gov/guis/index.htm

I would have liked to spend more time in that recreational area. We could not do that, but I’d really like to come back some day. Just spending 2 days in that protected area, leave the car somewhere and do some walking all day long, spend time at the beach and simply relax and unwind.

Something quite remarkable is the transition from sea to fresh water in the swamps. You can see this very well in Perdido Key State Park. Many of the typical Florida alligator live in this protected area. More Information on Perdido Key can be found here.

The most important connecting street is interstate 10. But the interstate leaves the coastline quickly and is located a bit further upcountry. You should leave the I-10 as soon as possible and rather take the coast highways. There, you can enjoy the view and cruise very American-like along the coast. You can stop as you like and take a walk at the beach or simply have coffee or enjoy lunch.

The US-army has a base in Pensacola which makes the cities well-known nationwide.
The coastal area between Pensacola and Panama City is called Emerald Coast – named after the precious stone. This name describes the beauty of the area quite nicely. The ocean shimmers in many different colors, the beaches are huge and most of them are totally deserted, the nature protection areas are gorgeous.

Between Pensacola and Panama City (near Fort Walton) is a little town called Destin. For anyone who wants to go shopping, the outlet mall Silver Sands Premium Outlet in Destin is a huge shopping-lovers paradise. You cannot miss the mall. You only need to drive along coast street 98 (the main road). Signs are everywhere at the highway.

After Destin, you reach a little town called Seaside. Seaside is so picturesque; Hollywood used it as the hometown in “The Truman Show” with Jim Carrey. It’s only a little town, but very nice and a good place to stop on the route.

Grayton Beach State Park and St. Andrews State Park: Best Beach of America

Two beaches on the Panhandle need some special attention. Both of them were called the Best Beach in America in different years. Dr. Beach (a geology professor in Florida) picks a winner every year and has a Top 10 list.

Grayton Beach State Park, right between Destin and Panama City, only a few kilometers from Seaside, was number one in 1994 and regularly appears in the Top Ten, 2016 as number 6.

St. Andrews Beach State Park was topping the list in 1995 and is also a regular Top Ten Guest. St. Andrews is another 55 km further east, close to Panama City.

Both beaches are part of a protected area (both state parks). That means you need to pay to go there. The list of activities includes: hiking, nature watching, animal watching, fishing, cycling, camping and of course spending time at the beach, swimming and sunbathing.

This Article continues in Part 2:

The Panhandle: The Part of Florida Most People Have Not Even Heard Of – Part 2: The Forgotten Coast, Tallahassee and Route Options

Der Beitrag The Panhandle: The Area of Florida Most People Have Not Even Heard Of – Part 1: Panama City and Emerald Coast and Information about the Climate erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Miami Beach – Miami

Miami Beach is a group of islands, artificial and non-artifical, right in front of the city of Miami which is on the mainland. These island are connected to the mainland by several bridges, the main connecting streets are highway A1A and interstate 195.

Miami Beach is a medium-sized island, narrow but long-stretched. The most famous part of the island is in the South: South Beach and Ocean Drive.

South Beach

South Beach looks exactly the way you know it from the TV (Miami Vice, etc.). The city beach is relatively wide, has many visitors and the colorful shacks of the lifeguards are everywhere.

There is a park right next to the beach (Lummus Park). The park is not big, rather small but long-stretched. All in all, this creates a nice atmosphere: the beach on the ocean’s side, and the Ocean Drive on the other side. This is definitely a spot to take a walk. Something is always going on here. If you don’t like walking, you have plenty of other options including bicycles and segways.

Art Déco District

South Beach is also where the Art Déco District starts. It goes from 6th Street in the South to Dade Boulevard in the North (the eastern and western border are Ocean Drive and Alton Road, both not important). Except from the port, the Art Déco District stretches along the entire width of the island. The District has many different building, according to Wikipedia 960. The most well-know building is the former Gianni Versace house (now a hotel). Travel books describe walking routes in the quarter where you get to see all important buildings. You can also book a guided tour.

