The gopher tortoise, which lives in dry, sandy regions and is native to Georgia’s coast, can be see in the wild at Oatland Island Wildlife Center.

American bison, white-tailed deer, gray wolf, red fox, nine-banded armadillo, peregrine falcon, sandhill crane, gopher tortoise and bald eagle—these are just some of the natural wildlife of Georgia and the nation that you can see at the Oatland Island Wildlife Center of Savannah.

Located less than five minutes from Savannah’s historic district, the wildlife center has over 100 acres of maritime forest and exhibits 50 species of animals. Outdoor exhibits include the Wolf Wilderness, Alligator Wetlands, Predators of Georgia, and Birds of Prey. Goats, pigs, donkeys and sheep are just some of the animals found in the Georgia Farm area. (more…)

 Georgia > West Central Region > Muscogee County > Columbus

Columbus Riverwalk is a 22 mile-long linear park along the east bank of the Chattahoochee River that provides a unique combination of urban and natural environments for casual strollers and hikers, joggers, bicyclists and fishermen. Links below take you to an interactive map and a virtual tour.

Beginning in 1987/88 as a response to federal mandated sewage and water upgrades, the Water Works of Columbus along with local government and civic leaders created a partnership that has resulted in one of the cities premier tourist attractions.

The award-winning engineering design was done by Jordan, Jones and Goulding, both an Atlanta and Columbus based environmental engineering consulting firm. This design template is still in use today as additional phases are brought in, and a changing usage base is cultivated. Original construction began in 1989 and Phase I had a grand opening on Columbus Day 1992 with a large kazoo parade behind Golden Park. This one-mile area spanned from the dam at The River Club to behind the Trade Center and featured restrooms, ADA accessibility, and easy access from downtown at Bay Avenue.

Phase II was a large project that took the length of the Riverwalk to 12 miles. It passed Golden Park, The Civic Center, Rotary Park and Rigdon Park, linking all of these together. Long term planning provided access to the Naval Museum, Leisure pools, and the Oxbow Environmental Learning Center with it’s varied attractions, including three canopy rope bridges. Phase III extended another three miles to the Infantry Center at Fort Benning and was awarded the best Military Installation in the world.

Phases IV and V included the northern section of the Riverwalk from TSYS campus to Bibb Mill, on to Lake Oliver. A 22-mile linear park provides an asphalt trail with restrooms and access for all persons from the sports minded hiker or cyclist to the perfect spot for fishing. Columbus State University and the River Center have added to the usage of the Riverwalk by providing a home to the CSU School of Music in the downtown area by utilizing the area as a downtown campus.

Links:

• Read more about Columbus Riverwalk including a tour map, access points, and a virtual tour.
• Find other Columbus, Georgia travel and recreation resources.

 Georgia > Coastal Region > Glynn County > St. Simons Island

SouthEast Adventure Outfitters has been adventuring in Georgia’s Golden Isles since 1994. Take a kayak tour around St. Simons, Jekyll, Sapelo, Blackbeard and Cumberland Islands as well as the Altamaha and Satilla Rivers. Year-round kayaking trips from 2 hours to 7 days.

SouthEast Adventure has been in business since 1994 - based on St. Simons Island and in Brunswick, Georgia. Pioneering every trip we offer, our company has been integral in promoting and enhancing kayaking throughout the Golden Isles of Georgia.

SouthEast Adventure was started with the goal to provide exceptional kayaking trips through some of the widely unexplored and naturally beautiful areas along Georgia’s coast. Over time, the trips just keep getting better - with new adventures planned every year, and more people interested in sharing our unique perspective and expertise.

Here is a sample of Southeast Adventures trips and experiences.

Brunswick Kayak Tour (about 2 hours)
Learn the basic skills of sea kayaking while exploring the scenic “Marshes of Glynn.” Launching from our private dock, this trip is an easy and informative way to discover why kayaking is one of the fastest growing sports today. Discounts for kids’ groups.

