This place is a nice and close in hiking spot and park…read more I took my canine companions. They both loved the outing. The park is pet friendly. They even provide stations with bags etc. to make it east to be a responsible owner. There are multiple trails, all are easy level. I found that the trail markings and other signage were well above average. One extra touch I found commendable is the scenic spot picture opportunities. Yes, they have a bracket set up to position your phone for the perfect shot. The visitors center is easily accessible and staffed by friendly and knowledgeable park rangers. My only complaint is that the "Avion" trail continues to be closed. Overall, the park is a great way to spend an afternoon commuting with nature.

We adored our time here! Saw loads of fiddler crabs and the kids loved seeing the giant sloth…read moreinside! It wasn't busy when we went we passed only one family on the trail which helped the wildlife come out more. The shop has loads of cute memorabilia, toys, and snacks! Rest rooms were clean and to the side. Would absolutely recommend and return!

Had a rental car and took the short drive out of the city to do the loop. Well maintained road that…read moreprovided great wildlife and scenic marsh views. Gators, birds, plantation ruins-it's all here. Not a place to take an Uber as you'll want to be able to stop, get out and take in the sights. If you're a birder, take your binoculars. Wish I had mine!

This is such a wonderful place to view wildlife! The four mile wildlife drive is the most popular…read morearea and you can go slowly and pull over often. There is a portalet at mile marker one, which I appreciate! We've seen so many migrating birds here - most recently hundreds of ring-necked ducks and green-winged teals. On a warm day, you'll see alligators on the shore. Also within the refuge are several walking trails, a visitor center, and the lovely Kingfisher Pond. The pond has a one mile hiking trail around it and we saw so many birds! The visitor center has extremely limited hours but the rest is the reserve is open from sunrise to sunset.

Was excited to re-visit Wormsloe with their new gift shop and welcome center. They now offer ample…read moreparking equipped with EV charging stations and a gorgeous new building at the start of the Wormsloe experience with gift shop, restrooms, and a cute "porch area". Single day tickets for Historic Sites are only available to purchase on site the day you visit, not online. However, the staff is very friendly and helpful. They offer a shuttle that will take you to 1.5 miles down the picturesque drive or you can walk. Cars are not longer permitted down the drive. The shuttle does offer some interesting facts and is open air allow you to take pictures and still enjoy the outdoors! The shuttle drop-off is at the museum that is on-site. It is in MUCH need of a renovation as some of the interaction pieces are no longer working. I remember visiting in either elementary school or middle school some 20-ish years ago and I don't believe it has been touch since then. You are able to walk the grounds to visit the ruins via the trails. It is waterfront property with views into the marsh and channels off the Skidaway River. Keep in mind that mosquitos and sand gnats may be a nuisance; plan accordingly.

What a fun time and we got to spend it with our dogs. Beautiful grounds and a nice day to get our…read morewalk on. The ticket sales staff was. ERY friendly and helpful. We did not ride the shuttle, so did not get the information from their lecture. But it was still a bery nice few hours. Go check it out - it's beautiful. And a piece of history.

Lake Mayer has changed mightily since my childhood days of standing face height to the millions of…read moreducks feeding them breadcrumbs in my youth. Today, I made a visit to go to the Southeast Crab festival that they have every year. This is my second year attending. Lake Mayer has a nice pavillon that is very comfortable. They also have some very clean and well stocked and well lit bathrooms which really impressed me the most considering it is. publci space. I was grateful to dind both toilet paper, hand washing soap, and paper towels in this place. There was a park attendent nearby to serve as both the watchful security and the restocker for supplies. I will stop over to take advantage of the 3mile footpath in the future.

Amazing park to get a great peace of mind. Great for walks, picnics, and much more. Basketball…read morecourts, tennis courts, RC car track, and a walking experience out of this world. The lake is in a safe location with plenty of fish inside.

Near some botanical gardens, this separate tract of land was not particularly happening when I…read morebriefly dropped in, but it is free. A lake with a small bridge is the main attraction, with some areas around it to walk and a picnic enclosure. The highway is nearby and audible to some extent. There are some short trails, but signs caution against swimming in the water (which is true pretty much anywhere in the region given the robust reptile population).

