Camping on Cumberland Island

"Unspoiled paradise"

We took our 3 boys (4, 7, 10) camping here for 3 nights in March of 2009.  We had a wonderful time, and I think if Mommy hadn't been ready to get back to a real bed and microwave oven, the guys could have stayed a week.  We put up our tents under huge, ancient live oak trees that are perfect for climbing and playing on.  Our camp was a 5 minute walk through oaks and over a wooden boardwalk to the Atlantic Ocean.  The beach was completely deserted while we were there.  The National Park Service, who owns and operates Cumberland Island, only allows a certain number of people on the island at a time - so you'll never find it crowded in the least.

Some considerations - I'm not sure this is the place for really young children.  There's lots of walking involved, you carry all your belongings in with you (and all your trash back out, too) and the modern convenient facilities are limited to absent.  There is one shower/restroom area for all the campsites.  Bring bug spray!  The mosquitoes were UNBELIEVABLY thick around our campsite.

But for older kids, you can't get this experience anywhere else.  The wildlife is abundant - particularly the funny little armadillos and the sneaky, thieving raccoons.  The island is also home to a fairly large population of wild horses that tend to hang around the the ruins of a Vanderbilt mansion (!) on the southern tip.  There are so few people around you feel like you have the entire island to yourself.

The only access to the island is on a daily ferry run by the NPS.  They do allow day trips onto the island, but I've never come and gone on the same day.  It requires a lot of planning to camp here and you'll need to visit the Island's website to figure out what all you need to reserve to camp here, but it's worth it if you enjoy camping with your family.