The last of the three coastal barrier islands included in “The Golden Isles” is St. Simons Island, which is on the Atlantic Ocean, just a few miles east of Brunswick. It has grown so much in recent years that its population probably now exceeds that of Brunswick.
A great part of that is no doubt attributable to the building of the Torras Causeway, the long bridge that joins it with the mainland.
Thousands of vehicles cross that bridge every day – just like the bridge that makes Hilton Head Island accessible to its mainland.
St. Simons does not have the history behind it that both Jekyll Island and Brunswick do; but it is still a worthwhile place to visit, and has many attractions. The natural beauty of the island is one main attraction: old oak trees line the streets; beaches on the north end attract thousands of visitors each year; and the island is also a popular spot for visitors to the annual Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville who come to party, before or after the game.
The Pier area on the south end of the island, across from Jekyll Island, is probably its most popular place to visit. The Pier itself was built in a “T” form, with arms extending out on both sides of the covered walkway leading to the Brunswick River. People fish from it all the time, or just come to sit and enjoy the sun, or watch the huge ships coming and going to Colonels Island.
Next to it is Postell Park, which stretches from the shops along Mallery Street on the west, to the lighthouse and museum on the east. We have climbed that lighthouse, and it is tall enough to give one a spectacular view. Summer concerts are often held on the lawn in front of that lighthouse, and are well attended. (Bring your own chairs!)
Postell Park is also home to an Arts & Crafts festival, which attracts vendors of all sorts from all over: photography, clothing & jewelry, pottery, leather-working, wood-working, soaps, candles and various food stuffs – a wide variety of things to look at and enjoy, even if you don’t buy anything. We always enjoy going, and usually find something we have to bring home.
Postell Park also has a good-sized playground for kids, a swimming pool for the summer months, and the “Casino Theatre,” home to the Island Players, a very good community theatre group. The park is also notable for its life-size replica of a whale, complete with barnacles, that kids can climb up on. I have never seen one like that before. Kids love it!
One of our favorite restaurants in the Pier district is Palmers Café, a small narrow place squeezed in between two other old buildings. It’s very popular, as the food is good and reasonably priced, and sometimes the wait for a table is long.
Across the street is “Barbara Jean’s,” another long-time eatery with good food and affordable prices.
On the corner is a wonderful Argentinian restaurant, “Del Sur,” in the space formerly occupied by the family-style restaurant, “The 4th of May” – so called because that was the day it opened for business! It had a good long 20-year run before finally closing.
We always enjoyed going there.
“Del Sur” is also very popular with locals, and visitors like us who come down on a regular basis, love their food, and always stop in when in town.
One interesting thing about that Pier area: it has a longtime hardware store and building supply business, J.C. Strother Company, that inhabits a two-story building on that main strip, and was a long-time good customer of my family’s wholesale business.
Across the street from Del Sur is a small one-story building that now houses a beachwear shop, but many years ago was home to St. Simons Hardware Co., also a good customer of ours.
Old downtown Beaufort, SC, once had an equivalent pair of businesses. A.D. Fordham & Sons Hardware was a long-time customer in a two-story building on one corner of Bay Street. Beaufort Hardware was in a one-story building on the other end of the street, also a good customer – and when the owner retired and closed his business, it was replaced with a beachwear shop, just like the one on St.
Simons! What an odd coincidence. I am no doubt one of a very few folks who know that.
The other unusual place on St. Simons Island to mention is a small stained-glass gift shop on the north end, aptly named “Pane in the Glass.” It has all kinds of things; my wife and I have been there many times. It is located in an old two-story building that was once home to a grocery store, some 50 or so years ago. It is well worth a visit. We always go by when we are down that way.
Life has many interesting things to see and enjoy! Sometimes you just have to look.
Rafe Semmes is a proud graduate of (“the original”) Savannah High School and the University of Georgia. He and his wife are both longtime Rotarians, and live in eastern Liberty County with their changing passel of orphaned rescue cats.
He writes on a variety of topics, and may be reached at rafe_semmes@ yahoo.com.