Sapelo Island

Yesterday, we visited Sapelo Island here in Georgia and we both loved it! Sapelo Island is partly owned by the State of Georgia and partly by the Hog Hammock Community.

In order to visit the island, you have to reserve a space on the ferry and on an official tour of the island. We reserved a spot for yesterday and couldn't have picked a more beautiful day!

Here we are - happily on the boat!
Our tour guide was just great - she is also a master sweet grass basket weaver, one of six first responders on the island, and a cookbook author.

Don't you just love the color of these lichen?

We visited an old sugar mill, which now houses the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve and also the local post office.

These barn buildings were originally part of the Reynolds Mansion and now house the University of Georgia Marine Institute. How do you like that turkey fountain?!

Here the beautiful Reynolds Mansion, which was rented out for a wedding and couldn't be toured yesterday.
Happy, happy!





Those of you afraid of snakes, beware! This was the biggest rattle snake I've ever seen - luckily it was dead! Our tour guide showed it to us.
And at the very end, we had some free time at this amazing and empty beach.


A most interesting jellyfish...
and my brain turned to jelly.
And this is for all of you!!

P.S. I should mention that the entire permanent population of the island is only about 80 people anymore; 47 are members of the Hog Hammock community and the rest are scientists and state employees. You can read a little more about it here.