The Perfect Getaway Weekend

If I had a quarter for every person who asked Hubs if he was Hugh Jackson this weekend, I’d have been able to pay for our expensive seafood dinners! Seriously…I’m going to start handing out pictures with Hubs’ signature “Wolverine,” and ask people to form a line. It’s tough being married to a celebrity look-alike.


Destination: Darien, GA

Population 2,000

(Yes, all of which stopped us to chat with Wolverine)

b&b b&b1 b&b2

Darien is a quaint coastal town situated on the southern shores of the Georgia coast, tucked beneath towering oaks and thick pines. We stayed at the adorable Open Gates Bed & Breakfast, built in 1876, and housed on the historic Vernon Square (which Hubs insisted should really be called Circle). Not only was the innkeeper and chef, Zachariah Rath, a phenomenal host but he can cook a mean breakfast! The first breakfast he served us was his award-winning Sweet Stuffed Crepe Cigars, stuffed with mascarpone and cream cheese, topped in berries marinated in a rum sauce with fresh whipped cream and a sprig of mint. Amazing. Delectable. Bursting with flavor. Did I say award-winning?

breakfast 1

We spent the morning touring Sapelo Island which was a short drive and ferry boat away. The history of the island was intriguing but my favorite part was when a fellow tourist inquired whether or not there were wild horses on the island. When multiple books and movies have been made featuring wild horses on Cumberland Island, it’s easy to be confused. No, the question wasn’t funny. The answer was. JR, our tour guide for the duration, replied, “Nope. No wild horses, but we do have wild cows.”

Maybe it was just funny to me. We raise cows so the idea of wild ones running the island struck my funny bone.

tour 3 tour 4

Lunch: B & J’s steaks and seafood, highly recommended by our innkeeper and tour guide. Don’t be deceived by the appearance. Apparently people cross state lines to eat here on the weekends because the line was out the door and the wait was long but the food was great and the company was entertaining. I mean, what else can I say when we are sat with strangers and asked to sing Happy Birthday to Nanny who was celebrating her 80th birthday? Not my nanny, mind you. Good food.

An afternoon drive through Darien seemed the perfect way to acquaint ourselves with the town. It only lasted five minutes (because Darien is tiny), but we did find our next vehicle! It seats 8 and has an adorable red and white striped roof with fringe!

bike

Supper: Skippers fish camp. Ambience is a favorite local word used to describe the atmosphere of the fish camp so we had to check it out ourselves and we agree! The restaurant sits along the water and we enjoyed our meal on the back deck watching the sun set. The blackened shrimp and cheese grits was calling my name while Hubs gorged the very manly (his words ,not mine) sausage-stuffed pork chops, wrapped in bacon. The food was out. of. this. world.

shrimp

sunset1

sunset

We had the best weekend, free of kids and spent reconnecting, remembering the many reasons we fell in love. My humor. His looks. Perfection.

Seriously, if you’re looking for a quick, romantic getaway, give the Open Gates Bed & Breakfast a shot and tell them Amanda sent you.

   
   

2 comments

  1. Jackie Webster says:

    Thank you for this beautiful collection of praises for our home-town. We are so happy to share it with those who appreciate it. Thank you for joining our celebration of 80 years young with my mom Patricia Thompson Waller. With the help of our B and J friends we managed to pull off the surprise…complete with 4 of her 5 siblings present. It was equally surprising to come across a blog with this special moment mentioned. She will love reading your comments! We hope you will come back to explore …many unique places of interest in McIntosh County.

    • Amanda Wells says:

      What an awesome surprise for your mom! I was listening to how far some of the family traveled and that was quite a feat to keep the surprise party a secret. Great job! We definitely loved your town and I’m glad we “discovered” Darien. Happy birthday again to your mom! 🙂

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.