Long Weekend Adventure ***We saw a Manatee!***

(plus a car show, cool flowers, and some birds)

April 3-5, 2026

St. Mary’s, GA

Our school district is closed for Good Friday, so John and I decided to take a short road trip.  Last summer we planned to bring Lailia to St. Mary’s Boatyard so we could paint her.  We were unable to connect with the boatyard, though. This was a very good decision because we were able to get Lailia painted at a boatyard near our home. 

Everything we read about St. Mary’s made it seem like a cool place – it’s where the ferry to Cumberland Island departs.  The town also provides a Thanksgiving dinner for boaters.  It stuck in our heads as a place we might want to visit at some point.

We were able to get a last minute weekend reservation at a historic bed and breakfast, too.

St. Mary’s is filled with historic homes and waterfront views.  There’s a nice fountain in the park, too.

St Mary’s also hosted a huge car show on Saturday morning.  All kinds of cars – antique, custom, sports – were on display.  Three blocks of the street were barricaded off for the event which drew a variety of folks, too.

Spring is fully blooming, too, so flowers are everywhere.

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Crooked River State Park

Crooked River State Park is around 7 miles from St. Mary’s.  I had read that it’s a decent place to birdwatch, so after the car show we took a ride to the park.

We saw very few birds – but the best thing was seeing a manatee!  John spotted her first and I am so glad he saw her. 

Warning signs let us know about all the dangerous things we might encounter.

There were some indicators that the cliff had crumbled in the past (like that tree in the water by the manatee) but we didn’t see any reptiles.

Birds weren’t all that plentiful but we did see an Eastern towhee (they’re plentiful in the South but I don’t recall seeing one) and some brown headed cowbirds.

A crow carrying something flew overhead – I was able to get an okay shot of it in a tree.  I kinda wish I didn’t know it was eating a baby bird.

Twp double-crested cormorants were the only other birds we saw.  This one has a nice crook in her beak (cormorants have crooks; anhingas have straight beaks).

We’re pretty fortunate that we both like so many of the same things: small, walkable waterfront towns with good food and being outside.  Getting to spend this late spring weekend together was a reminder of how lovely it is to have a spring weekend with no agenda except being together.