Read about our stop at Fort Frederica National Monument in St. Simons Island, GA. We were heading back from our Labor Day stay in Lake Marion, SC and were looking for places to explore on the way. With our daughter and Becky’s parents, the 5 of us headed to Fort Frederica National Monument.
None of us had been to Fort Frederica before. And a colonial British fort was different than others we have visited and sounded interesting. So, we make the turn off I-95 towards St. Simons Island in the Golden Isles area of Georgia. As we crossed over the bridge to the island, we see what’s left of the Golden Ray. This cargo ship overturned in St. Simons Sound 2 years ago and is being disassembled to remove it. There is not much left of the ship that contained 4,100 vehicles and was a total loss. Over the bridge, we turn from the touristy area of the island through neighborhoods to Fort Frederica.
Fort Frederica Visitor Center
We arrive at the parking lot at almost 1:30 in the afternoon. The parking lot has plenty of open spots and we grab one under a shade tree close to the visitor center. Stopping at a visitor center first is always a good idea. They always have maps and information as well as restrooms. We hop into the visitor center to talk with some park rangers about the park.
Like other national parks, they have a junior ranger program and give our daughter their activity booklet. This is free and is a good way to keep young ones entertained. There is a small store inside and some exhibits, but we leave and will come back afterwards. We hit the restrooms, then head out the back. We decide to do the 1/2 mile self-guided walking tour to the fort ruins and back.
The Settlement
Fort Frederica was established in 1736 by General James Oglethorpe, just 3 years after founding Georgia. What is interesting about Fort Frederica National Monument is it’s not just ruins of an old fort. It combined a fort with a settlement, the British town of Frederica and you can read more at: Fort Frederica National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov). The map and the junior ranger activity booklet both show the different buildings that were in the settlement. As we head down the steps from the visitor center, we see a garden with many planters of vegetables and herbs. There is an interpretive sign which describes the gardens and the women of Frederica’s roles in the settlement.
As we leave the garden and visitor center, we head to an open field which used to contain multiple building in the settlement. There are interpretive signs along the way explaining what each building used to be. Some were residences, and others were various buildings that supported the fort. There was a fire here in 1758, and there isn’t much left above ground. But the signs are very informative and align with the junior ranger booklet as we look for the different spots.
By this time it is getting hot, so we head under a tree for some shade. Unfortunately when we did, some biting flies attacked us. They looked like horseflies that leave a mean bite. We ran back out into the Sun towards the fort.
Fort Frederica
“The Kings Magazine” is the partially intact portion of the fort remaining. It used to store gunpowder on the left and the main entrance was in the center. Small rooms were on the right used by soldiers on duty. The fort is still on a bend in the Frederica River which once provided a lookout for enemy ships. In 1740, 36 Spanish ships came from St. Augustine in Florida. A reconnaissance force of 200 men was sent in the direction of Fort Frederica. However, before they could attack the fort, the British attacked them from a wooded area east of the fort. Surprising the Spanish, and thwarting reinforcements, they retreated leaving Fort Frederica and Georgia in British control.
We walked around the fort ruins looking down the river and our daughter had to climb on the cannons. There is definitely much history here and the grounds aligned with large oak trees was pretty. We followed the junior ranger activity to more stops on the way back. The last stop took us off the main strip into some very large oak trees. They were beautiful, but unfortunately, the biting flies were really bad here. So, we ran to the last stop which told us the word to complete the activity. We then ran back toward the visitor center.
Back at the Visitor Center
By this time it was so hot, Becky’s parents were sitting in the shade near the visitor center. The weekend had been nice, but today which much hotter, especially out in the open. After finishing our junior ranger activity we headed indoors to talk to the rangers. Unlike other parks, they didn’t have a junior range badge, but they did have stickers. We think our daughter liked the stickers better anyway.
At this point, we had been here about 1.5 hours and were getting hungry. One of the rangers mentioned a BBQ restaurant in town. So, we checked out Southern Soul Barbeque near downtown. Usually there is a line out the door for this place, but we came at a good time and got a seat. We always enjoy BBQ and highly recommend it if in the area.
Summary of Fort Frederica
Fort Frederica National Monument is a nice stop for a few hours. This colonial British fort and settlement has a lot of history and is very interesting. But be better prepared than us with sunscreen and bug spray. Though not sure if it would’ve helped with the biting flies. However, the area is great for young ones with a lot of area to run around outside. For older folks, it is a lot of area to walk around outside, so be prepared. Thanks for reading about our stop at Fort Frederica National Monument!
Check out our other stops at National monuments and other NPS sites.