Cumberland Island National Seashore Georgia

ahschneid

36 minutes ago

4 min read

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Wild horses

On 7 October 2026 we arrived at St. Mary’s Georgia to stay on base (Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay) at the Eagle’s Hammock Campground. We were there for three nights, leaving two days for site seeing. On 8 October we took the ferry to Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier island. The ferry ride from St. Mary’s was 45 minutes to the island. We arrived at 12:30pm having taken the 11:45am ferry. We decided to have our lunch before walking the island, and we had wild horses to watch while we ate. According to the Internet: The horses descend from domestic horses brought over by various owners, including 18th-century English settlers, Gilded Age estate owners (such as the Carnegie family), and 20th-century introductions like Western mustangs. Genetic mixing includes Tennessee Walkers, American Quarter Horses, Arabians, and Paso Finos.

St. Marys Georgia - 8 October 2026

St. Marys Georgia - 8 October 2026

Ferry

From the ferry enroute to Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

From the ferry enroute to Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

From the ferry enroute to Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Submarine base in the distance

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

We walked to see the Carnegie Dungeness Mansion ruins. Built in 1881 on the site of a former home belonging to Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene, this 59-room Queen Anne-style mansion was the main family estate. The Carnegies moved out in 1925, and the mansion was destroyed by a fire in 1959. Thomas Carnegie and his wife Lucy bought Dungeness for a winter retreat. It’s quite an estate for a part-time home. Carnegie Hall in NYC is named after Thomas’ brother Andrew.

After checking out the Dungeness ruins, we walked back to the Ice House which is one of the few bathroom locations. From there we walked to the ferry’s second stop. The ferry was coming back at 4:45pm and we were told to be there by 4:30pm. We had walked over 5 miles and were tired, so we got there with over an hour to spare. It was raining too. It had rained on and off all day.

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Dungeness Mansion Ruins

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Dungeness Mansion Ruins

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Tabby House - Built around 1790–1802 using tabby—a regional building material made from a mix of oyster shells, lime, sand, and water.

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Pergola

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Mercury Small Formal Gardens

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Beautiful view from back of Dungeness...

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Lots of oysters at low tide

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

This Great Blue Heron was huge at eye level...

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

We spooked it, but Steve got it in flight...

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

Cumberland Island National Seashore - 8 October 2026

On Friday the 9^th we went to the St. Marys Submarine Museum. It’s a small museum with lots of information about submarines and donations from WWII submariners. The first floor was all about diesel submarines and the second floor was about nuclear submarines. We looked through a periscope that’s set up near the exit and could a sailboat in the water see across the road. We hadn’t noticed the “pipe” sticking out of the roof before we went in, but after we had looked through the periscope we saw it. We were leaving the next day, so we were home early and had a quiet evening at home. Special security clearance is required to see submarines on base, so we did not see any of those.