One of the most interesting eco-tourism and cultural sites in the region is the Melon Bluff Nature and Heritage Preserve (2999 Islands Hwy., 912/884-5779, www.melonbluff.com [1], Sept.–May, call for further details, $3 day use, $15 riding fee).
Melon Bluff is a key part of the Colonial Birding Trail. Its 20 miles of trails, on 2,200 acres, wind through virtually every type of ecosystem in coastal Georgia, from ancient live oak stands to salt marsh to maritime forest. Melon Bluff has expanded its cultural tourism offerings, keying on the important recent discovery in the area of the earliest known artifact of the first European settlement in North America: a Spanish coin near the site of the fabled San Miguel de Gualdalpe colony.
See a fascinating display on this little-known chapter in American history upstairs (free). Melon Bluff is three miles east of I-95 off Exit 76.
Links:
[1] http://www.melonbluff.com