Definitely a cool find while I was in St. Mary's on business. While not overly huge, was…read morenonetheless pleasant and a great place to chill for a bit.

Highly recommend a Day trip to Cumberland Island, what a…read morebeautiful and magical place! The trip is awesome, you need to book the ferry in advance and there is a 15 dollars fee to enter the park, which you have to pay when picking up your ferry tickets, so be aware of if. The ferry ride was pleasant and not too long, about 40 mins, you need to pack and bring all your necessities with you to the island, so be mindful of your needs and prepare in advance. Once on the island there are multiple trails and the wild horses are everywhere in the Dungeness area. The beach is absolutely amazing, but note that in the summer time is not recommend to hike from Dungeness to Seacamp beach using the beach side itself, due to heat. Rather you should hike using the main road, which gives you plenty of viewing opportunities with the horses. Park rangers do a wonderful job stopping by and checking on visitors, offering rides and helpful direction, kudos to them. It's a wonderful day trip, plan accordingly and enjoy!

I have never been on a car ferry and now I can check that off of my list ;)…read more You drive up and get in line as you are being loaded onto the ferry in the order you lined up. Try to get in first couple of lines as the ferry is small and can fit only the first fifteen cars. We paid $8 for a truck on a Saturday.

If you're driving from Jacksonville to Amelia Island, this ferry is well worth it. It cuts about 30…read moreminutes off the drive, and the scenic views along the way are beautiful. The ferry ride itself is short--only about 10-15 minutes--and costs between $5 and $15, depending on your vehicle. It's an inexpensive, convenient, and enjoyable way to make the trip.

It was a great day on the water with the Amelia River Cruises & Charters company at the helm…read more It was my first time visiting Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach and wanted to get an overlay of the area and the river cruise seemed like the perfect thing to get an overview of the area. And I wasn't wrong! The tour lasted about 90 minutes (and it leaves promptly FYI) and takes you along the shoreline of Amelia Island - past the shrimping boats and past a Civil War era fort - before heading towards Cumberland Island National Seashore. This is where the true fun of the tour was for me. I had no idea really the history of the island and found it fascinating how the Carnegies and Rockefellers and more of the country's elite used this random Georgia seashore as their private escape. The history of both Cumberland and Amelia Islands is incredibly fascinating and the guides for both the Florida and Georgia sides respectively were well informed and personable. Plus - you'll very likely see a ton of great wildlife throughout including dolphins and wild horses and pigs. It's a great way to spend an afternoon in the area and a fabulous introduction to Cumberland Island National Seashore/Park.

Really nice boat Super friendly tour guides…read moreStunning g views of fort an horses on Cumberland Island Wonderful sunset.! Good pricing!

Pete and Jennifer of Up the Creek Expeditions are outstanding outfitters! They ensured we knew the…read moreideal time to leave St. Mary's to get to the confluence of the inter coastal and the river at peak low tide as well the correct time to leave Cumberland island on the return trip. This expert planning ensured we did not have to fight the tides in either direction! Their outstanding rental service and answering of any and all pertinent questions allowed us to reach and enjoy Cumberland island even during a government shutdown. I highly recommend their outfitting services to anyone interested in aquatic adventures or tours in the Cumberland island vicinity!

Pete took us out on the St Mary's Harbor tour. Unfortunately, we were late in the season to see…read morethe manatee and didn't get to see any dolphins. However, we had a blast paddling across to Florida and Pete is a very knowledgeable and friendly tour guide. We had a blast! We will definitely do this again! Donna and Randy from TN

Sea Base Dock is where the ferry to Cumberland Island docks at the island. The dock is wide enough…read moreto accommodate plenty of people and gear- bikes or camping gear. Once you are on land the National Parks Service has a center there that isn't currently open to the public, but where you can rent bikes for the day to help tour the island. We did this- rental is $16 per bike per day. They take your credit card info or you can pay cash. These bikes are all made for men, if you are a smaller frame woman you will struggle with this. They are hard to get on and off of- we managed to drop the seats, which made it a bit easier. The bikes- even with these problems- make it so much easier to travel around the island. Bikes are first come first serve and usually gone first thing in the morning. At the end of the day we enjoyed sitting on the porch of the center overlooking the docks. The breeze coming in was the strongest on the island, which felt great after a long hot day. This is also where we weathered a quick storm that poured rain down for a bit. The rangers are also very helpful and informative- enjoy!

Word of warning: the website says you should call and make a reservation, but I tried repeatedly at…read moredifferent times of day and could never get anyone to pick up the phone. Showing up was a bit of a gamble on my part, and while I got a ticket and a tour, larger groups should beware and should check in well ahead of time if possible. They were using what they call the "backup ferry" when I visited, but it still was not a bad ride to the island. The island is way out there, but had more working power and water than I was expecting, and even its own post office. I had some concerns that the tour would focus only on the human history and not on the nature, but I was mistaken. A trip to the research center yielded a variety of interesting artifacts and sea life, as well as a taste of a tree leaf that makes your mouth numb. Other highlights included a large eagle's nest, and the longest individual stop we had was wisely at the end, hitting the beach. Don't get me wrong, the island community and the issues it deals with legally were worth learning about as well. Our tour guide was a local whose son was running another tour right behind us. It's that kind of island. Very small community. The tour basically covered the south half of the island in four plus hours; the north half sounded interesting as well as this was just a brief overview of the place. There are a small number of options to stay overnight.

Comfortable. Fast (about 20 minutes). Lower level is air conditioned. Upper level has protection…read morefrom the sun. Plenty of life jackets. Easy access on and off. Beautiful scenery.

