4 Free Things to Do on St. Simons Island

Of course, who comes to a beach town without going to the beach? Erosion has taken a lot of St. Simons Island’s sand and deposited it on the East Beach area of the island, so no matter what the tide, you’ll find beach here. This mostly residential area has several public beach accesses, but you’ll be hard pressed to find parking. The Coast Guard Station on First Street has a good deal of parking, as well as public bathrooms, a small maritime museum and, in season, a snack bar.

Look carefully around the island and you’ll see tree spirits carved within the majestic live oak trees. At one time, the large ships that sailed these waters were made with wood from the live oaks around the island. The tree spirits pay homage to the salty sailors that lost their lives aboard these ships.

A visit to the St. Simons Island Pier is a must during any vacation. Walk the pier and see what the fisherman pull in, or say hello to the pelicans that wait for left over fish. If you’d like to get into the action, the St. Simons Island Bait Shop is just down from the pier and sells fishing licenses, crab nets and whatever else you need for an afternoon angling. While you are there, say hello to the resident parrot. If you’re lucky, he may sit on your shoulder.

At the base of the St. Simons Island Pier, there is a small playground. Walk less than 100 yards toward the lighthouse and you’ll find an even bigger playground that sits just outside the gates to the public pool and a mini-golf course. You’ll also find a sculpture of a mother whale and her baby. It will likely have lots of other people's babies climbing and crawling on it, as well.