Shrimp boats – Wandering Dawgs

Birthday Celebration, Boats, Alligators, and Two Rivers

July 11, 2026Posted in Celebration, Georgia, Nature, Road TripTagged Alligators, Altamaha River, birthday, boats, Coastal Georgia, Darien, Darien River, Georgia on my mind, Live Oak, Shrimp boats10 Comments

I have reached the age where I don’t have to travel to an exciting destination or have a big party to celebrate my birthday. Last year we enjoyed our anniversary celebration in Darien so much I wanted to return this year for my birthday.

We traveled south on U.S. Hwy 17 to our destination on the Darien River in Darien, Georgia. Our first stop was Mudcat Charlie’s at the Two Way Fish Camp on the Altamaha River in Brunswick. After some delicious wild Georgia shrimp for lunch we walked around the dock and looked down on an 11 1/2 foot alligator in the muddy water.

Boats at Two Way Fish Camp on the Altamaha River

Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia but did you know that Darien is Georgia’s 2nd oldest city?

Welcome to Darien, Georgia, Georgi’s second oldest city

For the next day and a half I swam in the pool, enjoyed the view of the Darien River from our deck at the hotel, watched young alligators swimming in the river, enjoyed seeing the huge Live Oaks draped with Spanish Moss as I wandered around the hotel, and ate some more delicious meals.

Live Oak

Relaxing and spending time with my husband in a beautiful setting was a perfect way to celebrate my birthday.

Every Day is a Gift

Anniversary Celebration in Darien, Georgia

August 9, 2025July 10, 2026Posted in Celebration, Georgia, Historic SitesTagged anniversary, Buc-ees, Coastal Georgia, Darien Georgia, Fort King George, Georgia on my mind, Shrimp boats31 Comments

We’ve driven through Darien many times over the years and have previously stopped there for a seafood dinner on the Darien River. We had never taken the time to explore the area so for our anniversary this year we decided to spend the night in a hotel on the Darien river.

After taking the scenic drive south on Highway 17 we checked into our room before having a delicious flounder sandwich for lunch at a popular local restaurant.

The first place we explored was the Fort King Georgie State Historic Site close to our hotel. The fort was was built by the British in 1721 at the mouth of the Altamaha River to protect the area from the Spanish and the French. Fire destroyed the fort in 1727 and the fort was decommissioned.

Reconstruction of the fort began in the 1970’s and still continues today. We toured the interesting history museum before wandering around the reconstructed fort.

The rest of the afternoon we enjoyed the pool and for a while relaxed on our balcony overlooking the river. After a delicious seafood dinner and a walk along the dock we ended the evening back on the balcony enjoying the view.

The next morning I strolled along the Darien Waterfront Park before breakfast.

On our way home we made a slight detour to visit a recently opened Buc-ees on I-95 in Brunswick. Imagine a huge gas station and a huge store with souvenirs, hot food including Texas brisket, a wall of jerky, groceries, clothes, and even fresh made fudge. It was our first ever visit to a Buc-ees. Now we can say we’ve been there, done that.