Don’t look for a swimming pool, tennis courts, or a golf course—Cumberland’s attractions are a different sort, straight out of The Prince of Tides. The inn is just a short walk from those high sand dunes and a wild, undeveloped beach. Beachcombing, swimming, shelling, fishing, and exploring the island are high on the list of activities.
No signs are left of the Native Americans who lived here beginning some 4,000 years ago, nor of the Franciscan missionaries who came to convert them during the 1500s. No ruins exist of the forts built at each end of the island by Gen. James Oglethorpe in the 1700s. What you will find as you poke around this island are the ruins of the Carnegie’s massive mansion, Dungeness; the Greene-Miller cemetery, which still holds inhabitants from Revolutionary War times through the Civil War era; and the Stafford plantation house. Down the lane a bit is Plum Orchard, another Carnegie mansion, fully furnished but unoccupied and now the property of the U.S. Park Service. Visitors can tour the home (free) when volunteer caretakers are in residence. Ask at the Sea Camp Ranger Station for details.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
