Melon Bluff Nature & Heritage Reserve
A 35-minute drive from Savannah's old world charm and historic attractions, Melon Bluff's unspoiled 2,200 acre landscape of woods, marshes and river provide miles and miles of private grassy trails abounding with wildlife. This gorgeous, pristine part of the vanishing Georgia coast offers sweeping river views, mysterious wetlands and majestic, mossed-draped, ancient oaks. Over the past several hundred years, the land has been influenced by early Native American culture, Spanish occupation, the first introduction of African culture, English settlements and a once thriving rice culture. It has also withstood the devastation of the Civil War, abandonment and subsistence farming...later contrasted to the glamour, bathtub gin and rum-running days of Prohibition. It has renewed itself after massive timbering, and now, instead of dying under asphalt and subdivision, Melon Bluff has assumed a vital new life through historic and environmental research, education and eco-tourism. 2,200 acres of sustainable forests, pine uplands, blackwater swamp, salt marsh, fields, lakes and the North Newport river all criss-crossed by 25 miles of all-season, unpaved trails suitable for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, birding and walking. Located at the heart of the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, Melon Bluff Nature and Heritage Reserve is a privately-owned, former rice and row crop plantation converted to working sustainable forestland in the 1940s. Easy, unpaved trails lead through 3,000 acres of natural and managed habitats. Perfect for a day away from everything, bring your mountain bike, hiking shoes or horse to enjoy a walk (or ride) in the woods. Parking is available at the Melon Bluff Nature Center (3 miles east of I-95 Georgia Exit 76) which also serves as the traihead for all trails. Please note that the trails are not suitable for young children under the age of 8 unless carried by an adult.
Hours: Sept 15 - May 15: Sat 9am - 4pm (Please call for special group arrangments or for enviromental education programs)
Address: 2999 Islands Highway - Midway, GA
Phone: (912) 884-5779