It was a beautiful day last Friday and my youngest and I had been cooped up in the house most of…read morethe week, so for Adventure Friday, we decided to explore Chatham County Wetlands Preserve. This 494-acre wetland preserve and park is another piece of property purchased by Chatham County. They created a 20-acre lake and have planted more than 20,000 trees. This park is tucked away on Highway 17, on Chief of Love Road. Parking - When you turn off on Hwy 17, you just have to continue driving until you get to a fork in the road. I stayed to the left and then we found ourselves in a huge gravel lot where it seemed the most appropriate to park the car. Trail Description - Once I parked the car, we walked to the fork where I could see the barrier and hiking sign (I saw it on the drive in). We started there and kept to the left. It started out as a pretty well marked path, under the trees. Once you get out of the shaded part, it's just grassy. It will bring you around the lake, and it's wide open, so there is no way you would get lost. We opted to take a shortcut and cut through on the bridge. There was a man there fishing. He said some days the fish bite like crazy and other says, nothing, so just a tip to anyone who likes to go fishing. There are picnic tables and a covered picnic area in the middle by the bridge that are great spots for meal and snack breaks. There were beautiful flowers along the way and also a patch of what I think are called Cypress Trees at one end of the lake. They are pretty much dead, but I thought they were pretty to look at the cluster of them. The reflection of the trees on the sunny day was just perfect. My Fitbit clocked the portion we did as about 1 mile. Kid-Friendly - Absolutely! Very flat trail, however not paved. Unless you have a B.O.B or a jogging stroller with bike-like tires, I would just use a baby carrier. Thankful that Chatham County is very nature focused and is committed to providing green space in the area for its residents. There seemed to be another trail by the park sign, so we will have to come back to explore that portion!

Ok parking can be a bit hard, only negative…read more I love this place. The Spanish moss, vendors, soft southern grass, atmosphere, this place is what a city park should be. 5 star must see

Forsyth Park is a great open public space and offers so much!…read more There are basketball and tennis courts, a splash fountain, a wonderful enclosed playground, fields, ample amount of sidewalks, Fragrance Garden, and of course the beautiful fountain. You can often find people sunbathing on the lawns, playing frisbee or volleyball, taking a stroll, running through the park, or just simply sitting on one of the many benches enjoying the scenery. Most Saturdays you can find local vendors selling items or the Forsyth Farmers Market. A great place to source locally grown food such as veggies, meats, honey, mushrooms, pasta, breads, and so much more. There is a restaurant at the center, Collins Quarter. They have great patio seating and a great brunch spot. I would recommend getting a reservation. Other great spots are within walking distance such as The Sentient Bean for a coffee.

I love walking through this beautiful garden when I walk around Forsyth Park. The garden is always…read morewell maintained and many plants and trees in bloom. Yesterday the garden was visited by a SCAD class and their professor. It was interesting to see the plants the students chose to sketch. A young couple had their engagement photos taken on the other side of the garden. You never know what you will experience in Savannah and this garden is always a nice break from the hustle of the city. Thank you to the trustees that have saved this beauty for our beloved city.

It's very clean and safe and has beautiful columns and perfect for photos! I may look Photographer…read moreand it is very secluded -a lot of variety

A great place to unwind! Beautiful lake & trails! Please mark trails & have a map of the area!read more