We did the route Lonely Planet recommends and that worked quite well. We had enough information about all the buildings. I think you don’t need to spend money on a guided tour, a self-guided tour works just fine.

Ocean Drive

Ocean Drive is basically a chain of restaurants, clubs, coffee shops and bars. Ocean Drive is full of beach guests every day but really only wakes up after sunset.

All of a sudden many dressed-up people are everywhere, looking incredibly good (both female and male). I would be a little careful with food drinks here some people have accidentally ordered a 20-dollar-plus drink here. In case you want to go out in the night, bring some fancy, up-to-do clothes. I would have felt a little out of place in my regular casual holiday clothes.

Parking at Ocean Drive

Parking here was a bit difficult. Parking is available at the side of the road, but at some point all these parking spaces are full and you need to circle the Art Déco District. Public Parking is available between the 6th and 7th Street for one dollar an hours. You can try and see if you find something here.

Much further north, at 16th street, pubic parking is also available.

Lincoln Avenue

Another interesting area is Lincoln Avenue between 16th and 17th street. This is the shopping mile of Miami Beach. There are many different stores (even Outlet sometimes) and restaurants. We did not go shopping; we only took a walk there.
Parking is again not easy, just like Miami Beach in general.

Collins Avenue

Ocean Drive starts on 6th and ends on 15th street. A parallel road to Ocean Drive is Collins Avenue (highway A1A). Collins Avenue is much longer and is connects the entire island from north to south.

There are many hotels along that road. The basic rule is: the further south, the cooler and more expensive. We were quite far up north in a hotel called Casablanca in the Ocean. It was fine. I cannot recommend it nor not recommend it. There was no food in the hotel. But Collins Avenue has many options, even that far north. You only need to leave the hotel and walk a few steps.

If you want to find a supermarket, better check up north than on South Beach. In the south, things are more expensive in general.

Eden Roc and Fontainebleu

The two hottest hotels in Miami Beach are Eden Roc and Fontainebleu. These are the most famous and chicest hotels in town. These two are an exception to the “the cooler the more south”-rule.

Parking at the Hotels

Parking at the Hotels was difficult. Our hotel had a very small entrance with Valet Parking. The car was taken to some underground garage, of course for extra money (25 dollars per day). We did not find any other parking and had to pay that.

How Long Should I Stay Here and What Should I Definitely Do?

I don’t think it’s the perfect area for an extended beach holiday. The Gulf Coast has beaches that are much more beautiful. To me, a single day at the beach in Miami Beach is enough (or even only a half day). You should definitely visit the Art Déco District and Ocean Drive. I think, one day and one evening is enough for this. I recommend spending 2 nights and days here, if you feel like it you also have enough time to shop at Lincoln Avenue. You can stay longer and spend some time in Miami. But for Miami Beach, this is enough time.

Der Beitrag Miami Beach: Ocean Drive, South Beach and Art Déco District erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Honeymoon Island located right before Clearwater

Honeymoon Island can be reached from the mainland on a bridge and is thus easily accessible by car. The island itself is a national park and a protected landscape. That means, like in every protected area, visitors need to pay an entrance fee (8 Dollar per vehicle). Honeymoon island, has a ferry to Caladesi Island (14 Dollar per Person). The ride on the ferry takes a short time, the sea is calm. Even for people with motion or sea sickness, this ferry is not a problem.

Caladesi Island and Clearwater Beach – Next to Dunedin, Clearwater

Caladesi Island refers to the northern part of an island. The southern part is Clearwater Beach and has a bridge to the mainland. The northern part is not accessible by car. You can either walk from Clearwater Beach or take the ferry from Honeymoon Island. It creates a feeling of well-being and a holiday atmosphere to take the ferry, in particular because everything looks nicer from the water. Caladesi Island, the northern part of the Island, like Honeymoon, is a national park that is protected. Many rare animals and plants can be found here, the island is a great eco-system for that. For example 250 kinds of birds. Several herons are standing in the water. We could also see sea lions and dolphins.

Caladesi Island: Best Beach in America and Lona Oak Point

Caladesi Island was voted best beach in 2008 (by Dr. Beach, real name is Mr. Leatherman, professor for Geology at the Florida University). Caladesi Island also appeared on the list the previous years, before winning in 2008.

