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🥾 ActiveDay trip · from Savannah, GA

Tybee Island Kayak & Wormsloe Trail

An active Savannah day that uses the coastal Georgia ecosystem as its terrain — salt marsh kayaking in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge in the morning, then the Wormsloe Historic Site 5-mile trail loop in the afternoon. The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge is a 30,000-acre freshwater and salt marsh reserve on the South Carolina border, accessible by kayak from the Savannah River tributaries; the marsh channels support American alligators, bottlenose dolphins, wood storks, and roseate spoonbills. Wormsloe Historic Site is the colonial era plantation of Noble Jones (Savannah's first constable, arrived 1733 on the Anne with James Oglethorpe) — the 5-mile loop trail through the site passes the 1.5-mile tabby (crushed oyster shell concrete) entrance avenue through live oak canopy before branching into the marshland trails that cross Jones Narrows.

Day 1 — Savannah NWR salt marsh kayak (alligators, dolphins, spoonbills), Wormsloe Historic Site 5-mile loop (colonial tabby ruins, live oak avenue), return to Savannah
Day 1 — Savannah NWR — Wormsloe

Day 1 — Savannah NWR — Wormsloe

🚗 45 min driving📍 4 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Savannah, GA → Savannah National Wildlife Refuge — Kayak Launch
15 min
Savannah NWR — Salt Marsh Kayak
Savannah NWR — Salt Marsh Kayak
★ Reviews →
A guided or self-guided kayak through the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge tidal channels — a 30,000-acre network of freshwater impoundments and salt marsh where the freshwater canals (built for 19th-century rice cultivation) now provide sheltered kayaking routes. American alligators are reliably present in the impoundments; bottlenose dolphins enter the tidal channels with the tide; wood storks, roseate spoonbills, and great blue herons are year-round residents. Morning is the best wildlife activity window. Multiple outfitters in Savannah offer guided marsh tours; kayak rentals are also available from the refuge parking areas.
🍽️
Lunch
🚗
Drive
Savannah NWR → Wormsloe Historic Site
20 min
Wormsloe Historic Site — Oak Avenue Walk
Wormsloe Historic Site — Oak Avenue Walk
★ Reviews →
The 1.5-mile entrance avenue of Wormsloe Historic Site — a tunnel of Spanish moss-draped live oaks (400 trees, planted to replace the original colonial-era trees) leading to the tabby ruins of Noble Jones' 1740s fortified house. The avenue is one of the most photographed roads in the American South; the live oak canopy meets overhead completely along its length. Jones arrived in Savannah in 1733 with James Oglethorpe on the original colonization expedition; his descendants owned the property for over 200 years.
☀️
Afternoon
Wormsloe — Forest and Marsh Loop Trail
Wormsloe — Forest and Marsh Loop Trail
★ Reviews →
The 5-mile loop trail through the Wormsloe Historic Site grounds beyond the oak avenue — a trail system through coastal maritime forest and marsh edge that circles Jones Narrows and returns through the original colonial-era agricultural land. Alligators are present in the marsh sections; white-tailed deer and fox squirrels are common. The trail passes interpretive stations on colonial-era rice and indigo cultivation, the fortified house design, and the tabby construction technique (crushed oyster shell mixed with lime, sand, and water).
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Wormsloe Historic Site → Savannah, GA
10 min
🍽️ Dinner~45 min
Crystal Beer Parlor
Crystal Beer Parlor
Savannah's oldest continuously operating tavern, open since 1933 — the chicken pot pie has been on the menu since opening, the shrimp are local Georgia whites, and the onion rings are made fresh. Pressed tin ceiling, dark wood booths, no pretension. On Jones Street in the historic district.
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