Cumberland Island Walking Tours (Free!)

There is so much to do on the island. The campground I stayed at was perfect. One day I went north to Plum Orchard and one day I went south to Dungeness Ruins. When we visited before we hiked a 4 mile loop that included the Dungeness ruins, the beach, and a museum. This trip I had the time to do a tour from the dock to the Dungeness ruins.

Turns out there was much more to see than just the big house. There were all sorts of buildings surrounding the mansion like a greenhouse, grape arbor, formal gardens, carriage houses, recreation building with a swimming pool and more. Most are just ruins but you get the feel for the scale.

I heard how advanced the Carnegie’s were to have DC power from their own power house and ice made by their own equipment (picture below) back in the late 1800s. They built roads, power lines, and telephone lines between the mansions on the island. This part I liked. The part where as rich people they felt they had to flaunt their wealth with the biggest mansions, plenty of Tiffany lamps, and 200+ servants while they spent their days eating and drinking was just sad. Makes me glad I was never rich!

The Carnegie’s not only built Dungeness, but built several other large houses and mansions on the island for their children and their families. The Stafford House is still privately owned but I walked past it. It’s big!

The other tour I took was of Plum Orchard which was fascinating.

Can you say opulence? Did you know Tiffany even made wall paper?

The story was that if you visited with children, they would assign a servant to watch them and you never had to see them the whole time.

Of course they had their own swimming pool and squash court and game room. I guess they didn’t just eat and drink.

To top my trip off, it’s an island. There are lots of beaches and few people. I walked for several hours on the beach without seeing anyone. What an amazing place!