From the ferry port, several wooden bridges connect the beach to the ferry. The ground seems a bit swampy and covered with reed. Flat beaches with dunes form a very sensitive eco-system. The bridges protect this system.

Right after the beach entrance (exit of the wooden bridge) there are several smaller groups, approximately 20 people when we were there. Everything is a bit American. All visitors carry coolers, chairs, sunbelts, air mattresses, beach toys, food and sometimes even music. Unfortunately, that is a common thing to do in the US. To Americans, a day at the beach seems to come with carrying lots of items with them. It always looks a bit like “moving out of Egypt”.

If that is too much for you (to me it always is), it’s not a problem to avoid that kind of thing. They don’t walk far with their entire luggage. In fact, they all sit within a distance of 100 meters to the entrance. In this case, we just walked a bit north (maybe 10 minutes) and had the beach to ourselves. We did not hear anything from the noise and could get away from it all. A beach blanket, sun screen and a bottle of water is all we need. We enjoy walking along the coast with these few items. On Caladesi, this was a beautiful walk: no one on the beach, totally calm and secluded. The northern end right behind Lona Oak Point – end of our walking tour – is the most famous spot for photographers. Pics of this spot can be found on several websites. From here, it’s only 200 meters to the Honeymoon Island beach. It’s called Hurricane pass and used for fishing and jetskiing. Yet, there is large water traffic. Swimming from Honeymoon to save the ferry money isn’t recommendable

The Gulf Coast: Sea Lions and Dolphins

The water is extremely comfortable: clear and warm. It’s flat and stays flat for a very long time, you can walk in the ocean for quite a while. Waves are soft, almost no waves at all. All in all a perfect spot to swim in the ocean. I am a little sensitive when it comes to cold oceans. I like only very warm sea water to swim; otherwise I prefer to stay on the beach. Florida’s Gulf Coast is perfect for that.

Small anecdotes tell how secluded the area is: sea gulls are everywhere and particularly curious. That was also the case here. They were walking around my backpack for a while. But they had no interest in my half-empty cookies bag, neither were they looking for crumbles. It seems they did not know at all what this is. They were simply not used to it at all, no one has ever fed them candies and they just didn’t care. (At the Atlantic coast it’s totally different: sea gulls waiting to steal my cookies.)

In distance, we saw two sea lions swimming by. They looked at the beach curiously but continued their route. How far they really were is hard to say. We could see them easily. Also, there was a dolphin jumping out the water somewhere in distance.

It’s been a beautiful, relaxing day at the beach for us. I would always recommend a trip to Caladesi or Honeymoon Island. The beach cannot be called insider’s tip any more since topping the beach ranking but it’s definitely worth a visit.

For Hikers, Caladesi offers many opportunities. They also offer kayak rentaks and snorkeling. There are several kilometers of hiking routes on Caladesi. It’s also possible to go there in your own boat; anyways I cannot say anything about that.

Caladesi Island is located in the ocean right in front of Clearwater Beach. It is accessible by ferry (from Honeymoon Island) or by a walking tour (from Clearwater Beach). It’s a national park that requires an entrance fee (Honeymoon Island 8 Dollars). The ferry is 10 Dollars and leaves every hour from 10 am. The official website recommends arriving by ferry. Caladesi Island State Park is open daily from 8 am till sunset.

Der Beitrag Honeymoon and Caladesi Island: Two Islands like Paradise erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Right after Savannah, the state of Georgia ends. One of the most famous South Carolina Island’s is Hilton Head Island. Hilton Head is about an hour from Tybee Island. It’s a rather touristic place. Tourism on the island prospers. There are many resort hotels, the compulsory golf course, beaches and many activities – basically anything you can think of. Also bars, clubs, nightlife, sport events, many offers for tourists. Right before Hilton Head Island, there is a nature protection area: Pinckney National Wildlife Refuge. You can go hiking, walk on the beach, do all kinds of ocean-related activities (kayaking, dolphin watching, fishing, jet ski, sailing, etc.). There are two big shopping malls. But it’s rather one shopping mall split into two parts. There are also many old buildings, plantations etc. Apart from that, Hilton Head has a very busy art life including theater, ballet, sculpturing, and painting. All in all it is probably the most diverse and biggest of all the islands.

