There’s Something About St. Marys
Hundreds of years ago, the Timucuan, Guale and Creek Indians saw it in the bounty of her fish and game and fertile lands. In the 1500s, French explorers saw it as a “country full of havens, rivers, and islands of such fruitfulness as cannot with tongue be expressed.” And in 1787, the British Colonial Council decided St. Marys would make a most desirable site for a city.
There’s something about St. Marys. And today, visitors are enchanted by her storybook setting on the St. Marys River. Her white picket fences and beckoning front porches. Her magnolias and wisteria. Her captivating streetscapes framed by canopies of majestic oaks draped in Spanish moss. Fragrant salt air and alluring waters. Quaint shops and charming Victorian inns. There is an unmistakable softening of life’s edges in St. Marys—an undeniable allure of history, romance and gentler people. Yet, an ever-present invitation to adventure as well.
There is something about St. Marys. Some say she’s the “jewel in the crown” of the Colonial Coast. Some speak of the intrigue of pirate lore and natural treasures that abound in and around her riverfront setting. Whether it’s beauty, tranquility, romance, excitement or mystery that calls one to St. Marys, it is a siren song few resist once they’ve made the lady’s most gracious acquaintance.
Warm smiles and kind words are second nature to St. Marys’ residents and business owners. There is the true essence of the Old South in St. Marys, and visitors are enchanted by the wry humor and embracing gestures that make them feel so welcome. Subtle Southern idiosyncrasies emerge from the unassuming nature of the people. “Shut,” says a sign in a downtown bakery when they’ve closed for the day. “Dead people’s stuff for sale,” announces one unpretentious antique dealer’s wares. It has been called the “best of a small town,” and the “best of the south,” by people whose hearts have been won over by this little coastal village. Money Magazine once named it, “Best Small Boomtown in America.” The American Dream Town Advisory Board voted it “America Dream Town 2004 for Georgia.” No matter one’s reason for visiting St. Marys—history, romance, adventure, culture, nature, or just to get rewarded with a heaping helping of Southern hospitality, one thing’s for certain. Visitors may leave St. Marys, but St. Marys will never leave them. Long into the future she’ll remain in their hearts and in their minds, and it will only take the swift scent of a lone gardenia, the golden glow of a waterfront sunset, or the gentle smile of a kind stranger to bring it all back. There is just something about St. Marys.
