St. Simons Island, Georgia is a beloved gem among the coastal treasures of the southeastern United States. It reigns as the largest barrier island of the renowned Golden Isles. With its laid-back atmosphere and coastal charm, life on St. Simons Island unfolds at a leisurely pace and beckons visitors to embrace the simple pleasures of outdoor adventures. In this post, we’re sharing everything you need to know to plan out your long weekend in St. Simons Island.
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Getting to St. Simons Island is Easy
The Golden Isles are made up of four breathtaking barrier islands off the coast of Georgia – Little St. Simons Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island & Sea Island, and the mainland connected area of Brunswick.
St. Simons Island is the largest barrier island within the Golden Isles and is roughly 18 square miles in size. While we would probably choose other beach destinations for a longer getaway, if you’re in the area or are combining a weekend in St. Simons with other nearby places, like Savannah or Jekyll Island, we think adding St. Simons to your itinerary is worth it!
Driving – Connected to Brunswick via a causeway, it is easy to drive to St. Simons Island. It is located 1.5 hours south of Savannah, an hour north of Jacksonville, and only 5 hours from Atlanta, Ga.
Flying – If driving isn’t your preferred method of travel, you can also fly into the Brunswick Golden Isles airport which is only a short 20-30 minute drive from the island.
Getting Around After Arriving – Depending on your plans and preferences, it is possible to enjoy all that St. Simons Island has to offer without a car by utilizing their extensive bike path system to get around the island (more on this later). You can also rent golf carts or a Moke to get around the island for a fun and leisurely transportation method! The Moke vehicles are especially fun with their open air design and fun color schemes.
Things to do During a Weekend in St. Simons Island
Pier Village
Located on the south side of the island, St. Simons Island Pier Village is an excellent place to start your vacation! Anchored next to the St. Simons Pier, this adorable area hosts an array of shops ranging from beachwear finds to eclectic treasures as well as stores to fill your practical needs like a pet store, bait & tackle shop, and a bike shop – not to mention a wide variety of restaurants, bars, and dessert options! You can easily spend an entire afternoon bouncing around the village! Parking at pier village is free (whoo!).
St. Simons Island Pier
One of only three piers on the Georgia coast, the St. Simons Island Pier is the perfect spot to take a sunrise or sunset stroll, watch for dolphins, or spend time fishing off the pier. Situated at the end of Pier Village, there are plenty of benches to sit and enjoy the view over the water.
Neptune Park
Located immediately next to St. Simons Island Pier & Pier Village, this oceanfront public park is the perfect place to spend some time with your travel companions! This park offers two children’s playgrounds, a public pool + splash pad, mini golf course, picnic tables and a paved walking path that connects the pier to the lighthouse along the water’s edge.
St. Simons Lighthouse & Museum
Located only a five minute walk from Pier Village, is the iconic lighthouse! You can climb to the top of the lighthouse as well as spend time enjoying the museum exhibits inside the two story Keeper’s Dwelling for a small fee. This is one of only five remaining functioning lighthouses in Georgia, so it is a must visit!
Bike Around
A great way to spend the day is exploring the island by bike! There are over 30 miles of paved bike paths along extra wide sidewalks so you can easily explore the island via bike! There are multiple bike rental shops around the island that offer day use or multi day use as well as standard bikes & electric bikes for your convenience! Use this map to create your perfect journey. We highly recommend biking on the beach during low tide! More on the beaches and the tide schedule later.
Search for Tree Spirits
Enjoy scavenger hunts? St Simon’s Island has a fun one for you to enjoy thanks to the artist Keith Jennings. Beginning in the 1980s, Keith began carving faces – later named tree spirits into some of St. Simon’s oak trees. These tree spirits are scattered around the island and hidden in plain sight for you to find during a fun afternoon spent hunting for each of them! Use this map for clues to each location!
Monthly Outdoor Craft Fair
Once a month Pier Village hosts Crafts in the Village where 70+ artisans gather in Postell Park (next to Pier Village, in front of the library) and set up a craft fair for two days. You can find local artists paintings, carvings, birdhouses, home decor items, dog treats, jewelry and so much more! Amanda purchased a spicy honey & basil pepper jelly from one of the vendors that she is obsessed with! You can check the calendar for upcoming market dates at the link above. The outdoor craft fair always takes place on a Saturday and Sunday though, so this is a must if you are spending a weekend in St. Simons!