State of Georgia guide Mary did a great job of providing historical, entertaining facts of the…read moreisland. She was thoughtful, friendly, and safety minded. We were able to visit Hof Hammock, the lighthouse, and Nanny Goat beach. The state needs to do a better job of maintaining her business. NO air conditioning!

Saturday about 9:00 am. Fascinating adventure. I booked through the Visitors Center. $15 included…read moretour and ferry ride over and back. Our guide was professional and very knowledgeable about island nature and history. She gave us ideas for future visits and current events of the island. Can't wait to go back!

We loved the sunset cruise. We were able to view Jacksonville from a new perspective. We love…read morethe river and saw tons of dolphins.

Best experience ever! Saw some dolphins and enjoyed the sunset! Definitely recommend if you are…read morelooking for date ideas!

I'll start out by saying that this is 4 stars because of the staff, not the ship. We had a…read morefantastic cruise to Bahamas recently. We splurged on a balcony and were upgraded to an extended balcony. The room was bigger and we very much enjoyed the extra room and really took advantage of it. I didn't take pics but the bathroom was huge compared to a regular room. There was a seating area with a couch that we used for suitcases and dressing area. There was a small table with two comfortable arm chairs, a firm yet cozy, queen sized bed and more closets and storage than we needed. The cozy warm pajamas we brought were great so we never needed the fluffy robes provided with the room. The staff really were the stand outs. Virtually anything we asked for we were given. There are so many fantastic opportunities on board for fun, it's difficult to do them all. We most enjoyed the singing duo Thalia and Mike while sitting in the atrium bar. Check them out on the web. We enjoyed all the meals with the stand out being the Chef's Table experience. Really was expertly organized, with the meal so fantastic, it surpasses my ability to put into words. The chef and his staff were absolutely stellar. There were hits and slight misses for us, but overall, a meal to remember. The pork belly may have been my favorite course. The entire experience far surpassed the extra cost. Looking back, I've spent much more for far less. Just seeing all the chefs and staff needed to orchestrate one very special night for their guests and their sincere willingness to knock your socks off will be something I'll never forget. The room service breakfast sandwich was also memorable. I've never ever. EVER. had so much bacon on a sandwich. The egg was herby, fluffy and flavorful. Enough sandwich for two! The Szechuan shrimp from the main dining room was probably our favorite dish / meal outside of the chef's table experience. I had ordered the lamb bolognese, which was a standout on its own, but that shrimp! Really for a meal prepared for so many people at once, never did I think my plate was ordinary. . Our steward was absolutely fantastic and went far above and beyond making this trip extraordinary. Elation is not without her downfalls. She has ONE small pool and it's very sad. She's rusty and WAY overdue for drydock but for the value it hits the mark and the staff made it a VERY memorable trip.

I love this port so much i love it so much so clean and organized big and beautiful amazing it is…read moreincredible! Very organized and fun and beautiful and awesome! I appreciate the staff so much thank you so much for everything! From Lauren

Beautiful and unique experience. Where else can you see crumbling ruins from the gilded age, the…read morebeach, and a herd of wild horses? There is something here for everyone and for people of all abilities. Most of the main part of the island is flat, including from the dock and up to the ruins (it's about 0.4 to half a mile from the dock to the ruins--and there are beach wheelchairs). There's also a main road that traverses the island from one end to the other for about 18 miles that can be traveled by bicycle. There's also an inn and multiple historical structures you can visit. You can also visit a beautiful, mostly empty beach! I got off at the first stop, which is the most challenging stop, meaning I had to climb over sand dunes to get to the beach. It was QUITE the workout and exhausting (I felt it for days after). Someone told me that the second ferry stop is a much easier, more direct path to the beach. This was a wonderful, serene location. I saw several groups of horses along my hike. The greenery is beautiful. I wouldn't mind coming back and setting up camp (permit required) so I can travel the whole island on bike and by foot. Spending more time on the tranquil beach. I wouldn't spend time at the end, as it's 900-1000 dollars or more per night with a two night minimum. If you're looking to visit the island during the day, the RiverView Hotel is RIGHT THERE, essentially directly across from the ferry, and costs about 200 a night for great vintage rooms with comfy beds. Please see my reviews of the ferry and Molly's tours to build a whole itinerary. You'll never see anything else like this, anywhere else in the world probably. It's a fairly cost effective trip, with the ferry costing just over 40 bucks round trip, the inn costing about 200 a night, and the island entry fee being just a few bucks.

3 Ladies - 1 - 88 1- 86 and 1- 71! OH MY GOD, The mode of transportation on the island is HORRIBLE…read morefor the Lands and Legacies Tour. What was wrong? The owners of the transport company over- stuffed the bus to full and maximum capacity with 12 paying customers. The seating in the rear of the bus is both claustrophobic, cramped, and those sitting in the middle of the last row of 4 really could not see much. (While maximizing profits for themselves...) The tour guide, Juane, was a 10! She had so much knowledge! The Van - ZERO! We came back hurting all over! For those being a bit older count on your hips, joints, neck muscles, hurting for several days... it's awful... and, the agony of being threw around, takes away most of the enjoyment of the tour. Which is a pity, as Cumberland Island is a most beautiful and interesting place. Hint: If you still decide to go on the tour, make sure you quickly select the 3 seats just behind the driver. These are fine. The next row is marginal, the rest, read above. us 3 Ladies were in the last row! Between the rough roads and the speed the driver was doing we couldnt hear a thing. When the tour was almost over she decided to turn on a portable bluetooth speaker that was attached to the seatbelt strap in the back. That lasted for about 5 minutes. I won't be recommending this tour to any of my friends. Maybe my enemies! Hint for the National Park Service: end the contract and get a bus company providing proper transportation! And regrade the roads! Maybe some item 4 or blacktop? The tour wasn't cheap so it should have been so much better!