St. Simons Kayak Tour (about 3 hours)
Join our experienced local guides as we discover the magic of sea kayaking. We’ll teach the skills needed to safely enjoy the sport as we watch the abundant wildlife in the marshes and on the beaches of St. Simons and Sea Island. Anyone can enjoy the stable, expedition quality sea-kayaks used on our trips. We take a break on a beautiful remote beach for a little birding and shelling.

Satilla River Day Trip
Cruise the beautiful black waters of one of Georgia’s most pristine rivers. Blinding white sandbars grace every bend. Cypress trees and wildlife abound. This is a mellow river, ideal for families and kids.

Links:

• Read more about SouthEast Adventure Outfitters.

 Georgia > Northwest Region > Gilmer County > Ellijay

Viewing the eastern cougar as a young boy eventually led to Craig Cylke establishing the Wildlife Sanctuary on 40 acres in Ellijay to promote the protection of wildlife and habitat and the importance of conservation issues as they relate to the quality of human life.

The Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Ellijay, is a rescue, rehabilitation and release facility for the wild indigenous animals of Georgia, from the smallest mammals and reptiles to the largest carnivores and birds of prey. The Wildlife Sanctuary is a 40-acre facility that medically cares for all species of orphaned and injured wildlife indigenous to Georgia and the southeast. It began 30 years ago when (more…)

 Georgia > Coastal Region > Bryan County > Richmond Hill

Salty Dawg tours are conducted in a rugged 25+foot, twin engine, Parker Sport Cabin with comfortable seating for 6 passengers, sun awning, a private head and all required safety equipment in excellent working condition.

Enjoy an adventure exploring the marshes, estuaries, creeks, rivers, Intracoastal Waterway and Barrier Islands.  Delight in the antics of dolphin, birds and wildlife. Together, we’ll customize an outing just for you. The SaltyDawg also offers Island Charter service for hunters, birders, campers
and researchers to Georgia’s Barrier Islands.

Captain Hub, Roy Hubbard, is a Savannah native, U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain, University of Georgia Master Coastal Naturalist, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the American Professional  Captain’s Association and serves on the Advisory Board of Georgia’s Blue Crab Commission.

Peach Hubbard (with Buddy the 4-legged Salty Dawg) is a UGA Master Coastal Naturalist, GAME (Georgia Association of Marine Educators), NMEA (National Marine Educators Association) and serves on the Board of ‘Clean Coast’ and is President of ‘The Dolphin Project’.

Peach and Hub are active with ‘The Dolphin Project’ and ‘Clean Coast’. They are members of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, members of the U.S. Power Squadron/Tybee Light Chapter, the Ogeechee-Canoochee River Keepers, the Navy League / Savannah Chapter,  the U.S. Power Squadron/Tybee Light Chapter, The Nature Conservancy, the Sea Turtle Survival League/C.C.C.,  The Ossabaw Island Foundation,  the Cousteau Ocean Futures Society and several other nature conservation organizations. SaltyDawg Adventures  holds a Special Use Permit issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct tours of Blackbeard and Wassaw National Wildlife Refuges.

SaltyDawg is a rugged 25+foot, twin engine, Parker Sport Cabin with comfortable seating for 6 passengers, sun awning, a private head (toilet) and all required safety equipment in excellent working condition. Parker boats are made in the U.S. and used by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and the USFWS (United States Fish & Wildlife Service).

Links:

• Read more about Salty Dawg Adventures.
• See a map showing Georgia’s major barrier islands.

 Georgia > Northeast Region > Rabun County > Otto, NC

Students and faculty from SEEDS, the Ecology Society of America’s Strategies for Ecology Education, Development and Sustainability, program tour the watershed surrounding the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in Rabun County in Northeast Georgia.

The Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, site of a long-term ecological research program, is studying several watersheds for the effects of logging and other forest-management practices on water yields and quality. Roadside signs indicate the experimental areas and explain the experiments. It is advisable to stop at the office to obtain a map of the area before beginning any exploration. The 14-mile driving tour past the station continues as a loop to US 64 via the Standing Indian Campground and takes approximately 1 hour.

DIRECTIONS: From Dillard, go north on US 441 4.3 miles to Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory sign. Turn left and follow signs 2.9 miles to the parking lot.