Redfern Village
Just a short 6 minute drive, or a quick 12 minute bike ride down the road from Pier Village is Redfern Village. Located close to the midpoint of the island you will find another gathering of restaurants, clothing shops, antique stores, jewelry boutiques and more, all enclosed by live oak trees.
Beaches – Everything You Need To Know
This is one of the main reasons you are coming to spend a weekend in St. Simons Island right?
East Beach is the primary beach that runs along the southern portion of the island. Different access points have different names, but it is all technically the same beach.
Things to consider: The sand is hard packed. The water is not clear, since it is on the Atlantic side. And the tides determine if the beach is accessible or not. Don’t let any of this deter you from coming to enjoy the beach though!
The most popular access point is Coast Guard Station – here you will find a very large parking lot, plenty of restrooms, a wheelchair accessible entrance to the beach & lifeguards stationed during the summertime.
Just north of this entrance point is Gould’s Inlet with limited parking but a view of the shoreline from your car & benches to sit and enjoy the view without having to actually get on the beach (if that is more your vibe). If you do want to venture onto the beach at this point, it is really quick and simple to do so! This is an EXCELLENT sunrise viewpoint!
South of Coast Guard Station is Massengale Park where you will find a children’s playground, picnic tables, grills, restrooms and ample parking all in front of the entrance to the beach. The walk from the parking lot to the shoreline takes about five minutes and involves crossing a suspended bridge.
The beaches on St. Simons Island are dog-friendly! The rules regarding dogs on the beaches state, “Animals are prohibited on the beach from Memorial Day through Labor Day between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. From 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., dogs are allowed on the beach and do not need to be leashed, but must be in the owner’s immediate control.”
During the off-season (Labor day to Memorial Day) dogs are allowed off leash all day! Amanda loves taking her shepherd mix to the beach on St. Simons Island. During each of her visits in the off-season, she typically sees 10-20 other dogs enjoying the beach. Most often, each dog is pretty well behaved and under owner control minding their own business.
Traveller Tip – we highly recommend looking at the tide charts and planning your trip to the beach based on the LOW tide times. The beaches are flat – so there is a drastic difference with beach access during high tide and low tide.
During high tide, which happens twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon/evening, the water completely covers the sand making most beach access points inaccessible. During low tide, the beaches are totally exposed creating a vast shoreline for enjoyment and activities. Trust us, we’ve learned the hard way, the beach is way more fun during low tide. You can use this map to check the tide times and plan your day accordingly!
Where to Eat on St. Simons Island
St. Simons Island may be small, but there is no shortage of great food on the island! Below is a list of our favorite places to eat, because we know you are asking the important question of where to eat on St. Simons Island.
Palmer’s Village Cafe – located in Pier Village, this is our go-to place for breakfast or brunch! We are sure their lunch is also fab (because in our eyes they genuinely can do no wrong), but haven’t had a chance to try it yet!
We love the salmon and grits special, the traditional eggs plate, and the (massive!) french toast plates! Seriously, you’ll be sad if you don’t try Palmers. Be sure to either go early or take your patience as the lines on the weekend during peak breakfast time can get a bit long!
Southern Soul Barbecue – Honestly, this is eye-rolling good. Amanda discovered this restaurant when she attended the Brunswick Stewiblee in historic downtown Brunswick. Our favorite items on their menu are the pork plate, collard greens, Brunswick stew, hushpuppies, barbecue sliders… okay okay, we simply like it all! The mac & cheese passes the vibe check too. This is another place where you’ll be sad if you don’t try it.
This restaurant was on Diners, Drive In & Dives, BBQ Pittmasters, featured in Southern Living and many other shows and magazines for a reason y’all! *They have a dog-friendly patio, so it’s another great restaurant on St. Simons Island to visit with your pups!
Three Little Birds – Located just down the block from Pier Village is this great little gem of a restaurant meets mini market. They have a diverse variety of ready-to-go meal options that are great for busy days where you need something to quickly & easily prepare at home or take with you on a beach picnic!
If you are looking for a quick place to sit and enjoy food, they have great breakfast and lunch options! We personally love the Steak Wrap (pictured above)! They have a dog friendly patio, so another great dog friendly restaurant on St. Simons Island!