Insiders’ Tip at the South Carolina Coast: Hunting Island and Kiawah Island

North of Hilton Head Island are some more islands like Prichards Island, Hunting Island and Folly Island. I only want to mention Hunting Island and Kiawah Island. Hunting Island is a nature protection area, reachable from the mainland on highway 21 (via I-95) and is located right between Savannah and Charleston. It’s not a national park but a South Carolina State Park. Many locals like to visit here. The island has camping and lodges but no big hotels. Again, you get to see mainly flora and fauna. For film lovers: the Forest Gump Vietnam Scenes were shot here.

http://southcarolinaparks.com/huntingtonbeach/introduction.aspx

Kiawah Island State Park is another interesting place. If you know this blog, you know that I like to point out beaches that won awards from Dr. Beach. Usually, that means these beaches are in their natural state, calm and have very few touristic equipment and buildings around. Also no huge hotels close to the beach. All of this is the case in Kiawah Island. It’s a one-hour-drive from Charleston (south on highway 700). It’s better to reach than Hunting Island. Both islands are calm and secluded without any big hotels.

About the South Carolina Islands

I have not seen all of the South Carolina Islands. The very popular Myrtle Beach is one of the things I don’t know so far. I anyways want to tell you how I see things. My travel agency only offers hotels on Hilton Head Island. They did not have anything for all the other islands and could not say anything about these places. As mentioned above, Hilton Head Island is very successful. Anything you need – you will get it here. The beaches are beautiful; there is a big variety of hotels, restaurants and activities. Nevertheless, I cannot fully recommend Hilton Head Island. To me, everything seemed a bit too fancy, a bit too crowded a bit too touristic. Just one example: I found an ad somewhere that you can explore a swamp area on stilts, without getting your feet wet (???). How does that work? I don’t know. Having a show like this is not my kind of thing. If I want to explore nature, I get dirty. I don’t need a soft version of that.

The United States are far away from Germany. It’s not cheap to even reach there. I want to see nature that I don’t have at home, experience things that are “typical USA”. Hilton Head Island is a perfect spot for a family holiday, an entire summer holiday or something like that. But I can have that kind of holiday at many places in Europe, for much less money, short flights and all in all less effort to reach. Hilton Head is not a winter destination. To me, this island does not have anything that I cannot get easier anywhere else. I don’t need to travel to the US for something like that. I prefer the other island with their nature protection programs. I really liked these.

This article is Part 2.

Part 1 can be found here:

Little Known Islands in Georgia and South Carolina Part 1: The Golden Isles of Georgia

Der Beitrag Little Known Islands in Georgia and South Carolina Part 2: Hilton Head Island, Hunting Island and Kiawah Island erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

From Jacksonville to Savannah to Charleston: Islands along the East coast

This routes start at the northeastern end of Florida: Jacksonville and leads along the coast to Charleston. I describe all the islands in this order: from South to North. You drive through two different states on this route: Georgia and South Carolina. This is how I group the island. Georgia markets its islands with a nice slogan: “the Golden Isles of Georgia”. The South Carolina description includes anything till Charleston and excludes anything north of Charleston. Famous beaches like Wilmington and Myrtle Beach are not on the list.

