​  ​​    ​Sapelo Island is carefully guarded against the encroachment of development, in a rare but encouraging twist of fortune for a small patch of land that was at various points a prize for aspiring European colonists, a pawn in the struggle between Native Americans and European settlers, a grand plantation and a refuge for captains of industry. Now most of the island is a refuge for the creatures of the marsh, forest and dunes. And for the few folks each day who are lucky enough to visit this cherished bit of paradise, it lives on in the mind as a refuge of all that’s still wild and wonderful on the Georgia coast​​​​​​​​​​.

​

A ferry provides the only transportation to Sapelo Island. The Sapelo Island lighthouse looms high in the distance. In addition to transporting tourists, island-resident children depend on it to get to school.

​

Sapelo Lighthouse charms visitors at the southernmost tip of the island. Crisply striped in red and white (a look it’s sported since 1868), the lighthouse has stood as a witness to the Civil War, hurricanes, multiple upgrades and periods of abandonment. In 1998, at 178 years old, the lighthouse received a thorough renovation and is now a well-kept and striking symbol of the many former uses of the island.