Cumberland Island Glamping at Sea Camp

Join us for a three night "glamping" trip on Cumberland Island, the largest and southern most barrier island on the Georgia coast.  This will be a group camping trip in which your payment to AOC will include round-trip transportation on the Cumberland Island Ferry, three nights at Sea Camp, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner while we are on the island.  There is also a $7.00 visitor fee that will be included in your payment to AOC.  

Cumberland Island has been designated a National Seashore and is part of the National Park System.  We have reservations in one of the group sites at Sea Camp, which will serve as a home base.  From Sea Camp, we will have many options and opportunities to explore the natural beauty of the coastal seashore and the historic buildings (such as they are) left behind by one of the wealthiest families in American history.

Friday, 11/10  We have reservations for the Cumberland Island Ferry at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, November 10, 2017.  You need to checkin at the Ferry terminal by 8:30 a.m.  Although AOC will be buying our food, everyone will need to arrive a little early so we can devide the perishable food into everyone's coolers, so you'll have to leave a little extra space.  The trip leader will also need help transporting group camping gear onto and off the ferry.We will begin loading our gear onto the Ferry prior to the departure time.  The Ferry takes about 40 minutes to travel from the mainland to Cumberland.  When we arrive at Cumberland, there will be a short Ranger meeting at the Park office about safety and our responsibility to maintain the island.

The Sea Camp campground is located about 1/3 mile from the Park office.  My understanding is that carts are available for $5.00.  Everyone will need to assist in transporting gear from the ferry dock to the campground.

The group campsite will have several picnic tables and a fire ring.  Everyone will be expected to buy one package of firewood.

Sea Camp has potable water that you can drink without filtering.  There are also mens' and womens' restrooms and  separate stalls where you can take a cold water shower.  Brrrr! If you want a hot shower, I recommend bringing your own shower bag (purchased at REI or Wal-Mart), which can be filled up in the morning and left in the sun - they really do work.  

The bathhouse also has a large sink to clean cookware.  This is not quite as convenient as it sounds because we will be sharing the sink with other campers.

Once we have everything transported to Sea Camp and our tents are set up, it will be time for lunch.  The only schedule we will keep while on the island is for meals.  Otherwise, how you decide to spend your time on Cumberland is up to you.  

Feel free to relax.  From the campsite, the beach and ocean are accessed with a five minute walk via a boardwalk.  You can camp out on a chair or you can feel like Robinson Crusoe and literally walk miles along an uninhabited beach.

For those who may be interested, the trip leader will offer mini "tours" of the southern portion of the island.  Other members are encouraged to lead their own tours.  

Suggested itineraries - Depending on the weather, my first mini tour will be of the Carnegie ruins at Dungeness, which is located about a mile south of Sea Camp.  The Carnegies constructed four mansions on the island beginning in the late 19th Century.  Lucy Carnegie was the matriarch (her husband died shortly after they had established Cumberland as a winter home) and her original mansion was built near the Dungeness dock.  She also built a mansion for her son near the original mansion.  Both mansions burned down, but have been "preserved" by the Park Service.  You can easily tour the area on your own and imagine what those Great Gatsby parties must have been like back in the day.

You can also stroll down to the southern tip of the island, which is about 8-9 miles round trip.  You can observe lots of different kinds of shore birds and you might even see a dolphin.  At the tip of the island you can look across the narrow channel and see Florida, including Fort Clinch on Amelia Island.

A concessionaire offers bike rentals, but my experience has been that there were either no bikes available or they were in such disrepair that no one wanted to rent them.

Dinners will be on the fancy side.  We will enjoy grilled salmon, rice and corn on the first night. Please "volunteer" to help out with preparation or clean up so that everyone shares in these tasks.  After dinner, feel free to enjoy the beach.  As the sun goes down, we'll start a fire (weather permitting).

Saturday, 11/11:  Wake up early enough and you can enjoy the sunrise as the sun emerges out of the Atlanta Ocean.  Pancakes or french toast and bacon will be served for breakfast.  We'll also have some oatmeal for those of you who want something lighter.

Feel free to explore the island however you choose.  Just make sure you're back in time to Sea Camp for lunch.  Dinner will likely include grilled chicken and a pasta salad.

Sunday, 11/12:  Same as Saturday.  Dinner will be a traditional coastal favorite called a "low country boil."  We will boil red potatoes, sausage, shrimp, and corn with a little seasoning.  It's finger licking good!   

Monday, 11/13:  Ferry departure from the island is 10:15am.  We will need to rise relatively early to eat breakfast, take down our camping equipment, and transport everything to the dock.  Because carts are limited, it usually takes several trips.  We should have everything and everyone at the dock by 10 a.m.  Other campers will be leaving at the same time.  It typically takes about 20 minutes for everyone to load up the ferry.

A note about food:  At night, there are a lot of raccoons that are quite bold and quite good at stealing food.  We need to keep our food secured, including our trash.  If you can place a lock on your cooler, that is ideal.  Don't underestimate the ability of a racoon to get into your stuff - they are known to undo or cut straps that are intended to secure coolers and storage containers.

From Atlanta: http://tinyurl.com/kh93xjm 

In St Mary's facing the waterfront, there is 'drop-off' parking in front of the dock.  You can unload your vehicle here.   Then you must move the vehicle to the over-night parking which is down the street on the right (facing the water, go right; lot is on the right).

This event is rain or shine.

No smoking please.

Ferry ride to Cumberand Island, 3 nights camping at Sea Camp, 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners, and the NPS visitor's fee.  Cost does not include beverages, so bring your own.

This is a paypal only event.  Full payment is due on or before September 15, 2017.

This event is rain or shine.

If you cancel on or before October 1, 2017, full payment is refundable less a $3 administrative fee. There will be no refunds if you cancel after October 1, 2017, unless someone from the waitlist replaces you and pays in full. In that case, you are eligible for a full refund less the $3 administrative fee.

Please allow two days for processing a PayPal transaction.