While visiting Little St. Simons Island, I took an early
morning ride on horseback. As the sun rose, beams of light pierced the Cypress trees and the
hanging Spanish moss. I rode through bright meadows and past dense marshes, saw
aquatic birds peacefully fishing for their breakfast and the odd buzz of
insects sounded almost musical. Then, as I stopped on the dirt path to fully take
in a view, I saw something in the marsh that wasn’t a log. Perched high atop my
dapple grey horse, whom I had just met a half hour previously, an
alligator surfaced.
It was then I realized that I didn’t know a thing about the
relationship between alligators and horses. For example, I didn’t know if it would try to attack the
horse. Or failing that, I didn’t know if it was clever enough to scare
the horse, causing the horse to buck me off head first into the marsh. I called
to the woman who was leading the trail ride and asked her what the alligator
might do.
Just in case you were wondering, alligators and horses tend
to ignore one another. Lesson learned.
And there are hundreds of lessons to be learned at Little
St. Simons Island resort, a lodge and series of cabins on a private island/nature
reserve on Georgia’s Emerald Coast. The resort itself offers a peculiarly
wonderful mix of luxury (a gourmet chef, top shelf liquor, fireplaces) and rustic
(no televisions or phones, homespun throw pillows and quilts, wood paneling).
All in all, it adds up to the feeling of staying in your Grandfather’s fishing
cabin except with far more creature comforts, an attentive staff and
naturalists available to take you on tours. The island and its resort, which spent many
years as a private island retreat for the wealthy, have a long history, having
hosted everyone from the notorious Aaron Burr to the Nobel-Peace-Prize-winning
Jimmy Carter.
One can only access the island via boat, and once there,
everything is included. Food, liquor and all the activities including the
horseback riding, fishing, bikes, boats, sea kayaks and nature walks. The island
does employ several naturalists in residence, so whether your interest is in
birds, sea turtles, alligators, deer or any other wildlife, there’s a knowledgeable
person to help you understand what you are seeing.
Meals, which are usually gourmet versions of local cuisine,
are served family style, which is a great way to meet the fellow guests, many
of whom have been coming to the lodge for years. And it is the kind of place
that keeps drawing people back year after year.
Savannah, in all its southern gothic glory, makes a great place to visit. Just ask John Berendt. Sure it’s been a long while since he made the quirky denizens of Savannah international superstars, but thankfully the city remains a cultural labyrinth in which the history, social stratifications, art, architecture and charm of the city twists and winds itself into a fascinating knot. 
