Richmond Hill Convention & Visitor Bureau

South of Savannah on the banks of the Ogeechee River, Fort McAllister State Park has preserved the earthwork fortification of the Confederacy. Its campground is bordered by tidal Redbird Creek, a boat ramp, fishing dock and nature trail. A $5 parking pass or Annual Park Pass is required. You can purchase live and frozen bait from Fort McAllister Marina (Fish Tales), which is less than a mile away.

Ft. McAllister boat ramp provides access to the Ogeechee River (ramp on left before entering the park). Kilkenny Marina, also in Richmond Hill, provides access to the serene Kilkenny Creek, just off the Intracoastal Waterway. Learn more about Fishing and Eco-Tour charters in Richmond Hill.

It’s possible to catch king mackerel year-round off Tybee Island, our Savannah area beach. Beginning in spring the fishing season for mackerel gets closer to shore when they travel within reach of day fishing tours. When the ocean gets warmer, anglers can usually spot mahi mahi within the 15-mile range from Tybee Island. Inshore, spotted seatrout, black drum, and flounder are popular fish to catch, being thankful you provided for your own special dinner on the grill back at the weekend rental.

BIRDS ARE EVERYWHERE

Look and listen for birds – they’re all around you! Our area is popular for bird watching for all ages. We are along a part of the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, with 17 sites from the Bryan County area down to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Ft. McAllister State Park is on the birding trail, renowned for its scenic giant live oaks, Spanish moss, and sparkling salt marsh. Each unique birding site captures the rising and falling of the tides through the seasons and the birds that stay and come and go.

Richmond Hill J.F. Gregory Park, operated by the City of Richmond Hill, is largely defined by a 300-acre former antebellum rice field that today is a wooded wetland and home to many visiting and resident birds. A three-mile walking trail runs along the top of a dike that encompasses the field. Songbirds, wading birds, and raptors are seen all year, and migratory waterfowl in winter. Look for warblers during spring and fall migrations.

Learn more and download the Colonial Coast Birding Trail APP and find more trails here.

• Yellow is the fellow: Adult Prothonotary warbler males, best seen from April to June, have a stunning yellow head and body with greenish back and blue-gray wings. Females and chicks are slightly less colorful but still stand out.

The Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens serves as a museum of plants in a living classroom, and an impressive, historic venue. Immerse yourself in a wonderland of themed gardens including native plants, camellias, Mediterranean gardens, even the soothing Rivers of Iris Garden, where the Iris petals seem to flutter like butterflies in the breeze. Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens is operated by University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Cooperative Extension.

Registered ticket holders can enter the opened gates of select private gardens for self-guided floral discoveries in Savannah’s Landmark Historic District, the largest in the U.S. All the featured gardens are in the North of Gaston Street to Savannah River area, nicknamed NOGS, the name of this 47th annual NOGS Tour of Historic Gardens presented by the Garden Club of Savannah – April 14 and 15.

As part of the Tour, guests are invited to a Southern Tea at the Green-Meldrim House, a National Historic Landmark and one of the South’s finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture (sold out). Proceeds from the tour are donated to organizations throughout the Savannah area. Secure your Walking-Tour-Only Tickets.

If you’re a garden enthusiast, you may be familiar with this part of a popular poem engraved in signage in many gardens: