---
template: byway.jade
id: "53911"
name: Altamaha Historic Scenic Byway
distance: "17"
duration: 1 hour
description: "This Byway lets visitors explore both the rich cultural heritage and the diverse marsh ecosystems found along Georgia's coast."
contact: "**Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism**  \n 404-463-3914  \n [Send E-mail](mailto:jcannon@georgia.org )  \n\n"
path: "iq~~D~qroNo@dBa@Rc@Fk@KcA{@yAeE{AmCoD~Bu@r@uFrIeGhIoJhNlRpKrd@~WlGhHhKlOhArBnGfIlNzRtVl^pExFdA`ApAx@dFpBtCj@zA?j~@tF|WlApc@pDfC`@bEjAxDlAdDxA`\\`OhErAr@j@pLpFrCrBxF|E~WvRrFlEzKtBrVdE`IjBxGxBlFrBrNlG~HtEnXhR|DdBz^hMdK`EbCdBhC~BxAfBhBjCrA`CfC~Gr@`Dh@zD^rEFrBCtEKvBs@zEwA`HaBfGSVZ~A`ExBlKhHrf@pZ`NlHdc@|WdOzE~s@hTbBXhBDzCSbd@oMnEeA`Ea@zj@sB`ELlDl@pCpAvCrBlz@~u@vKjKzAfAtA~@xAj@xCr@VRjB^p@?"
websites: 
  - url: "http://www.dot.ga.gov/travelingingeorgia/scenicroutes/Pages/Altamaha.aspx"
    name: Altamaha Historic Scenic Byway
  - url: "http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=41626"
    name: Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge
  - url: "http://www.nps.gov/fofr/"
    name: Fort Frederica National Monument
  - url: "http://www.gastateparks.org/FortKingGeorge"
    name: Fort King George Historic Site
  - url: "http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=41627"
    name: Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
  - url: "http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=41623"
    name: Wolf Island National Wildlife Refuge
designations: 
  - Georgia State Scenic Byway
states: 
  - GA
ll: 
  - -81.36495999999994
  - 31.45509900000002
bounds: 
  - - -81.46089899999998
    - 31.307020000000136
  - - -81.36354099999994
    - 31.46268100000009

---

<p>The Altamaha Historic Scenic Byway displays a collage of history; from Guale Indians and 16th and 17th century Spanish missionaries to the pre-colonial occupation of Fort King George; from hardy Scottish Highland soldiers and colonists to the rice and cotton planters who succeeded them. Descendants of early African slaves who built the nineteenth-century plantations live in the area today, contributing their culture and traditions to life in communities scattered along the byway. The Geechee community still survives on Sapelo Island and descendants of the 177 Scottish Highlanders who first settled Darien are scattered throughout McIntosh County. Enhanced by the archaeological remnants of a long ago era, this byway adds a rich cultural and historical note to the ecological beauty found in the present.</p>
