A Coastal Road Trip Through Georgia, South Carolina & North Carolina

Last fall we decided that we needed a getaway. Spurred on by Mr. UR's company requesting vacation days be used by the end of the fall, we decided to take a week and drive the coast of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. We felt safe by booking some "no contact" lodging and bringing a cooler for eats. With masks in hand and beach chairs in the back of our car we set off to visit some places with in a few hours of home - and an added bonus was seeing some new places we'd never been to before.

St Simons Island, Georgia

St. Simons Island is an island off the coast of Georgia. The longest barrier island in the Golden Isles - the others being Jekyll, Little St. Simons, Sea Island and also the town of Brunswick - it lies on the Atlantic Coast between Savannah and Jacksonville. It's a "family friendly" island with nice beaches and plenty for visitors to do. Known for its beaches, salt marshes and fishing, we enjoyed a full day here before heading to the neighboring island of Jekyll.

Southern Living Magazine has ranked Southern Soul Smokehouse as the Number One Barbecue in the Southeast so we started our visit with a pilgrimage there. We enjoyed a half day at the beach and then a stop at the still operational lighthouse. It was built in 1872 after the first lighthouse at this spot was destroyed during the Civil War and is only one of five in Georgia.

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Jekyll Island, like so many places in the US, was originally home to Native American tribes and then went on to house prosperous plantations until the start of the Civil War. In 1886 a group of wealthy families purchased the island to serve as a private retreat. By 1900, the Jekyll Island Club included Rockefellers, Morgans, Cranes and Goulds and represented over 1/6 of the world's wealth. The club closed in 1942 and the island was purchased by the state of Georgia. 

Today it's a popular holiday destination with 10 miles of shoreline with limited development - as opposed to its neighbor, St. Simon's Island, there are no high rises and most of the island is protected. (Be prepared that there is an $8 daily pass fee required to enter the island as it is a state park)

The biking path on Jekyll Island

Like many coastal islands, Jekyll boasts lots to do. There's golf, of course, and boating, tennis, bike riding, fishing and boat tours. There's also one water park and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to visit. You can also tour the historic district including the mansions (or "cottages") from that long ago Jekyll Island Club.

Our weather prediction was for rain when we arrived so we immediately hit the beach before it started. We managed to visit one of the most popular spots on the island, Driftwood Beach, while the sun was still shining also. No such luck the next day as our visit to the National Historic District was marred by rain - and was closed indoors due to covid. But we managed to drive around it and then enjoyed dinner at The Wharf which is part of the Jekyll Island Club Resort. Known for its sunset views and outdoor dining, it was not to be that night. But I really enjoyed its coastal vibe and Mr. UR liked his shrimp. For what is a coastal road trip without seafood?!

Seabrook Island, South Carolina

Seabrook Island is an oceanfront community just miles from historic Charleston. This private gated coastal island is home to pristine beaches, marshes, golf courses and a maritime forest. For shopping and dining there is Freshfields Village nearby and if you'd like to rent a boat or park your boat there is Bohickets Marina.

We stayed just off the island at a condo we rented through Air BnB. It included marsh views, kayaks and bicycles to use and access to a swimming pool. And that's just what we did - we swam, rode bikes to the beach and kayaked the marsh and enjoyed meals on the balcony.

Our Air BnB

We also visited Charlestons famous Angel Oak - a live oak that is 400 years old - on nearby Johns Island, did a wine tasting at the unique Deep Water Vineyard and visited the popular Low Tide Brewing for a beer on Wadmalaw Island. It was a very idyllic few days.

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina

Litchfield Beach, or quite simply Litchfield, lies south of Myrtle Beach and is know for being the "quieter side" of the Grand Strand. Known for its relaxed pace, golf courses and less crowded beaches, Litchfield was perfect for a one night stop on our trip up the coast. 

We snagged a deal on Travel Zoo to stay at the Oceanfront Litchfield Inn that included a beachfront room with patio. ( It also includes two pools and a beachfront bar/restaurant.)So all of our time was spent on the beach or the patio enjoying a postcard perfect fall day. And we were treated to a beautiful full moon that evening.

Atlantic Beach, North Carolina 

Our last stop on this coastal road trip was Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. This was our home base for our Deep Sea Fishing Trip with Captain Mike on the Pelagic. We met up with Mr. UR's brother and his wife and friends of ours for the weekend where we not only went deep sea fishing, but also enjoyed the Atlantic Beach/Morehead City area.

Our main reason for visiting was to go fishing but we also: took a nice long beach walk on Atlantic Beach, visited a coupla breweries (one in Atlantic Beach and one in Morehead City), walked the Morehead City Fish Walk, a public art trail with 12 fish sculptures, toured Fort Macon, walked the Hoop Pole Creek Nature Trail and enjoyed a seafood dinner topped off with a spectacular sunset to end our weekend. 

Fort Macon

What our walk led us to

It was a fun weekend and I really like this area of North Carolina. If you haven't explored any of these beach areas, and you're a coast person, I highly recommend giving it a go.

For being one of my quickest planned and most spontaneous trips - with the exception of the fishing that my brother and sister-in-law planned - it turned out wonderful. I enjoyed seeing some places I'd never been to and a few I'd been to but had never explored. And by being closer to home, driving was not too bad.

How about you? Have you been to any of these places?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!