The Golden Isles of Georgia: Jekyll Island and Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island – a protected area than can only be reached on a boat – is at the very South of Georgia. It’s the largest of the so-called “Golden Isles” and has restrictions concerning visitors. Part of the national park Cumberland Island National Seashore is open to public, entrance is 7 dollars.

https://www.nps.gov/cuis/index.htm

North of Cumberland Island is a smaller island called Jekyll Island. It’s not far to both islands in the north and south but Jekyll Island anyways has its own road to the main land (I 95 and hgw 17). Jekyll Island is quite exactly in the middle between Jacksonville and Savannah (120 km to Jacksonville, 150 km to Savannah). Jekyll Island also has many nature protection programs: the beach is a state park and totally left in its natural state. In the 19th and 20th century, many wealthy American had their holiday homes here. You can still visit their grand homes. Georgia State has owned the island since mid 20th century in order to maintain its status quo. Also guided tours are available. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center – an animal rescue and protection program – needs to be mentioned in particular. It’s a state program to protect and help wounded turtles. Some more mammals, reptiles and birds are living on the island. If you are lucky, you get to see some of them. There are also some middle class hotels, camping areas and many kilometers of pure beach.

The Golden Isles of Georgia: St. Simons Island, Little St. Simons Island, Sea Island

Further north, a group of three islands can be found. The main island and starting point to the two others is St. Simons Island – a larger island with gulf, tennis, and en entire touristic infrastructure (shopping, restaurants, nightlife, etc.). St. Simons has a bridge to the main land and is easy to reach. Much more laid back is Little St. Simons Island, only reachable by boat from St. Simons Island. It’s a privately owned island and its first priority is to protect the nature. It has only offers a restricted the number of overnight stays. Many rare animals live on this island, for example water turtles come here to breed. The island is very famous for its diversity of birds. Here you find a piece of pure nature on an island that has won several awards for its protection programs.

The second island than can be reached from the main island St. Simons is Sea Island. This time a boat is not necessary, both islands are connected by a bridge. Sea Island has many upscale resort hotels and weekend houses and is only open to guest with hotel bookings or house owners. The island has many golf clubs and is in general a fancy, sophisticated island for the up-market. George Bush hosted a G8 meeting here in 2004.

Savannah’s City Beach: Tybee Island

Tybee Island is Savannah’s city beach. It’s only 30 minutes from Savannah to Tybee. City Beach sounds a bit negative and does not describe this island properly. It’s a small, nice island with many restaurants, small roads and loads of beach. Its atmosphere is cozy and laid-back; it’s not too fancy (like Sea Island) and not too far away. Only the northern part of the island has streets. There are many beach cottages for rent but also motels and very few luxury places. All in all a colorful mix and definitely worth a trip. Wormsloe Plantation is very close (see Plantations of the American South). Doing both makes a good combination.

http://visittybee.com/

Which Georgia Island is the Right One for Me?

All Georgia Island have a very different character. All islands without a road to the main land (Cumberland Island and Little St. Simons Island) are very deserted and usually protected. You get to see beautiful nature, rare animals and plants and all kinds of protection programs. You need some advance planning to stay here and you need to bring enough time. Both islands have limited access. Find out if you need to be an overnight guest to be allowed to enter the island at all.

Tybee Island, Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island are easy to reach. I would not recommend Sea Island, I found it a bit too fancy, too exclusive and too sophisticated. I have great sympathies for Tybee Island. German travel agencies did not offer any hotels on Tybee Island at all. Same for St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. I really don’t understand why. All these islands are attractive holiday destinations, and Americans like to spend their summer holidays there. Here in Germany these places are totally unknown. I can strongly recommend going there if you are interested in these kinds of places. It’s very beautiful; all these islands deserve a visit. Most likely, you need to book online my travel agency could not find anything except Hilton Head Island.

Geographically you are moving farther north (see Northern Florida). A winter is much warmer than anything here in Germany but not warm enough for a beach holiday. Moreover, winter days are short. These islands are not an all-year-round summer destination. December, January and February are definitely too cold for a beach holiday. From Mai till September, it’s warm. The “between months” March, April, October and November are convenient but not warm enough to swim. We were there in November, it was T-shirt weather. Basically our spring. The beaches were wonderful but we could not swim or sunbathe. You always need to consider that it’s dark at five. That means, visiting in off-season only is the right thing for enthusiasts.

