St. Simons Island is one of Georgia's Golden Isles, accessible from Brunswick by causeway. It's a quieter and more residential alternative to beach resorts further down the coast, with a pleasant village center around Neptune Park, good seafood restaurants, and beaches that don't get overwhelmingly crowded.
The island's history runs deep. Fort Frederica National Monument preserves the ruins of the 1736 British colonial outpost established by James Oglethorpe as the southernmost point of British North America, set among massive live oaks draped in Spanish moss. The St. Simons Lighthouse at the southern tip dates to 1872 and is open for tours. Between the history and the marshes, the biking and the crabbing, St. Simons rewards a few days of unhurried exploration.