The 4 Most Serene Places For a Bike Ride Around Savannah
As the weather transitions into sunny spring temperatures, there’s really nothing quite like spending an afternoon outside, the sun warming your cheeks, a balmy breeze blowing through your hair, and exploring our beautiful surrounding landscape by bike. Peddle your way through some of the most picturesque settings in the region and rediscover just how lucky we are to live (or visit) in this breathtaking area.
1. Tybee Island
Cruise down Highway 80 towards Tybee Island and you’ll notice a sandy-colored path that curves with the road on your left. This trail was once a railroad track built in 1887 that transported residents and tourists to and from Tybee Island. When the highway was built in 1923, the train track was abandoned, and has since been transformed into one of the most picturesque walking and biking paths in Savannah. Ride your bike down this trail and take in the stunning views of the marsh and water, which, at some points, is on both sides of the path.
2. Palmetto Bluff
Just a short 30-minute drive from Savannah, the private enclave of Palmetto Bluff is the perfect way to spend a bike-riding afternoon in the Lowcountry. Bring your beach cruiser – or a more intense road-bike, if you prefer – and ride along the six-mile main road into the community for just $5 at the gate house. This road is long, flat and winding, covered overhead by an immense canopy of live oaks, pine trees and more, and usually unoccupied except for the occasional car or two. After your bike ride, stop in Wilson Village for a leisurely lunch at Buffalo’s, a charming restaurant overlooking the May River.
3. Wormsloe Plantation
As the oldest standing ruins in Savannah, Wormsloe Plantation is steeped in history and natural beauty and is known as one of the area’s most remarkably stunning historical sites. Colonist Noble Jones built the plantation in the 18th century as one of Georgia’s first settlers, constructing an estate whose long, wide entrance road has become one of Savannah’s signature vistas. A broad canopy of intertwining live oaks and Spanish moss weaves a green shield from the afternoon sun, providing you with a breathtaking view and a welcome shady path as you peddle along.
4. Jekyll Island
With over 25 miles of bike trails that twist and turn throughout the island, Jekyll Island is the perfect place to get lost on a bike – and somehow always find something new. Explore this idyllic destination on Georgia’s coast and marvel at the vast expanse of untouched forests and land that undulate along this special sea island. Make sure to pick up a map of the trail system at the Jekyll Island Welcome Center before you get started on your day of discovery, and plot your course so that it involves a stop for lunch and a snack too.
To find out more destinations to explore in the south, subscribe now or pick up the April/May issue of South magazine.
