Discover Chatham: Nature, Trails, and History
Accommodation in Chatham
Chatham offers a varied combination of river landscapes, salt marshes, maritime forest, and places of cultural and historical significance. Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on the Savannah River, a few miles from its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean.
Salt Marshes, Forests, and Trails for Active Days
Skidaway Island State Park features maritime forests and salt marshes, with opportunities to observe wildlife along its trails. The Sandpiper Trail Loop is a one-mile, largely accessible loop trail across salt marshes and tidal creeks and through maritime forest. The approximately 1.5-mile Jay Wolf Nature Trail also leads through maritime forest and salt marshes. For a longer route, McQueen’s Trail is a good choice: It is slightly more than six miles long and runs along salt marshes, tidal waters, and habitats of native wildlife. Access is exclusively at the eastern end, at the entrance to Fort Pulaski National Monument. The trail can be used for walking, running, and cycling; motorized vehicles are not permitted.
Additional trails offer other ways to spend the day. The nature trail at Oatland Island Wildlife Center is two miles long and forms a loop through maritime forest. Halfmoon Lake Trail offers a 1,000-meter walk through nature. Tom Triplett Community Park provides around 200 acres of public green space in Chatham County. The park also includes a 19-acre lake with opportunities to fish for catfish, bass, and bream, as well as a 1.5-mile loop trail for walking, jogging, and skating. L. Scott Stell Park has a one-mile paved walking path, a fitness course around a freshwater lake, an archery range, a wooded archery course, and a boat ramp for small boats without gasoline engines.
Forts, Museums, and Historic Traces
Fort Pulaski tells the story of a groundbreaking experiment in military science: The siege involved the use of rifled cannons. The fort is accessible from the parking lot and visitor center via a paved path; the exhibition rooms and casemates have ramps. Wormsloe Historic Site preserves the tabby remains of Noble Jones’s fortified house. Shuttle tours depart there every 30 minutes from the visitor center. Big Ferry Trail passes shell middens, former distillery sites, and Civil War earthworks. Tom Triplett Park is also a recognized station on the Civil War Heritage Trail.
The museums also focus on different themes. Massie Heritage Center is a publicly accessible museum of history and architecture with six galleries. The Canal Museum presents local history and culture. An exhibition at the National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force includes a reconstructed “Safe House” and a prisoner-of-war camp with artifacts donated by former prisoners of war. Tybee Light Station & Museum includes the complete Tybee Island Light Station and the Tybee Museum in Battery Garland. The Tybee Island Black History Trail documents the arrival of enslaved Africans at the Lazaretto Creek Quarantine Station.
Choose Accommodation Based on Your Desired Travel Experience
When searching for a vacation rental in Chatham, it is worth identifying your desired experiences first. For days in nature, consider trails through salt marshes and maritime forests, wildlife observation, and walks. Those more interested in history can include Fort Pulaski, Wormsloe, museums, and historic trails in their travel plans. Chatham County’s nature preserves offer views of the landscape and opportunities to observe a diverse range of wildlife. Al Bungard Conservation Area has walking trails and picnic areas; fishing is possible there from bridges, banks, kayaks, and canoes. Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens cover more than 50 acres.
When planning excursions, it is also important to consider the time of day: Whitemarsh Nature Preserve is accessible only in daylight because its trails are unlit. Chatham County also has nine boat launches and piers. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore weigh peaceful days in nature, active trail excursions, water-based experiences, and visits focused on cultural and local history.
Additional Places for Orientation
If you would like to explore the destination further, here are additional places to help plan your trip: Pooler, Savannah, Tybee Island, Port Wentworth, and Georgetown.
For the higher-level travel overview: Georgia.
More Destinations
More places within the same destination:
