SIGHTSEEING

• It cost only $3 to check out the remains of the Brits' Fort Frederica (6515 Frederica Road) at the top of the island. Built in 1736 and destroyed by fire in 1758, it was not really a fort so much as a city. Great remains, fabulous trees, very cool cannon.

• The grounds at Christ Church (6329 Frederica Road) ooze history and spirituality, and not just from two centuries' worth of tombstones under moss-laden oaks. John Wesley, who went on to found Methodism, preached under the oaks at this site in 1736, and the church that currently stands there was built in 1884 after Sherman's troops gutted its predecessor. The base is shaped like a cross, the ceiling like a hull (it was put up by shipbuilders).

• Cap'n John McCleskey's charter service is St. Simons Transit (1-912-638-5678, www.saintsomontransit.com), which operates four 40-passenger dolphin boats. Among the charter services available are Coastal Island Charter Fishing (1-888-288-5030) and Offshore Charters (1-912-270-7474).

EATING

• Get 'cued up with some dandy pulled pork at either Southern Soul Barbecue (Dermere and Frederica roads) or Sweet Mama's Barbecue (1627 Frederica Road and 1201 Ocean Blvd.).

• Everything tasted great at Barbara Jean's (214 Mallery St.), especially the best-I've-ever-had pumpkin bread and she-crab soup.

• The shrimp is tasty everywhere, but locals prefer Jekyll Island's Latitude 31 (1 Pier Road). "The best steamed shrimp on the face of the Earth," one of them said.

SHOPPING AND NIGHTLIFE

There are some tony districts on the north end along Frederica Road, including the fanciest Circle K convenience store I've ever seen. To the south, the area along and around Mallery Street called the Village includes an array of shops, often replete with Georgia Bulldogs-themed items, and some seriously hoppin' clubs when darkness falls. At the other end of the island, Ziggy Mahoney's (5501 Frederica Road) has a great vibe, both indoors and on a tree-filled patio (check out -- carefully -- the chocolate cocktail called the Raccoon).

SLEEPING

At the hoity-toity end, the Lodge at Sea Island, site of the 2004 G8 conference, is a AAA five-diamond winner. At the hoi-polloi end, there are campgrounds on Jekyll Island (www.jekyllisland.com) that get quite popular when school's out. In between, there is a wealth of hotel and condo rental options (www. explorestsimonsisland.com or www.sslife.com).

INFORMATION

For information about Brunswick & The Golden Isles of Georgia-St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island or Jekyll Island, call the Brunswick-Golden Isles Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-933-2627 or go to www.ComeCoastAwhile.com

BILL WARD