multi-day
Commitment
intermediate
Fitness level
sapelo island
Location
What to Expect
Join the Georgia Conservancy for a weekend on Sapelo Island that combines natural beauty, outdoor recreation, African-American cultural heritage, and service work.
During the weekend of September 18-20, we will host our annual Sapelo Island Service Weekend with our partners at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, University of Georgia Marine Institute, and Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society.
Guests will be staying at research dorms at the UGA Marine Institute (UGAMI). Thanks, UGA!
The Schedule
Friday: Arrival and ferry ride
Meet at the Sapelo Island Ferry dock in Meridian on Friday afternoon. Arrive on Sapelo Island via ferry for afternoon and evening explorations, a group dinner at UGAMI, and presentations from Georgia Conservancy staff and visitors.
Saturday: Giving back to Sapelo
Service work includes projects at UGAMI, the Hogg Hummock community, and the Georgia State Parks’ Reynolds Mansion. The afternoon includes relaxation at Nanny Goat Beach and an optional nature hike. Our evening will include an ASW Distillery happy hour and a low-country boil at UGAMI.
Sunday: Sunrise beach sweep
After an optional sunrise beach sweep at Nanny Goat Beach, we’ll take a guided tour of Sapelo Island’s South End before departing Sapelo Island in the afternoon.
Featuring:
Plan your trip
The Details
Arrival Time
Please arrive at the Sapelo Island Ferry at the Sapelo Island Visitors Center NO LATER THAN 2:45pm EST on Friday, September 18. The ferry departs at 3:30 on the dot and will not wait!
Look for Georgia Conservancy staff.
What Should I Pack?
You will be sent a suggested packing list a few weeks out from the trip, along with any updates a few days out.
Is This Family Friendly?
This is an intermediate fitness level trip, so while we welcome teens and their parents, young children don’t do well.
What's The Deal With Meals?
We will feed you well! The Georgia Conservancy will provide all meals for the duration of the trip. During registration, please mention and allergies and/or dietary restrictions so that we can accommodate you. We will provide you with our menus for the weekend during our pre-trip emails.
Register For This Trip
Learn More About Sapelo & Blackbeard Islands
Suggested Reading on Sapelo Island, Blackbeard Island and Coastal Georgia
Sapelo: People and Place on a Georgia Sea Island by Buddy Sullivan and Ben Galland
God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man: A Saltwater Geechee Talks About Life on Sapelo Island by Cornelia Walker Bailey
Portrait of and Island by Mildred Teal and John Teal
Making Gullah: A History of Sapelo Islanders, Race, and the American Imagination by Melissa L. Cooper
Sapelo’s People: A Long Walk into Freedom by William S. McFeely
Gullah Geechee Heritage in the Golden Isles by Amy Lotson Roberts and Patrick J. Holliday
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Sapelo’s Geechee community endures on the island, but just barely”
Blackbeard Island: A History by Buddy Sullivan
Saving The Georgia Coast: A Political History of the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act by Paul Bolster
Coastal Nature, Coastal Culture: Environmental Histories of The Georgia Coast by Paul M. Pressley and Paul S. Sutter
Marsh, Mud and Mummichogs: An Intimate Natural History of Coastal Georgia by Evelyn B. Sherr
The World of the Salt Marsh by Charles Seabrook
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