Explore Live Oak Forests
Spanish moss drips from the sinewy limbs of live oak, creating an eerie overhanging canopy that shelter the lush emerald fronds of saw palmetto and Resurrection fern below. Check fern leaves for tiny green tree frogs. The frogs are less than an inch long and are particularly noisy after rain sprays the forest. Keep an eye out for the creepy, but harmless, giant banana spider. The Nightingale Trail maritime forest walk penetrates deep into a labyrinth of overhanging vines, magnolia, and cedar as the bellows of courting alligators echo throughout the forest. On the Atlantic side of Cumberland Island, the 3.5-mile Parallel Trail pushes its way north toward Stafford Beach through a forest of slash pine, longleaf, palmetto, and loblolly.

Fish the Salt Marshes
The salt marshes of Cumberland Island are abundant with nature's bounty: the warm waters are teeming with redfish, bluefish, bonito, flounder, and sea trout. Surfcasters can stand at the edge of the open Atlantic and try to land one of the sharks that chase after schools of black mullet. King mackerel and redfish are also frequently caught in the surf. Fishing is sweet from June through November, but the monster-size surf fish are reeled in from September through November. Don't be surprised if osprey show you up. These magnificent raptors dive into the sea, surfacing with an impressive catch.