Travel and Leisure ranked the Golden Isles as #1 in the “15 Favorite Islands in the Continental U.S.” and #13 in the “25 Favorite Islands in the World”. But this isn’t new news to those of us fortunate to live here.
In fact, for centuries, property in the Golden Isles has been a desired and fought over land. Once known as the “Debatable Land”, the Golden Isles has flown under 5 different flags: Spanish, French, English, Confederate and now the United States of America. In the last century, this area began to be noticed by the wealthy and was a much desired retreat. And with its live oaks and fertile marshes it is still a sought after place.
A few weeks ago, I journeyed through middle Georgia on back roads making my way home to St. Simons Island. It was a pleasant drive through a variety of farmlands growing peaches, pecans, corn, cotton and pines before getting back to the coastal maritime forests and marshes. I noticed beach chairs strapped to the back of the car ahead of me and imagined how many families have traveled this road over the years to take their summer vacations in the Golden Isles. Many of those have been fortunate to retire or buy a second home here and others, well they just keep coming back.
The housing market here has been slow, but I suspect values will continue to go up as more and more people desire to live in this wonderful place. So don’t wait to make a move, call me and I’ll help you find your little piece of paradise in the Golden Isles.
Catherine McCrary
Cumulonimbus clouds
+ These clouds are multi-level, appearing as a fluffy tower extending high into the sky. The dark flat base you see is an accumulation of water. For this reason, they are commonly known as thunderclouds and are responsible for our frequent afternoon showers this time of year.
+ Full Sturgeon and Blue Supermoon rises at 8:35pm on August 31. A Supermoon is when the moon is closest to the earth in its orbit. It will actually appear brighter in the sky. A Blue moon is when it’s the second full moon in the same month.
+ Local Tide
Crabbing
This is a great time of year to go crabbing, so grab a net and some chicken necks and head to the shore. The most common in the Golden Isles are blue crabs. They do have large claws, so beware handling them. The best way to pick them up is by their back paddle-shaped legs which they use for swimming. You will need to have a GA recreational fishing license which you can purchase online (https://license.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com).
Make sure you only keep the ones that are 5″ long from spike to spike. The one pictured above was not a keeper!
Figs
I love eating figs. Their sweet taste brings back memories of summers past and the large fig tree at my grandmothers house. I have a small pigmy fig tree on my porch and I was thrilled that it produced delicious fruit this summer.
