Visiting St. Simons Island, Georgia

St. Simons Island, Georgia is one of the many small islands that make up the Golden Isles of Georgia. It is a small family friendly island perfect for a weekend trip or even a week long vacation. St. Simons Island, Georgia is located about an hour south of Savannah and about ten minutes away from Brunswick. Nearby islands include Sea Island and Jekyll Island.

Beach

The beach is the main reason to visit any island and St. Simons Island is no exception. Soft brown sands meet salty brown water in a look that is distantly coastal Georgia. There are hundreds of miles of public beach, but the best area to swim is by far the beach located in front of the Old Coast Guard Station. There are lifeguards and the crowds don’t get too big. Parking can be an issue sometimes, but that is common on almost any island.

Pier

The Pier on St. Simons is one of the main gathering places on the small island. Locals and tourists alike toss their crab baskets and fishing lines out for a chance to catch some fresh seafood. I highly recommend walking out on the Pier if you are ever on St. Simons Island. A beautiful cool breeze is always blowing across the Pier, cooling it to a comfortable temperature even when it is 100 degrees outside.

You can buy bait for your fishing pole or crab basket about a hundred feet away at the local bait shop. They also sell great St. Simons Island souvenirs.

The Village and Shopping

The village on St. Simons is located right before you get to the pier. There is parking around the entire village. The area also has a lot of people traveling on bikes and scooters. Tourists and locals come form miles around to check out the little souvenir shops, clothing stores, and art stores. There are about 100 little shops in the village, including some small shops house in quaint little white one room raised buildings. Each little shop contains a different vendor selling their goods. Some of the local shops have been around for decades and never change.

You can find clothing stores that range form regular old casual beachwear to some more classy and formal stores. There is also a children’s clothing store and many of the other stores have kid sections.