On the Road: Lighthouses

Escaping the expected cold temperatures of the city, Georgia Outdoors is heading to the coast. This week we'll be shooting for an upcoming show about historic sites in Georgia. We'll be visiting all but one of the five remaining lighthouses along the Georgia coast.

If you've ever been to Tybee Island you've seen the tall black and white Tybee Island Lighthouse but did you ever notice little Cockpur Lighthouse on your way? Cockspur Lighthouse sits in the mouth of the Savannah River's South Channel and at high tide is almost inundated with water.

Working southward, the Sapelo Island Lighthouse comes next. The lighthouse sits on southern end of Sapelo Island guiding the way through Doboy Sound to the Port of Darien, which in its heyday, was an important port for lumber and agriculture.

The St. Simon's Lighthouse is the only lighthouse in Georgia reported to be haunted. in 1888, the keeper and his assistant got into an altercation in which the assistant shot the keeper dead. People to this day report hearing footfalls on the tower stairs.

The Little Cumberland Lighthouse is the only lighthouse we will not be able to visit. The lighthouse sits on a privately held island in the St. Andrew's Sound and access to the lighthouse is not permitted. Today a large dune protects the lighthouse from the sea but also blocks the good views from the nearest public viewing area-- the water.

There was one other lighthouses in Georgia. The Amelia Island Lighthouse was originally constructed on the southern tip of Cumberland Island but it was dismantled and rebuilt on the north end of Amelia Island in 1838.