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By Morris Dye

	Wild horses roam unspoiled beaches and forests at Cumberland Island.
	The ruins of Dungeness, an 18th century mansion that burned after the Civil War, still stand ghostlike on the island.

Cumberland Island, Georgia

Once an exclusive winter retreat for members of wealthy industrialist Andrew Carnegie's extended family, this largest and southernmost of Georgia's barrier islands now largely falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. National Park Service. It manages the preserve as a seaside recreation area and an important habitat for shore birds, nesting loggerhead turtles, wild horses and other animals. Although some parts of Cumberland remain in private hands, the bulk of the island's shoreline, salt marshes, mudflats and lush maritime forests are open to the public, including more than 17 miles of uninterrupted beachfront along the island's wild Atlantic coast.

While it's possible to reach the island by kayak or small boat, most park visitors arrive via passenger ferry from the town of St. Marys, Georgia, where the National Park Service maintains a visitor center and a small museum. Restrooms, water fountains and bike rentals are the only amenities available in the National Seashore area, so beach-goers must bring all of their own food and other supplies. Near the ferry dock, visitors can tour the Ice House Museum of island history and the burned-out ruins of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie's Cumberland Island mansion. Two other grand homes built by the Carnegies still stand — George Carnegie's Plum Orchard, open for guided tours on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, and Margaret Carnegie Ricketson's Greyfield House, which has been converted into the elegant Greyfield Inn.

A campground with restrooms, cold showers and drinking water is available, along with several primitive backcountry campsites.

Information at the NPS web site or at 877-860-6787

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