Sterling Creek Park (SCP) is tucked away in the very back of a neighborhood called Sterling Creek…read morePlantation in Richmond Hill. You'll see signs to the park from Harris Trail Road when you turn in to the neighborhood. Keep going straight through the neighborhood until you get to the entrance to the park. SCP is the most unusual park that I have come across in this area, reason being that it shares space with the Police training grounds and gun range, as well as an active water treatment plant. See what I mean? That being said, I'll take trails and green space anywhere I can get it! - Background Info - There isn't too much info on this park online, but from what I could find, it seems that the city of Richmond Hill purchased this property back in 2012 with the intention of converting it into a park and the plan is to include running trails, nature trails, mountain bike paths, a fishing pond, restrooms, parking and camping. The property is about 187 acres of forests, wetlands, ponds, and grassland habitats. The most recent article I found was dated January of this year (2019) and it looks like they celebrated the opening of Phase 2 with a Relay Race. - Parking - Once you drive past the park entrance, just go straight until you get to a white-ish building. It looks like it's had better days and definitely does not look brand new. This building also has the restrooms (we didn't use them, so I don't know for sure, but the male/female signs are outside the doors) and the big space around it that seems to be the parking. - What we did - The Little One and I set out for a quick adventure, as we had to get back for her sister's event at school. We parked the car by the restrooms and behind it, you will see a large sign (the map of the park) and a trash can in the distance, by the woods, and that is where the beginning of the trail is. Now, keep in mind, don't go in the woods just yet right there, just walk alongside the fence of the water treatment plant, to the right. You will come to a dead end and there will be a well worn path into the woods which will be the only part in the forest). The path in the woods isn't very long and the day we went, it must have rained heavily there because part of the road was super muddy and there were tons of truck tracks. Once you get out of the woods and into the clearing, there is another well worn path/road that runs along the fence again of the water treatment plant. Walk down and keep walking down and don't lost hope, because you will finally get to the wetlands and ponds area. This area has more signs. I think we did parts of the yellow line and parts of the blue line (refer to pic). There is also a Youtube video that gives you a quick aerial view of the park to give you a general idea of what it is like. - My thoughts - The park is secluded, especially it being inside a neighborhood. I don't even think many of the residents of RH know about it. We saw one person along the trail, but at the same time, it was the weekday also. I read the article of the Relay Race that they held by the lake, after we walked the trail, and looking at the photos and videos posted online, I am still confused as to which lake they were running around, because it does not look anything close to the lakes and ponds we saw. I am going back to explore more when we have more time. All in all, the area is a bit confusing and I think they just need more signs at the beginning of the trail almost all the way until you pass the fencing of the water treatment plant. The presence of the water treatment plant gives you this sense that you shouldn't be there. The lake and ponds areas were my favorite part and they are clearly marked in that area, probably because it's the newest phase. I will update this review once I find the lake in the article!

I don't usually rate the works of Mother Nature less than a 4 star, but my first impression of the…read moretrail and my overall experience today wasn't enjoyable from start to finish. Onslow Island (OI) has been on my Trail Hit List for awhile now. I actually scoped OI earlier this year with my youngest, but we had to turn around that day as I did not know that the trail was only open on Wednesdays from sunrise to sundown. Yes, that's right, only open one day of the week, so plan accordingly. Today, I returned with two friends who were brave enough to come with me to check it out. And you'll see why I say brave. Read on. - Parking - OI is located in Port Wentworth on North Coastal Highway (GA-25N). Right after you cross the bridge over the Savannah River, you'll see a dirt lot. There you will find the small lot to park and the trail head. - Activity / Trail Description - OI is located within the Savannah Wildlife Refuge on the Georgia side in Port Wentworth. From the parking lot, the trail starts on a straight path to the loop portion with a cut through path in the middle (refer to pic). The trail is elevated from the rest of the vegetation and is not paved. The grass on the trail is well maintained and I know this because we encountered the landscaping guy on the way out. My reason for 3 stars is more for the pesky mosquitos, but they were part of our overall experience and too significant too ignore. The mosquitos themselves would have gotten a 1 star. They were HORRIBLE. They must have been enjoying the crisp weather as much as we were and they ALL decided to come out to play. They were so bad that we just spent our entire time dancing around and swatting. They were coating our backs. Now imagine that for 2.2 miles. Although the trail itself is nice, factories in the distance with smoke coming out of their pipes obstruct the view and made it difficult to reconnect with nature. I've read that OI is also a great place to birdwatch if that's your thing. We didn't see much today, only heard them. We saw quite a few butterflies and they say that's a loved one who has passed that is coming to visit you, so I guess that's one positive takeaway from this visit. We saw lots of cool looking plants though, super big mushrooms and a couple of pretty flowers. Other than that, it was a gorgeous day and it would have been the perfect day to enjoy a trail like this with no shade. But I guess this is Georgia, if it ain't the heat and the humidity, it's the bugs. Sigh... - What we did - When we got to the loop part, we walked to the left and walked around and went down the cut through path in the middle, so only half the loop. My Fitbit registered our walk at about 2.2 miles. - Difficulty Level - Trail, easy. Mosquitos, EXTREMELY HARD. - Heads Up - Did I mention mosquitos? Ok, end of rant. The trail info board also says that bikes are permitted, so Bikers, you're welcome to take a ride, but consider yourselves warned. Fishing is also permitted, but only from the banks adjacent to OI parking. So, needless to say, I was pretty disappointed with my experience today and it may be a one-and-done kind of trail. However, if a friend wanted to scope it out, I wouldn't say no, but I will definitely be prepared with bug spray next time.