Links:

• Read more about Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory.

 Georgia > Coastal Region > Glynn County > Brunswick

The shrimp boat experience aboard Lady Jane teaches the history and techniques of shrimping. Experience 90-minute dolphin/shrimping tours aboard a working 60-foot shrimp trawler. Charters available for special events, extended shrimping tours, diving, bottom fishing, weddings and sightseeing cruises.

Welcome aboard the Lady Jane - a United States Coast Guard certified 49-passenger steel shrimping vessel recently retired after years of loyal service to the shrimping industry. She has been painstakingly refurbished for your cruising pleasure. Lady Jane is the only shrimp vessel on the entire east coast that has been certified by the USCG to carry 49 passengers.

If you like, help the crew sort the shrimp from her catch of bonnethead , blacktip, sand shark, horseshoe crab, puffer fish, amberjack, crocker, spot, whiting, bluecrab, and skate. Want fresh shrimp to eat? Then sit back and enjoy boiled shrimp the crew has prepared. If you’re worried about bad weather, relax! Lady Jane has a big, air-conditioned cabin, restroom and large open decks with ample room for you to walk around and enjoy the views.

Why not have a picture taken with the captain at the helm of a real shrimp trawler?

Links: 

• Read more about Lady Jane Cruises.
• Find listings and profiles of over 200 other Georgia Tour in the Brown’s Guides Georgia Tours Category.

 Georgia > Coastal Region > McIntosh County > Darien

The Altamaha River is a world of wilderness and wonder. Altamaha Coastal Tours can put you in touch with it.

Experience sea kayaking adventures with Altamaha Coastal Tours in one of the most beautiful and remote areas in the southeast. Located near St. Simon’s Island and 45 minutes south of Savannah, the Altamaha River bio-reserve is a world of wilderness and natural wonder. Bottle-nosed dolphins, wild horses and thousands of sea-birds make this area a best kept secret. Trips range from kayaking through black-water swamps of cypress knees and giant old-growth forests to camping on deserted islands with white sand beaches. Come explore for a half-day excursion or get away for a multi-day adventure in what has been called a “Last Magnificent Place.” Kayak rentals and guided tours are offered year-round on the semi-tropical Georgia coast.

Links:

• Altamaha Coastal Tours
• Altamaha River
• Altamaha Riverkeeper

 Georgia > Coastal Region > Glynn County > Jekyll Island

Georgia Salt Marsh. The salt marsh, such as that found on Georgia’s coast, is the most valuable land in the world for the common good of man. Georgia and South Carolina together have about 50 percent of the salt marsh on the east coast. This Do-It-Yourself Tour gives you an up-close look at this amazing resoruce.

Seemingly barren expanses of grass and mud, at first glance salt marshes appear like wastelands. Look again. The grass fields like those along the Georgia Coast give untold benefits to nature and man. Each acre can produce 20 tons of plant matter annually, far more prolific than any agricultural rival. This biological factory feeds and shelters young shrimp, mollusks, crustaceans and fish; 75 percent of commercial seafood species spend part of their lives in the marshes. Marshes do much for humans, purifying sewage better and cheaper than any man-made facility and generating 20 percent of the world’s oxygen. (more…)

 Georgia > Coastal Region > McIntosh County > Townsend

Wood Storks at Harris Neck. Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge is one of 18 locations on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail that offers exceptional opportunities for birding and wildlife viewing.

The Colonial Coast Birding Trail will provide you with the opportunity to see and enjoy the beauty of a kaleidoscope of birds as well as glimpse the fascinating Georgia Coast, its history and its residents.

Each site along the Colonial Coast Birding Trail is unique. Many sites offer visitors the opportunity to watch birds and visit 18th and 19th century historic places. Other sites are located on lands and waters that were once part of early plantations dedicated to growing rice, indigo and cotton. So, whether you want to see a bald eagle soaring over a coastal river, an endangered wood stork feeding its gawky young, sanderlings chasing the waves on a sandy beach, or a great egret standing motionless in a placid pond, the Colonial Coast Birding Trail has something for you.