American Roads Travel Magazine
EAGLE ISLAND ~ Far From Reality – Near Perfection
 By Leigh Cort

Time passes slowly on Eagle Island as the days unfold to the rhythm of nature.  You don’t feel the frenzy of having to create a plan of activities ~ whatever you choose becomes a passion of the moment. From listening to birds waking with a sunrise to the lapping of water against Eagle dock, the smallest of sounds becomes a special moment to savor.  Spot a playful raccoon climbing a palm frond…hold your breath when a bald eagle swoops gracefully out of his nest.  And it’s not yet breakfast!

Cruising along the Darien shrimp dock into the Darien River toward Eagle Island

Owner and Cap’n Andy Hill invites guests to Eagle Lodge who understand what it’s like to unwind without looking at a watch or Day-Timer.  This may take a day or two but eventually ‘island time’ begins to settle into everyone’s tempo. 

Cap’n Andy shares stories about his 8 islands and the awaiting eco adventures

Eagle Island touches everyone:

A lone visitor can become tuned to the quiet while painting a vibrant landscape of marsh and sky.  A couple in love can share the sweetest hour building a fire or relaxing on a porch swing.

A family can connect again with no intrusions as they toast a celebration.

A group of friends can make anything happen together as they laugh at each other’s culinary wizardry.

~OR one can do absolutely nothing.  Watch the clouds roll by. Inhale the magnificent coastal breezes.  Hear a tree’s leaves rustle.  Think about life’s joys & beauty.  Start a conversation.  Listen to someone’s personal thoughts and dreams. 

A glimpse of Eagle Island on Mayhall Creek

Anything is possible on Eagle Island.

Eagle Lodge sits proudly within its 10-acre wilderness

Arrive and step onto the dock; Andy and crew take your bags to the Lodge while you feel your cares drift toward the enormous open sky. The oyster shell path leads to a private retreat that’s “a little bit rustic – a lot of luxury”. From fine furnishings, luxe linens and spa-style bath to well-stocked gourmet kitchen and amenities to make each stay unforgettable, getting settled in the Lodge takes a few moments.

This is a vacation where you can flex your culinary muscles since there isn’t a chef to take your order. Groceries and beverages are a personal choice with optional Southern Georgia seafood, BBQ and regional specialties – meticulously arranged by Cap’n Andy. Catch a huge bounty of crab or fish and while they’re boilin’, watch for the grand eagle.

The Eagle posed patiently (11/8/08)

Courtesy of Craig Myers

Entering Eagle Lodge from the gracious and compelling wraparound porch

If you’ve never sat by a bonfire on a brisk autumn night, here is the perfect setting. Andy has thought of everything – even setting the kindling and first stack of wood inside a massive brick fire pit that only needs a match to ignite. The ensuing hours of mesmerizing fire light and sparks ascending into the night air are ripe for relaxing conversation and FUN. Even the faint hearted get into the act by gathering logs and keeping the fire blazing til dawn.

What could lure friends from their down-comforted beds quicker than the aroma of coffee in the chilly wee hours of the morning? Now it’s time to build a fire in the living room of the Lodge, watch wanna be chefs preparing a hearty breakfast, amateur and serious photographers disappearing into the island with armloads of camera equipment and tripods. It’s a wonderful day to dig into the deep freezer for Andy’s stash of frozen shrimp & fish used to bait hooks and crabtraps. With the dock only a few yards from the Lodge, it’s easy to hear a ship’s bell clanging to alert guests that ‘breakfast is served’.

Mayhall Creek is bursting with blue crab, fish and graceful dolphin

Each day on Eagle Island is whatever you want to make it. It’s invigorating and teeming with eco options whatever the season. Take a leisurely walk through the woods to the southern tip and find a hammock under the tall pines – or stay on the porch with a book and relax in the massive swing within view of the bald eagle’s nest, horseshoe pit and hot tub. Curl up and read about the Georgia marshes and history of the Guale Indians. Napping is permissible anytime of the day so that when you re-enter civilization, you’ll know that you’ve let all of your tensions lapse.

Consider a day trip to Sapelo Island, the 4^th largest of Georgia’s chain of barrier islands; although one of Georgia’s secrets, Cap’n Andy can cruise you over and introduce you to Hog Hammock, a privately owned community where most of the residents can trace their Sapelo ancestry back to the early 19^th century ~ descendants of former slaves and tenant farmers employed by the Island’s plantation owners. Nanny Goat Beach is one of the surprises for guests of Eagle Island ~ an exclusive invitation to explore a beach with nobody in sight for miles. Picnic, swim, gather shells and view the ever changing primary and secondary dunes that are home to sea turtles, sandpipers, white pelicans and plovers.

Sapelo’s Lighthouse Presides Over the Doboy Sound

Back at the Lodge, it’s anyone’s guess about whose turn it is to prepare dinner. It just might be that the prior evening’s Chef Team A hops into the hot tub while Chef Team B listens to music, lights candles, sips wine and whips up a ‘Low Country Boil’ with local shrimp, crab, potatoes, onions, corn on the cob and sausage. It’s a snap to make in one huge pot which, once again, Andy has provided for no-stress eating~

A crystalline afternoon on Eagle Island

As another day breaks, you realize that there are many more adventures in the offing. Who would want to miss Fort King George (1720’s British Outpost in Darien), The Smallest Church in America (a few miles north on the mainland visited by thousands each year) or a collection of historic landmarks dotted throughout McIntosh County? But these are for next time. 

You’ve already fallen under the spell of Eagle Island – admitting that ‘island time’ is now your time and everything else can wait. It’s a perfect day to sit and watch the stately moss-draped oaks, a scurrying raccoon drenched from swimming across from a neighboring island and the tidal creek opening its welcoming arms toward the Atlantic Ocean.

www.PrivateIslandsofGeorgia.com

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