Tuesday, April 21, 2026: We woke up to severe smoke in the area. We learned that a large fire had broken out in Brantley County, GA, about 52 miles from us. The smoke was thick and filled the air inside and out. The reports we got were that the fire was about 500 acres and about 75% contained. The winds had been very bad and shifting. Most of the morning, we tried to stay inside to avoid the smoke.
Having afternoon plans, we ate lunch early and headed toward St Simons Island. On the way down, the smoke intensified, making us question our plans for the day. Luckily when we got to the island, the smoky air was not as thick. We went to St Simmons Beachwear on a mission.
The ladies are planning a tea the first part of May, and in conversation with the ladies in the office, they came up with a theme for the tea since the date would coincide with the Kentucky Derby. It would be a Derby Tea! When we were in the store last, we had seen beach hats for women. If we wanted to make a derby hat, we had to have one to start with. Kevin found a very wide brimmed hat and was walking around the store trying to find Beth. We found each other near the back of the store at about the time a couple of ladies rounded the corner and caught him with the very large hat on his head. Of course we had to explain our project, and they loved it. First stop complete and now on to the adventure of the day.
In February, we had lunch on the island and reported we “got buzzed” at lunch. Keeping with the same analogy, today we decided to “get high”. We searched the area for helicopter tours and had no luck, but we did find High Tide Aviation offering plane tours of the islands. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 1:30. Cade Meuse, our pilot, greeted us in the lobby and led us to the plane. Cade is from Texas and was sporting some of his own UT apparel. Of course, we had to explain that we were fans of the real UT. He grinned at our opinion and stated he had been to Knoxville and likes the area.
Cade led us out to the plane he would be flying, a Cessna 172K. After a walk around and photo op, we loaded the plane and taxied toward our runway for take-off. A quick pull of the throttle and we were off the ground and headed south toward Jekyll Island. As we turned, we could see beach and St Simons Lighthouse below as well as Pier Village and the St Simons Pier. The beach looked almost empty, with the weather cooler than recent days. Completing the turn, we noted the airport and a great view of the southern tip of the island.
Approaching Jekyll Island, we saw the fishing pier on the north end, which is near the campground we recently toured. Even with the smoke in the area, the view was amazing. Driftwood Beach, residential areas near Horton Pond, Jekyll Island Golf Club, the convention center, and the beach access points were all places we had visited. Seeing the area from above was impressive. All along the coast line, we knew where we were and where we had been.
As we rounded the bottom of Jekyll Island, we could see Cumberland Island just ahead of us. For now, that is a place we have not visited but may soon. Continuing to round Jekyll, we saw the large water park and the marshlands on the west side of the island. As we passed over the main road to the island, we were able to see the Historic District and marina. After that, we followed the river bend and could make out the Horton House area from the distance.
Coming back into view of the lower west wide of St Simons Island, we had a great view of Plantation Golf Course and the marina we took the CraigCat to just a few days ago. As we were flying, Cade was pointing out the various points of interest to us along the way. Each time, we would respond that we had been there. When we passed the marina, we told him we had done the Coastal Backwater Adventure tour up the Frederica River. He was very surprised that we had done so much and that we knew a lot about the points of interest he was describing. Of course, we were still very impressed with this tour and were only about halfway through the flight.
Fort Frederica was cool to see from above, how the layout on the edge of the island provided the longest view for protection from three different approaches. The overhead view was impressive. On the CraigCat tour, we could not see that the docks along the river were extended out thousands of feet. We were below the shoreline and could not see the houses off in the distance as shown below. On the broken deck beside the dock with the longest path is where the pelicans were perched. Cade explained that these people really wanted access to the water (at $1000/foot for the dock)!
Continuing up the west side of the island, we could see how the rivers formed in the marshlands between the other islands.
Frederica Golf Club has a layout that appears to be challenging with plenty of narrow paths and water features. The next photo shows two holes from The King and Prince Golf Club. Both courses are very high-end courses with communities built around each.
On to “Cow Island” or Salt Water Cow Island as some refer. This island is home to several head of cattle whose origins are unknown. Much like the cattle on Sapelo Island, they roam the open space. There is an old barn on the east side of the island along with some other abandoned items.
Moving on to 31.313234194770885, -81.2569380110812, just east of Egg Island, we flew over a wrecked shrimp trawler. In this area, the sand bars reach far out into the waters around the islands which caused the boat run aground. This old wreck was abandoned and determined to cost too much to save. It has been there since 2020.
As we passed Little St Simons Island, Cade said there are very few residents on the island, but many people travel by boat to enjoy the beaches and view sunrise and sunset. Researching the island, we found they offer several excursions and day trips that we may explore in the future.
Entering the air space to the east of Sea Island, we could see Ocean Forest Golf Club, white sandy beaches, and huge houses in the private community. Only residents and their guests or guests staying at The Cloister at Sea Island are permitted on the private island. Exclusive for sure.
East Beach was our next spotting. This area is filled with hotels and residences with one of the largest accessed beaches on the island. Rounding back to the airport, we could see the pier, Pier Village, and the final views of our tour. Definitely worth the time and highly recommend!
High Tide Aviation tours can be booked using the link. Enjoy!! We sure did.
After the flight, we made our way back to Legacy RV Resort. Tuesday night meant bingo, our last bingo night since the schedule change to the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. Once again, we enjoyed the time hanging out and playing a game that we can carry with us and play with other friends and family.
