Savannah & Golden Isles Family Vacations

Georgia's spectacular coastline, made up of barrier islands and filled with salt marshes, dunes and rivers, is such a gem that its islands have been nicknamed the Golden Isles. Perhaps it's due to the golden hue the sky and sand take on during sunrises and sunsets. Or perhaps it's because this stretch of coast, only about 100 miles total, is a treasure to the many who visit its sandy shores.

The coastline begins with Tybee Island. Just a five-mile stretch of beach, Tybee, which is Native American for "salt," is a 20-minute drive due east of Georgia's historical and charming city of Savannah. The city began when General Oglethorpe arrived and claimed a colony in the name of King George II of England. Wanting to create a city befitting of a king, his plan was to create a city of squares with more green park space than any other. Today, the city's 24 squares are said to act as Savannah's "living room." There's Washington Square, named after our first president. There is Johnson Square, where Nathanael Greene is buried beneath a monument erected in his honor. Crawford Square, which neighbors one of the country's oldest cemeteries, Colonial Park. Walk through these green spaces filled with moss-covered oaks, or head to the nine-block River Street, with its cobblestone passageways and an Old World Charm. Savannah oozes Southern Charm, from the mouths of its residents with sweet and rich accents through to its wrought iron and fanciful architecture.

Tybee, being its closest beach, is a popular destination for city residents. It's a bit on the kitschy side, where the streets to the beaches are lined with t-shirt shacks and stores selling brightly colored inflatable rafts in the shapes of alligators and dolphins. But follow its sea turtle signs past pastel-colored bungalows to its lighthouse, the tallest and oldest of the lighthouses on Georgia's coast. Climb its 178 steps and catch the views of the Atlantic Ocean before moving on down the coast to islands each with their own unique touches.

Of the most popular islands to visit are St. Simons, Little St. Simons and Sea Island, which is a private island only accessible by driving through St. Simons. These islands, less than two hours from Savannah, received worldwide notoriety when President George W. Bush hosted the 2004 G8 Summit on Sea Island. The focus touched upon environmental concerns and the world leaders drove around in electric cars and planted oak trees in an effort to show their support to the island's delicate environment. St. Simons and its smaller island have appeared again and again on lists of America's best islands, and Sea Island is where folks with names like Rockefeller and Vanderbilt snuck away for winter retreats.

Further south, by about 20 minutes, Jekyll Island awaits. A sleepy little destination, its history remains in its fanciful cottages lining the river road and leading up to one of Georgia's oldest hotels, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Its wooden maze of floors creak under foot, as well as under the rocking chairs lining its wraparound porches. The end of the Georgia coastline is Cumberland Island, which overlooks Florida's Amelia Island. Accessible only by ferry, Cumberland is a rustic island with magical qualities: wild horses roam the island, descendants of Spanish horses that first arrived with Spanish explorers. The ferry books up quickly, and cars are not welcome on the island, where families often go to camp right on the beaches. The island received some national acclaim in the 1990s when John F. Kennedy Jr. and his bride Carolyn Bessette married in a small chapel at the 22-mile-long island's northern tip.

There is no wrong choice when selecting an island in the Golden Isles. Whichever island your family chooses to visit will induce relaxation, as everyone begins to mimic the islands' slower pace.

Savannah is a wonderful historical place to visit. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 5. There is so much history to see in Savannah as this was the ...