February 2 - 4, 2024
Cabretta Beach Weekend Adventure
Sapelo & Blackbeard Islands
Join the Georgia Conservancy under the stars, camping at the spectacular Cabretta Beach campground on Sapelo Island’s north coast. Guests of our February 2 - 4 Cabretta Beach Adventure at Sapelo Island will have the option to add a paddle trip that departs with SouthEast Adventure Outfitters from Raccoon Bluff on Sapelo Island to explore the incredibly remote Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge to the north. The paddle trip to Blackbeard is truly a rare opportunity to explore one of Georgia’s most remote and beautiful islands.
In addition to paddling Blackbeard Creek and hiking on Blackbeard Island, participants will have the opportunity to explore Cabretta Beach and enjoy a south-end tour of Sapelo Island, including the Reynolds Mansion, Sapelo Island Lighthouse, and Hog Hammock.
Sapelo Island, centrally located on Georgia's 110-mile coast, is an island in ecological transition and is awash with thousands of years of human history and present-day Geechee culture. Today, much of the island is managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and it also is home to one of the last remaining saltwater Geechee communities (Hog Hammock), the UGA Marine Sciences Institute, and the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. Just 16 miles off the coast of Sapelo is Grey’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary.
Blackbeard Island is as rich in history as it is in natural resources. This barrier island, named because its thick woods and meandering creeks provided hiding places for pirates, remains remote with access only by boat. But, for the naturalist, fisherman, or beach-lover this spot is delightful and well worth the effort to get there. Learn more about Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge.
In-kind donors and local food producers we will be enjoying during our weekend: ASW Distillery (Atlanta), and Cafe Campesino Coffee (Americus).
Join us on a Georgia Conservancy Stewardship Trip to learn more about important location-specific conservation issues, as well as statewide advocacy opportunities. Our goal is simple: Create a connection between some of Georgia’s most precious places and the people needed to protect them.
TRIP PRICE
Cabretta Weekend Camping/Tour (per person): $260 - includes: camping reservation, guided Sapelo tour, Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast/lunch/dinner, Sunday breakfast, ferry transport to/from Sapelo Island.
Blackbeard Island Paddle (Optional) - To join us on our Saturday paddle to Blackbeard Island, please you will need to rent a kayak from SouthEast Adventure Outfitters. Click here to rent your kayak.
Participants are NOT allowed to bring their own boat on the Sapelo Island Ferry.
Recommended Experience Levels: Beginner (Cabretta Camping) & Novice (Blackbeard Paddle)
*Details Are Subject To Change
REGISTER BELOW *
*Registration opens to current Georgia Conservancy donors (last 12 months at $50 and up) on December 19 at 5 PM and the General Public on December 21 at 5 PM
Learn more about Sapelo and Blackbeard Islands
Suggested Reading on Sapelo Island, Blackbeard Island and Coastal Georgia
Sapelo: People and Place on a Georgia Sea Island by Buddy Sullivan and Ben Galland
God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man: A Saltwater Geechee Talks About Life on Sapelo Island by Cornelia Walker Bailey
Portrait of and Island by Mildred Teal and John Teal
Making Gullah: A History of Sapelo Islanders, Race, and the American Imagination by Melissa L. Cooper
Sapelo's People: A Long Walk into Freedom by William S. McFeely
Gullah Geechee Heritage in the Golden Isles by Amy Lotson Roberts and Patrick J. Holliday
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Sapelo’s Geechee community endures on the island, but just barely”
Blackbeard Island: A History by Buddy Sullivan
Saving The Georgia Coast: A Political History of the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act by Paul Bolster
Coastal Nature, Coastal Culture: Environmental Histories of The Georgia Coast by Paul M. Pressley and Paul S. Sutter
Marsh, Mud and Mummichogs: An Intimate Natural History of Coastal Georgia by Evelyn B. Sherr
The World of the Salt Marsh by Charles Seabrook
Photos from past trips
The Cabretta Beach Adventure is one of our Bucket List Adventure Trips. Our Bucket List Trips are once-in-a-lifetime journeys that include adventures in the Okefenokee Wilderness, Blackbeard Island Wilderness, Cabretta Beach on Sapelo Island, Cloudland Canyon, Jekyll Island and on the Conasauga River.
Learn more about the Georgia Conservancy's Stewardship Trips Program
If you have any questions about our Stewardship Trips Program or about any upcoming trip, please contact Georgia Conservancy Stewardship Trips Director Clark Harrison at charrison@gaconservancy.org.
