St. Mary's

Southern Hospitality Reigns Supreme in St. Mary’s, Georgia

By Tom Wuckovich












It doesn’t take much effort to look down from the second story balcony at Goodbread Bed and Breakfast Inn to imagine stately carriages drawn by elegant horses meandering through the wide streets of St. Mary’s, Georgia, its passengers enjoying the various pleasantries of life afforded by this quaint historic hamlet.

The inn, nestled peacefully on expansive Osborne Street in the heart of this serene village, is just two blocks from St. Mary’s picturesque waterfront, a bustling port that was the catalyst to the birth and growth of this coastal Georgia enclave. Echoes of the past are preserved throughout the inn and the town is the epitome of Southern grace and hospitality.








The past still figures prominently in the town’s future and the port continues to provide the impetus for potential prosperity. Walking history tours that begin on the corner of St. Mary’s Street and Bartlett Street, just two minutes from the waterfront park, feature 24 interpretive panels that reveal the heart and soul of St. Mary’s and an ideal way to immerse oneself in the past and colorful culture of the area.

The tour includes stories of the Timucua Indians, the original settlers in the region, stately homes and churches, the port that sparked the development of the ship building industry and also promoted the rise of rum smuggling that featured the darker side of the town, as well as notable landmarks such as the Oak Grove cemetery, the resting place for the earliest citizens of the old town, containing soldiers from the American Revolution, War of 1812 and the Civil War. Tragedies of yellow fever, malaria, and other illnesses also brought many to this final destination overlooking the St. Mary’s River and salt marshes of the coast.









Molly’s Old South Tours offers a variety of excursions, including a Fugitive, Fighters and Fudge walkabout, Murder, Mayhem, and Martinis, and Haunting Ruins and Wild Horses. Sites to visit without a guide include the Submarine Museum, General John Floyd House, Archibald Clark House, Theatre By The Trax and the small but comprehensive Cumberland Island Museum.

The Lure of Cumberland Island

A must-see trip is the Cumberland Island National Seashore Land and legacies Tour, which features a ferry trip to Cumberland Island, one of a string of barrier islands off the southeast Georgia coast managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The island ferry is the only way to reach the park and takes between one to two hours cruise. The island is a hallmark containing the ruins of founder James Oglethorpe’s hunting lodge and mansions built by Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Green’s wife and titled “Dungeness” in honor of a headland in Oglethorpe’s English county of Kent. The mansion was abandoned during the Civil War and burned in 1866. Its ruins are a sight to behold.












In 1884, Pittsburgh millionaire Thomas Carnegie and his wife Lucy, built a new estate on the property inspired by castles they had seen in Scotland. The new
manor was an icon of the privileged during the Gilded Age and included 59 rooms, an indoor pool, squash courts, a golf course and other residences for the family’s 200 servants. Three other magnificent estates, including the famed Plum Orchard, were built elsewhere on the island for some of the Carnegie children.

With the onset of the Great Depression, the homes were slowly abandoned and Dungeness sat decaying until 1959, where a fire ravage the structure leaving only skeletal remains. After the fire, the buildings and quarters have slowly reverted back to nature. The land was acquired by the National Park Service in 1972 and is now part of the Cumberland Island National Seashore.

What is left of Dungeness and the other plantations still offer a visual feast for the eyes and stand as an eerie reminder of the wealthy population the island once enjoyed. In addition to sightseeing, the park offers a plethora of activities, including overnight camping, hiking trails, biking, miles of pristine beaches and fishing. No cars are allowed on the island, but there are horses left over from a bygone era roaming the countryside. Hint: if you take the tour, avoid sitting in the back seat of the van!)











Land Based Activities

The ferry departs St. Mary’s dockside promptly at 8 a.m. and returns sharply at 5 p.m. Once back inside the town, be certain to wander the streets and take advantage of activities such as the performances at the St. Mary’s Little Theatre, where live productions carry on the storied tradition of “Enhancing lives through performing arts.” Also consider planning a visit the town during the annual Cane Grinding event, scheduled a week before Thanksgiving. This southern tradition dates back more than a century all across southern Georgia and Florida.


The cane grinding takes place the same weekend as the Pioneer Days at the Old Homestead near the east entrance of the Okefenokee Swamp. Thousands come to watch and help make batches of cane syrup and other delectable candies and sweets using antique equipment, including mule-driven grinders and large wood-fired kettles to boil the extracted cane juice into syrup.

If a bottle of this cane syrup is found at a local general store or some St. Mary’s specialty shop or roadside stand, buy one and indulge in the fruits of this old south custom.

Not more than an hour from the center of St. Mary’s is the famed Okeefenokee Swamp, known officially know as the Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The lure of the swamp swirls around tales of Bigfoot, the legendary ape man or Sasquatch, that has roamed this wilderness for generations. The Okeefenokee’s dense vegetation and secluded waterways are the perfect backdrop for these legends and has become a fixture in the local lore. It’s worth venturing into the swamp, whether to search for Sasquatch or simply to experience the natural beauty.

Lastly, what’s a trip to the Old South without some exposure to country music? The Woodbine Opry in Woodbine, Georgia, just a 30-minute drive from St. Mary’s, showcases local Grand Ole Opry themed bands that entertain guests with country music classics while mostly seniors crowd the dance floor and dance to their heart’s content. The Opry celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025 and it has no signs of slowing down. Before the night’s performances, there is usually a barbecue dinner served in the community hall with old fashioned home-style cookin’. The dinner is an affordable $10 while admission to the music extravaganza is free.


Food To Please Every Palate

Seafood and barbecue are prevalent food offerings in St. Mary’s, but there are other choices throughout the village that will please any appetite. Culinary hotspots include the Café at Cottle and Gunn, Locals Dockside seafood restaurant with a view next to none thanks to its extensive dock stretching hundreds of feet out on the waterfront.

Other notable spots include the Firefly Taco Cantina, Seagles and Cedar Oaks Café. Guests who stay at Goodbread House will marvel at the savory breakfast served up by Mardja, the proprietor (she prefers one name), who is constantly about to ensure visitors get the most out of their stay. It is said that Goodbread tourists “sleep like a baby and eat like a king.” The Victorian-themed landmark is a magnet for returning travelers who ask for the same suite every time, calling the Inn their “home away from home.”

The warm, welcoming atmosphere pervades the town where Mayor Greg Lockhart likes to boast, “Time stands still and the rhythm of life is dictated by the tides.”