“Ye marshes, how candid and simple and nothing-withholding and free Ye publish yourselves to the sky and offer yourselves to the sea!” These lyrics make up part of an 1878 poem titled “The Marshes of Glynn,” by the renowned poet and former Confederate soldier Sidney Lanier. The poem, which pays tribute to Lanier’s beloved South, reveres the breathtaking expanse of grasslands in Glynn County, Georgia, that extend toward the mainland. The piece was part of an unfinished compilation titled, “Songs of the Marshes,” yet it succeeded in unveiling the beauty of the coastal marshes to the rest of the world.

Though the most heavily populated of the Golden Isles, St. Simons has made strides in protecting its natural history, and none have been more noteworthy than the protection of Cannon’s Point. St. Simons Land Trust acquired the 608 acres of undeveloped land in 2012. In addition to containing the island’s last intact maritime forest—a quickly diminishing habitat along the Atlantic Coast—the site also boasts the ruins of an estate home and the site of several slave quarters on which many archaeological investigations continue to take place. An exceptional day trip, Cannon’s Point is open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays for biking, hiking and picnicking.

The least populated of the Golden Isles is the privately owned Little St. Simons Island. Reachable only by boat—and only then if you have a reservation—the 10,000-acre island is virtually undeveloped, save the six cottages that form the Lodge, a modest compound that houses no more than 32 overnight guests. Little St. Simons was a family’s private retreat from 1908 until 1979. Today, the island is revered as a model for conservation. Naturalist-led excursions by foot, bike, boat, kayak or canoe treat visitors to abundant populations of rare and threatened wildlife and the serenity of fully intact natural habitats. Thanks to the island’s owners, Little St. Simons will be preserved for generations to come; in 2015, they donated a conservation easement to The Nature Conservancy on the entire island.

Georgia’s barrier islands host a number of native and migratory birds, but Little St. Simons’ rich, undisturbed ecosystem makes it ideal for birding enthusiasts. More than 330 species have been identified on the island, from spoonbills and warblers to herons and eagles. Mapped locations that include observation towers, ponds and trails, indicate the best locations for visitors to see various species. Because of Little St. Simons’ thriving bird population, it has been named an important birding area by the American Birding Conservancy; consequently, a number of avian research partners study migration patterns and rare species sightings. And you can study right alongside them.