First Extended Family Trip – Hunting Island, SC / Okefenokee Swamp, GA
This was the longest planned and anticipated trip of our season so far. We paired up with my parents for a three generation trip which we hope will happen much more often. The trip started back at Hunting Island State Park as the parents had never been……and we were SO impressed with it! The bonus on this trip was they came with their camper so we got to share a site with water and power even though it meant we were back in the tent after teasing ourselves with camper life!
We went down a day early as we did on our first trip to the island and again stayed at the Quality Inn at Town Center. Unfortunately this experience was FAR worse than the first. I had booked a first floor room and the desk had no record of this and no room available. They assigned us a second floor room on the front of the hotel just above the swimming pool. When we went into the room we were immediately hit with a humid musty smell and noticed the smoke detector hanging from the ceiling by wires. The dresser was also in poor condition and the front of the air conditioner was falling off. Even worse was the fact that the door was rotting on the bottom making it even more difficult to cool the room. Fortunately we were only in the room to sleep for one night as there were no other rooms available for us.
Our first order of business after we all got camp set up was to take in an early dinner at the Johnson Creek Tavern just across the bridge from the park. The restaurant has a nice outdoor patio for dining but beware of nature! We had to move tables after dad was attacked by a red wasp and then I was visited by the friendly restaurant lizard! He didn’t bother me with his visit but I think I saw the lady at the next table leave her skin in the chair when it tried to visit her!
Our second day led us to the lighthouse again to show off the views we had found on the first trip. I don’t think I will ever get enough of the panoramic views from the top and enjoying it with family is just icing on the cake!
A little exploring on the island will lead you to a couple more wonderful areas that are even less visited than the campground and lighthouse area. Parking at the South Beach lot we crossed onto the beach and walked South. After a short walk we found the “new boneyard” which is a more undisturbed area where the forces of nature have been allowed “freedom” to take their course. Many trees remain down from previous storms and you can quickly get lost in the peace of the ocean waves. ***This is where I caution you to be alert to tidal times*** At high tide much of this area becomes covered and I couldn’t imagine riding out a few hours on a log!
The other surprise we found was at the southernmost entrance to the park at the Nature Center. This is a small center but has several live turtles and snakes inside with vast amounts of information about the park ecosystem. After letting the kids roam and look we crossed the parking lot to the Nature Center Trail in hopes of seeing the grand prize……an American Bald Eagle!
This trail is approximately 0.7 miles out to the ocean and is mostly level making it an easy hike. The end leads to an arched walkway bridge leading across to another “boneyard” on the ocean side of the island. Just as we reached this bridge was were blessed with the treat we had hoped for! Two bald eagles flew over us and we noticed another perched in a tree just into the ocean! My recommendation here would be to go in the late afternoon and always have your camera and binoculars at the ready!
My final note about any Hunting Island trip is SEAFOOD!!! There are plenty of places to buy fresh seafood in the area but just a couple miles from the campground is the Gay Fish Company and it’s fleet of boats. They are out daily bringing in a fresh catch of various seafood from Shrimp to Snapper and Mahi…..YUM!!!! We were extremely fortunate to be there just as one of the boats was returning so K and J got to see what extreme lengths the birds are willing to go through for a taste!
Okefenokee Swamp
After breaking camp at Hunting Island after a few days it was off to a new location for us all……Stephen C. Foster State Park which lies within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge just North of Fargo, Georgia.
Although this park is a state park it is a certified dark sky park meaning there is very little to no artificial lighting after sunset. This provides for excellent views of the starry nights! Wildlife, especially deer and turkeys, are abundant in the park and I would HIGHLY ADVISE you watch your speed and surroundings on the 17 mile drive into the park from Fargo. Notice I said 17 miles! That’s the only way into, or out of, the park by car and the closest town for anything after the park store closes at 5:00 pm.
One of the BIG highlights of this park is the chance to see alligators in the wild and to spend time in the swamp. The park does guided boat tours and also rents boat, canoes and kayaks. We chose to do a 4 hour motor boat rental to allow time for us to explore areas together at our own pace. A word of note here is that pets are not allowed in ANY vessel on the swamp. Trust me the alligators are big enough here and don’t need a Fiddo snack! We even saw baby alligators in the holding pond for the boat rentals.
During our boat journey we made our way to Billy’s Island for a tour and lunch before moving on throughout the swamp. As we were making our way through a more narrow portion of water between the Bald Cypress trees of “Pinball Alley” K yelled “GATOR!!!!” and started pointing behind us. I quickly stopped the boat to see and immediately noticed a 9′-10′ alligator sunbathing on a log just behind us. As I started to back the boat up just a bit to get better pictures J flipped! I don’t think the poor kid could have gotten any lower into the boat between the seats trying to get to his granddaddy!
Shortly after our alligator encounter we found the free-standing shelter we were looking for in the middle of the swamp. Here we took the opportunity to get out of the boat for a bit, stretch our legs and have a snack……although we had to keep an eye out for a little thief that wanted our food too!
On the way back to return the boat I took the opportunity to share control of boat while providing me the enjoyment of teaching my kids a new skill. J quickly got the hang of the controls but K seemed less than thrilled after being allowed to control a larger parasailing boat back in Myrtle Beach earlier in the summer. I think I probably got more enjoyment than both of them just being able to see them growing in their outdoor skills!
I’d have to say that this week long trip went by WAY too quickly. I was thoroughly enjoying the time as we had never been able to do this as an entire family. We were all ready to get home but none of us really wanted to part ways. The swamp was a nice, last minute addition and I would highly recommend it should you be in the area.
As always we welcome your comments and questions below and ask that you subscribe to stay up to date on our newest adventures. Also please be sure to like us on social media and share with all your friends! We’re always open to suggestions for new adventures as well.