7 stops along the Georgia coast tied to the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, with fees and access from official pages. Congress created the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor on October 12, 2006, under the National Heritage Areas Act of 2006; it is overseen by the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission.
Stops run roughly north to south by town. We list no drive times because no page we read states them; check a map for your day. Every fact below was read on the cited official page and checked ; anything we could not read is listed under What We Could Not Confirm instead of guessed.
| What to know | Source |
|---|---|
| Congress created the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor on October 12, 2006, under the National Heritage Areas Act of 2006; it is overseen by the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission. | nps.gov |
| The corridor covers North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, from Pender County, North Carolina, to St. John’s County, Florida. | nps.gov |
| The NPS lists these Georgia-area sites in the corridor: Fort Pulaski National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore and Pinpoint Heritage Museum. | nps.gov |
| Sapelo Island is reached only by boat; Georgia’s passenger ferry requires advance reservations, and only island landowners (private landowners, GA DNR, SINERR, UGAMI/LTER) can book them for pre-registered visitors. | sapelonerr.org |
The Stops, North to South
| Name | Town | What it is | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Pulaski National Monument | Savannah | A brick fort with a moat on Cockspur Island, 41 Cockspur Island Road, that NPS describes as a massive fortress built and fought over. | Cost: Standard pass $10.00 per person, valid seven days, 15 and under free, credit/debit only; annual pass $35.00 Hours: Hours are on a separate NPS page (the page read shows no hours); phone (912) 219-4233 Parking: Parking in the grass or in front of the gate keypad is prohibited Kids: Visitors 15 and under enter free |
| Geechee Kunda Cultural Arts Center & Museum | Riceboro | A nonprofit cultural arts center and museum at 622 Ways Temple Road whose collection includes artifacts from the 1700s and Jim Crow-era memorabilia. | Hours: Site says ‘Currently Closed Due To COVID’ with no reopening date or regular hours |
| Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge | Townsend | A refuge that the Fish and Wildlife Service calls an important link in the chain of refuges along the eastern seaboard, with wildlife drives. | Hours: Sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week; the visitor contact station is closed until further notice due to staffing shortages Dogs: Dogs and other domestic pets are not allowed on refuge lands, including all trails and beaches; pets may stay in your vehicle on the wildlife drives |
| Sapelo Island (Georgia DNR ferry from Meridian) | Meridian | An island reached only by boat; Hunt Camp Dock is the only public dock and visitors travel on the state passenger ferry (20 to 30 minute ride) with a reservation made by a landowning host. | Cost: Fares and tour prices not listed on the Sapelo NERR visit page; contact the Visitors Center at (912) 437-3224 Hours: Departures from Sapelo: Mon/Wed/Fri 7:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 4:30 PM; Tue/Thu 7:00 AM, 2:30 PM, 4:30 PM; Sat 8:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 4:30 PM; Sun 8:30 AM and 4:00 PM, plus 2:00 PM on the 1st and 2nd Sundays only. Meridian times are on the PDF schedule. Arrive at least 15 minutes before departure. Access: Handicap parking at the dock; restrooms at the Meridian and Sapelo docks, not on the ferry Dogs: Pets are not allowed on State Tours; pets on the ferry must stay out of the cabin and need proof of rabies vaccination Parking: Ferry parking is at the Visitors Center, with handicap parking at the dock |
| Fort King George State Historic Site (Official site) | Darien | The state calls it the oldest English fort remaining on Georgia’s coast, a reconstructed 18th-century frontier fort on the Altamaha River. | Cost: Adults (18-61) $8.25; Seniors (62+) $6.25; Youth (6-17) $4.75; Children under 6 $2.75 (plus tax) Hours: Tue-Sun 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day Access: Page links to an accessibility page; no details on the page Dogs: Leashed pets allowed on historic site trails, not in buildings Kids: Youth $4.75; under 6 $2.75 |
