Glynn County, located on the Atlantic Coast under the hot Georgia sun make it a recreational hot spot for tourists from all over the world. Glynn County has some of the best fishing along the entire East Coast, beautiful beaches and incredible golf courses, leaves visitors with no shortage of things to do. In fact Glynn County is so beautiful that former President George W. Bush hosted the G8 Summit here.
Here are some of the highlights you should take in on your next trip to Glynn County:
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Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation
A monument to the antebellum period of the south the plantation is a living monument the history and culture of Georgia. During the early 1800’s William Brailsford built a rice plantation in the marshes that border the Altamaha River. The family continued growing rice here up until 1913, until the fifth generation farmers converted to a dairy farm rather than selling the home.
Finally the last heir, Ophelia Dent left the plantation to the state of Georgia in the early 70’s. Now a museum it features collections from the family and guided tour of the antebellum home filled with family heirlooms. You can walk alongside the marshes where the family once grew rice.
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Brunswick Old Town Historic District
The district was originally formed back in 1771, and named after the British King George III, it still retains its original grid plan with the stone tiles on the sidewalks. The historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and it includes many early 19th century residential and public buildings. Walk the streets and you will see some beautiful examples of antebellum architecture, stop and have a look at the Old Brunswick City Hall and The Mahoney-McGarvey House.
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Fort Frederica National Monument
Located on St Simons Island lies the remains of the town and fort built in the mid 1700s by James Oglethorpe, it was built to protect the colony from the raid by the Spanish coming up from Florida. The town and fort once housed more than 600 troops and 500 colonial residents just outside the fort. Named after the son of King George II it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
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Hamilton Plantation
While this is not the happiest spot you could tour on your trip to Glynn County, it’s an important part of American history. The antebellum era plantation has two surviving slave cabins that were built prior to 1833. There are two of the better examples of slave cabins surviving today. These cabins were built to house the slave that were serving in the main house and were part of a planned community.
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St Simons Island Lighthouse
The original lighthouse was built back in 1810, it was originally 75 feet tall and it was topped by a 10 foot tall burning oil lamp. During the Civil War the military used a naval blockade of the coast. The invading Union troops pushed back the Confederate army and when they abandoned the area they destroyed the original lighthouse so the Union troops couldn’t use it.
The new lighthouse was rebuilt in 1872 and this time it is 104 feet tall and has a cast iron stairway with 129 steps that lead to the gallery. This lighthouse uses a rotating lens that projects four beams of light and one strong flash every minute.
Photos Courtesy of: E. Gonzalez, Mark, J. Emerson