The cities and communities of Georgia’s coastline mix history, Southern charm and the ultimate idyll of ocean waves and island living. So it’s a natural choice for groups to spend as much time as possible outside, enjoying the incredible attractions and natural beauty of Savannah, Brunswick and the Golden Isles.
History Tours
Before heading to the beach, take in a bit of the rich history Savannah has to offer with a walking tour, or, even better, a Segway tour.
“It’s a great way to take in the sights as your guides point out architectural features and significant points of interest that may be lost on a driving tour,” said Mindy Shea, director of tour, travel and international sales for Visit Savannah.
Segway of Savannah offers guided tours of the historic section of the city, which is built around 22 squares—each designed at a different time in Savannah’s evolution, from 1733 when the town was founded to the mid-19th century. The squares feature monuments and architecture sure to please any history-loving group. The company also offers cemetery tours and will arrange a teambuilding scavenger hunt, all done on Segways.
In fact, there’s a multitude of tours to get attendees out and about in Savannah, including several ghost tours, which highlight the city’s long and haunted past; photography tours, which teach visitors how to get those amazing shots perfect for Instagram; a comedy tour of the town with Hysterical History Tour of Savannah; and even a party bike which explores Tybee Island at the people-powered pace of eight miles an hour.
Groups can also tour the area’s two forts, Old Fort Jackson and Fort Pulaski National Monument, both of which offer interpretive programs for visitors. Highlights are the daily cannon firings, and a musket-firing demonstration can also be arranged, illustrating the power and noise involved in battles. Fort Pulaski also has a trail system, so attendees can stretch their legs while seeing the Cockspur Island Lighthouse, the Savannah River, Tybee Island and the wildlife-rich open marsh.
More history awaits at another destination, according to Shea.
“Step back in time to one of America’s few remaining slave-descendent communities,” she said. “Located just minutes from Savannah’s Historic District, Pin Point is a community started by freedmen after the American Civil War, and has held onto its heritage, partly through the Pin Point Heritage Museum. It’s a fascinating look at the crabbing industry that sustained the community through the decades.”
Attendees can watch a documentary based on the community’s history, including the difficulty that freedmen faced when trying to claim land, and the unique Gullah Geechee culture that survives to this day on the Moon River. The museum is located in the old Varn & Son Oyster and Crab Factory, and tours are available.
On the Water
There are also plenty of activities once groups head to the water. A walking beach tour on Tybee Island educates groups about sea life and is led by marine scientist and biologist Dr. Joe Richardson. His tours explain to attendees the amazing natural diversity of the island, wildlife and habitats, giving them a new appreciation for the balance of nature. After that, groups can arrange excursions with any of the several dolphin cruise companies in the area, and catch a glimpse of one of nature’s most majestic—and friendliest—creatures in the sea.
Fishing charters, sailing and other boat rentals are available for groups, but for those who want a bit more, Savannah Riverboat Cruises offers an array of options, from moonlight cruises to guided sightseeing cruises, meal cruises and even a Monday Gospel Dinner Cruise, all on the Savannah River. The trips showcase the city’s skyline as well as its natural beauty along the way.
If you have attendees just itching to get into the water for themselves, several companies offer group outings for kayaks, jet skis or paddleboards on the area’s waterways. East Coast Paddleboarding even offers lessons for the timid, so everyone can enjoy the adventure.
The Golden Isles were originally discovered by the Spanish over 400 years ago as they sought treasure, but they found an entirely different type of gold in the islands’ sunsets. The picturesque region has been claimed through the centuries by the Spanish, French, British and Americans, and was even threatened by German U-Boats during World War II.
After a birth wrought with conflict, life today takes a slower, genteel pace on the Golden Isles.
There’s no extreme adventure sports here, according to Marcie Hunter, marketing and communications specialist for the Golden Isles CVB, “not beyond relaxing or taking a dolphin tour,” she added.
But the soothing beach life makes an appropriate balm to counter the busy schedule of convention goers, who can enjoy fishing, windsurfing, kayaking and more.
St. Simons Island, Little St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Jekyll Island and the mainland city of Brunswick make up the area, which has become a top golf destination. At least 180 holes of golf are available at the Golden Isles, and enthusiasts can enjoy the challenge of Scottish links and open marshes at Jekyll Island Golf Club, Heritage Oaks Golf Club or the King and Prince Golf Course, which was designed by Joe Lee and Billy Fuller. The Sea Island Golf Club course was designed by PGA legend Davis Love III, and the club’s Seaside Course is used on the PGA Tour. Most PGA Tour courses are not available to amateurs, but attendees can play on the course provided they’re lodging at one of the island’s properties.
Brunswick was proclaimed by George Washington as one of the five original landing points for the colonies, and that rich history can be explored today with guided walking tours, nature tours and ghost tours. Small groups of 49 or less can be shrimpers for a trip aboard the Lady Jane, a working shrimp and tour boat. Guests can even help sort the catch for the day and get a taste of the sea-faring life. After a hard afternoon’s work, attendees can turn back to graceful living with a visit to the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation site, which grew rice in the marshes until 1913. For the other side of plantation life, groups can visit the Cassina Garden Club’s slave cabins, once part of the Hamilton Plantation on St. Simons Island.
At the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, visitors can learn about habitats and meet sea turtles in rehabilitation. The facility also hosts an evening beach walk, where guests may spot a nesting mother and learn how everyone can help turtles stay safe.
St. Simons Island has the Fort Frederica National Monument, a fort built by General James Oglethorpe to keep the area safe from the Spanish-British tensions in the 1700s. The fort’s military repelled the Spanish in 1742 at the Battle of Bloody Marsh, and in the years afterward the fort eventually was disbanded. Tours are available, along with interpretive programs.