| Fort Frederica National Monument | St. Simons Island | A fort established by James Oglethorpe in 1736 to help protect British colonies from the Spanish in Florida; archaeology has uncovered the story of about 1,000 people who lived there. | Cost: Free; an entrance pass is not required Hours: Restrooms, trails and park grounds 9:00 am-5:00 pm daily; Visitor Center & Gift Shop Wednesday-Sunday 9:00 am-5:00 pm; Bloody Marsh Unit 8:30 am-4:00 pm daily; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day |
| Cumberland Island National Seashore (ferry from St. Marys) | St. Marys | Visitors check in at the mainland visitor center in St. Marys and board the ferry to the island; NPS advises booking ferry reservations in advance and arriving 1 hour before departure. | Cost: 7-day entrance pass $15 per person; ferry fares (plus tax): Adults (16+) $44.00; Seniors (62+) $42.00; Youth (6-15) $34.00; Children 5 and under free Hours: Ferry departure times are on the concessioner’s site (cumberlandislandferry.com); not listed on the NPS pages read Kids: Youth (6-15) $34.00; children 5 and under free |
Suggested Order by Driving Direction
- Order used on the page, north to south along the coast, by town name only: Savannah, Riceboro, Townsend, Meridian, Darien, St. Simons Island, St. Marys. No drive times are given. (nps.gov)
Rain and Closed-Day Options
- Fort Frederica’s Visitor Center and Gift Shop are open Wednesday to Sunday 9:00 am-5:00 pm; its trails and grounds are open daily 9:00 am-5:00 pm. (nps.gov)
- Fort King George is closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. (gastateparks.org)
- The Sapelo ferry does not run on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. (sapelonerr.org)
- Harris Neck NWR is open sunrise to sunset 7 days a week, but its visitor contact station is closed until further notice. (fws.gov)
Map of Gullah Geechee Georgia Coast Stops
Not pinned (no confirmed location yet): Geechee Kunda Cultural Arts Center & Museum, Fort King George State Historic Site (Official site).
Keep Planning
FAQ
What is the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor?
A designated cultural heritage area created by Congress on October 12, 2006, covering North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. (nps.gov)
Can I just show up for the Sapelo Island ferry?
No. The state passenger ferry requires advance reservations, which only island landowners (private landowners, GA DNR, SINERR, UGAMI/LTER) can book for pre-registered visitors. (sapelonerr.org)
Does Fort Frederica charge admission?
No. The NPS lists the entrance fee as free and says an entrance pass is not required. (nps.gov)
Are dogs allowed at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge?
Not on refuge lands, including all trails and beaches; pets may stay in your vehicle on the wildlife drives. (fws.gov)
What We Could Not Confirm
- Sapelo ferry fares: the Sapelo NERR visit page lists none; a search summary reported $5 round trip but that was not on a fetched official page, so it is excluded. Meridian departure times are only on a PDF the fetch tool could not read.
- Ossabaw Island: not researched on an official page (access is limited); not included.
- Pinpoint Heritage Museum: listed by NPS in the corridor but the NPS page gives no location, hours or description; the operator link (chsgeorgia.org/PHM) was not fetched, so it is not an item.
- Counties for Savannah, Riceboro, Darien, St. Simons Island and St. Marys stops were not stated on the pages read.
- NPS Gullah Geechee pages do not name Georgia counties, Sapelo, Harris Neck, Darien or Geechee Kunda; their corridor membership is not confirmed by the pages read.
- Fort Pulaski hours were not on the NPS hours page text returned; Fort Pulaski and Cumberland Island 2026 fee-free days not copied.
- Geechee Kunda reopening status not confirmed; the site still says closed due to COVID.
- Town order (Savannah, Riceboro, Townsend, Meridian, Darien, St. Simons Island, St. Marys) is the north-to-south order of the towns along the coast, not stated on a fetched page.
- Cumberland Island ferry schedule and Sapelo tour details (what visitors can do on the island) not on the pages read.
- The north-to-south order of stops is ours; no page we read states it.
How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on . Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.
Sources
- NPS Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
- NPS Gullah Geechee Plan Your Visit
- Sapelo Island NERR – Visiting Sapelo Island
- USFWS Harris Neck NWR
- Georgia State Parks – Fort King George
- NPS Fort Frederica hours
- NPS Fort Frederica fees
- NPS Fort Pulaski fees
- NPS Cumberland Island fees
- Geechee Kunda
Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.
More from Itineraries
Cite this page: It's Georgia, “Gullah Geechee Georgia Coast Road Trip”, itsgeorgia.com/itineraries/road-trips/gullah-geechee-georgia-coast/ (updated ). Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page.