This article continues in:

Little Known Islands in Georgia and South Carolina Part 2: Hilton Head Island, Hunting Island and Kiawah Island

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Perdido Key – Perdido Key State Park and Gulf Island National Seashore

Perdido Key State Park is in the Panhandle, Northern Florida, close to Pensacola and stretches all the way to the Alabama state border. The island does not have one but two protected areas. That is why this area tends to be a bit confusing too outsiders.
The western part of the park is in Florida and is one of Florida’s state parks, protected by the Florida law (even though Florida is east of the island). The eastern part belongs to the Gulf Island National Seashore, a US National Park. Perdido Key is part of a much larger area that already starts in the state of Mississippi.

To find you way, always consider if you are in the eastern part (Gulf Island National Seashore) or the western part (Perdido Key State Park).

The eastern part of the island can be reached on highway 292 (Perdido Key Drive). The island’s “town” is here: the island gets a little less narrow here and offers enough space for a small town with restaurants, hotels and a golf course.

You need to make a cut at this point. This is where the Gulf Island National Seashore starts. The entire western part of the island is a protected area with only one little street.

Perdido Key is a narrow but long-stretched island (a 26-km-coastline). Because the island is so small, you can reach both coastlines easily and quickly. But that is at the same time a bit confusing. The southern coastline faces the ocean, open water and the Gulf of Mexico. The salt water bathing beaches are here. From the northern coastline, you can see the mainland. You find two landmarks here: Big Lagoon in the East (borders to the Big Lagoon State Park) and all water streets and ports in the west leading to Mobile, Alabama.

Perdido Key: Sand Dunes and Hiking

Sand dunes are a typical landmark in Perdido Key. Many protected plants grow here. There are primary dunes, facing the ocean and more inland secondary dunes. These are particularly important to grow plants and maintain the ecosystem. We got an information sheet about this at the entrance. You are not allowed to walk or hike the dunes. You can reach the beaches on timber walking bridges and wooden walking paths.

Due to the islands special location in front of the coast, many animals find shelter and protection from predators. There are many rare birds, reptiles, amphibians, water turtles, etc. The Gulf Island National Seashore provides information on their website when to find which species on Perdido Key.

https://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/brochures.htm

Gulf Island National Seashore and Rosamond Johnson Beach

Gulf Island National Seashore and Rosamund Johnson Beach are at the very east of the island. Its protected area starts at Johnson Beach, from here on the only available road is Johnson Beach Road. But even this road ends after 3 km. From then on you can only hike the island or reach the lagoon per boat.

From Johnson Beach Road, you can reach Escambia Beach, a beach open to public. This beach has a riff and is good for snorkeling. It also has man picnic options, many of them roofed.

The name Gulf Island National Seashore is a bit confusing. In the context of Perdido Key, it refers to the eastern part of the island. But the park does not end at Perdido Key but continues after that. All the areas further west (the next island) are called Gulf Island National Seashore as well. From East to West, these areas are called: Fort Pickens, Pensacola Island and Santa Rosa Beach. I don’t describe any of these areas in this article; this article focuses on Perdido Key.

Perdido Key: Hotels and Camping

Perdido Key, the town, has several hotels. Apart from that, there is mainly camping available on the island. There is also the Big Lagoon State Park (at the mainland facing Perdido Key) with more than 75 camping areas and long hiking routes.

Perdido Key: Comments and General Information

The fact that Perdido Key is one island that belong to two different protected areas tends to be confusing. Unfortunately, the second national park is not restricted to that one island but includes a much larger area. All of that makes things a bit difficult. But if you manage to navigate your way through all this information, Perdido Key is absolutely stunning. Its pristine nature, long hiking paths and rare species are so beautiful. Google Maps and Tripadvisor show pics of big hotels from Perdido Key. I saw something entirely different. Perdido Key is mainly pristine nature, only the town has a few hotels, apart from that mainly camping.

It’s not an island full of entertainment. You can rent a boat or surf but for example kite surfing is not allowed in summer because it upsets the animals. There aren’t many tourist facilities like beach bars, bike rentals, offroad driving or other adventure tours. It is very obvious that protecting and maintaining the nature is the main focus here. They largely refrain from entertainment and big programs. I definitely recommend coming here; you can swim, hike or relax at the beach and enjoy nature and tranquility without action and entertainment.

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