Frosty’s Griddle & Shake – Located across from Pier Village is a classic burger and shake shack that transports you back in time. Their menu is both simple and diverse, and their shakes are incredibly creamy and the perfect fix on a hot day!
Frosty’s has both indoor and outdoor seating, so it’s another great dog friendly restaurant on St. Simons Island! We loved their pimento cheeseburger, cheese fries, and Oreo milkshake!
Sandy Bottom Bagels – Authentic New York bagels all the way in St. Simons Island! This BYOB (Build Your Own Bagel) breakfast shop is delicious and the perfect choice if you’re looking for a heartier start to your day! The cream cheese is made in house, and the bagels are hand rolled and kosher. They easily rival the bagels we had during our recent weekend getaway to New York City!
Day Trips From St. Simons Island
Jekyll Island
(30ish minute drive south from St. Simons Island)
There is a vehicle entry fee to Jekyll Island that can be purchased online in advance or at the entry gate upon arrival. Jekyll Island is technically a state park, so it is very different from St. Simons Island.
Jekyll has a more nature focused feel and is less of a bustling beach town and more of a nature oasis with beautiful beaches.. We HIGHLY recommend either building enough time into your trip to visit both islands, or make a plan to return and spend time on Jekyll. Traveling with dogs? Check out our dog-friendly travel guide to Jekyll Island!
Brunswick
(15ish minute drive inland)
The place you will want to spend time is historic downtown Brunswick. It is an adorable main street with different boutiques, antique stores, restaurants, breweries and distilleries, restaurants and more! Did we mention the speakeasy?
On the first Friday of each month from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM, all of the shops on the main street stay open later. Food trucks are brought in as well as pop up artisan vendors. You can also listen to live music in the squares. The town does a fantastic job of making the monthly event a really fun environment, but it’s a great place to visit any time!
Little St. Simons
(Roughly a 20 minute drive north of the main island)
Accessible only by boat, this privately owned island has 11,000 acres of landscape to explore. In order to explore or visit this beautiful island, reservations must be made for a guided day trip or an overnight stay. Both are hosted by The Lodge.
Day trips start at $200 per person. The Lodge has a diverse list of tour options, and groups are limited to 8 or less (unless your travel group has more than 8 people in which they can make special arrangements for a private trip). If looking to stay overnight on the island, the resort is all-inclusive and intimately kept to no more than 32 guests at one time.
Sea Island
(Roughly a 15 minute drive north)
This privately owned island boasts five miles of private beachfront via the five star resort The Cloister. This exclusive destination offers a serene escape for travelers seeking relaxation and indulgence. Sea Island and its amenities are open to resort guests and club members only.
Know Before You Go
How long should I plan to stay in St. Simons? We recommend visiting St. Simons for at least a long weekend! This will give you a great taste of the island life, but leave you wanting more for your next trip. If looking for a truly relaxing vacation, then we suggest staying for a whole week and doing day trips to the places listed above!
Is St Simons Island Dog-Friendly? Short answer is yes! The beaches are dog-friendly, as touched on above and most restaurants have dog friendly patios too! Be sure to check out Island Dog located across from Pier Village for the cutest nautical themed collars, leashes, treats and more!
Is St. Simons Island Safe? From our experience, yes it is! St. Simons Island is a safe place to visit solo, with kids, for girls trips, as well as LGBTQ+ travelers! Amanda and her wife spent a few months living in the area and were pleasantly surprised at how welcoming and accepting everyone was during their stay!
If you’ve spent a weekend in St. Simons, tell us what you love about the area in the comments below!
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This is such a good selection of spots and looks PERFECT for a slow travel type of getaway! ❤️❤️
St. Simon’s looks amazing. I read about it years ago, but still haven’t made it for a visit. Do you recommend a weekend or staying longer?
St Simons Island looks amazing! Would love to take a day trip there! Renting a bike is such a great way to explore the area. The beach looks nice and the food looks so delicious!
Wow, sounds like an amazing weekend! I love the bird photos.
It’s like a mix of Savanah and Charleston almost which is so cool!
Love the Golden Isles in Georgia! We stayed in Jekyll Island many times and once on St. Simon’s Island. Excellent places to visit. Great to see this post and remember the happy times.