I did not have high expectations for this park. I expected that, as a National Seashore, it would be similar to Canaveral National Seashore - an undeveloped island with some nice, long undeveloped beaches. It was those things indeed, but as Paul Harvey would say, "...and now the rest of the story!'.

To get to the island, one needs a ticket for a 45 minute ferry ride down the St Marys River along the Florida-Georgia border, then up the East River to the island's main dock. Once there, you can either leave immediately on the ferry's return trip, or stay for six hours until it returns in the late afternoon. In the past, I would relish the chance to simply walk around exploring the island for that time, but not now (hopefully I can again post-back surgery). In researching the park, I noticed an all-day excursion around the island by van and decided to take it, despite it being a bit pricy.

That was one of my better decisions! The tour covered an incredible history of the island, from an antebellum plantation with an enlightened owner, to the Carnegie family buying most of the island and making it a playland for the rich and spoiled. Mama Carnegie had wanted to become part of the wealthy inhabitants of nearby Jekyll Island, but she had some pedestrian "blood" in her background (gasp) and was prevented from buying there. So, she went one island south and built her personal mansion there. She then build her children mansions when they married. One future daughter-in-law, seeing the $10,000 (1900 dollars, as real estate, maybe $3 million today) house, she found it totally inadequate and would not move in until her rich daddy added another $50,000 addition to it! That marriage did not last!

I'll cover more of the island's history in my blog entry.

Carnegie left everything she had to her five spoiled children - with the exception of the land comprising Cumberland Island. She knew her brats would simply destroy it or develop it or sell it, and she really loved the island as it was. She was able to leave the land to her grandchildren instead - a great decision for all of us. In a rather lengthy story itself, the grandchildren agreed that they did not really want the land, but wanted it preserved as their grandmother wished. Ultimately, they donated the land to the National Park Service enabling the establishment of the National Seashore, and preserving an great piece of history.

There is a small Visitor's Center by the dock on the island, and a larger one by the ferry dock in St. Marys. The latter is where tickets are picked up and park admission paid (or in my case, a senior pass is flashed). There is a small store in the St. Marys' center.