Saint Marys, GA Outdoor Activities

With help from a staff of paddleboarders, surfers, environmental scientists, and a dog named Dillon, Kayak Amelia founders Jody and Ray Hetchka combine their love for outdoor sports with environmental conservation. Ray, a certified naturalist and self-described tree hugger, peppers guided kayak, bicycle, and paddleboard eco tours with facts on flora, fauna, and all the best smells circulating throughout the island's delicate ecosystem. In addition to guided tours, Kayak Amelia teaches paddleboard and kayak lessons, and leads fishing trips and overnight kayak excursions. Guests can sign up for tours, or rent equipment for the day, at Kayak Amelia's storefront, Y.B. Green's General Store, which carries eco-friendly gifts such as beeswax candles, carved bone necklaces, and clay-dyed clothing.

Wooded areas filled with abandoned automobiles, empty houses, and overturned barrels might evoke the set of a gritty war movie, except for one detail: they’re all covered in colorful splotches. These are some of the sights on the six unique fields at GTF Paintball, which host colorful mock battles on their expansive outdoor property. Whether participants stage urban combat on The Houses, or take to The Village to engage in fast-paced rounds, they can lose themselves in settings that simulate both real-life battle and pranks played by expressionist painters. No matter what the scenario, GTF places an emphasis on safety by chronographing markers and requiring goggles in all playing areas.

For those looking for a unique watersport experience, kiteboarding combines surfing, wakeboarding, and gliding in one action-packed experience. North Florida Kiteboarding's lessons begin on the beach, where instructors will work through a dry-run of paddling, standing, falling, and maneuvering to equip patrons for the steady sloshing of waves. Patrons also practice essential skills, cresting waves with the help of a kite’s gentle tug or the daily tides. Instructors critique form during in-water sessions, sharing tips on how to handle the waves’ unexpected changes and how to properly relaunch after falling. Lessons include complimentary refreshments and sunscreen, ensuring patrons safely enjoy their fun in the sun without wearing wetsuits filled with layers of concentrated ozone. In addition to kiteboarding classes and rental services, North Florida Kiteboarding offers surfing lessons, sells landboards and water-wear gear, and coordinates summer surf camps.

The wind picks up over the St. Johns River, catching the sails of Cap'n Don Stokes's fleet of boats and propelling the vessels along the coastline, where sailing instructors point out ospreys perched in the trees as the sea stretches into the distance.

This natural revelry is thanks to The Sailboat Club, whose crew frees members from the responsibilities of boat ownership—such as maintenance, insurance, and renting slips—and grants unlimited sailing on a fleet of sailboats. Additionally, as an accredited training facility of the American Sailing Association, the club encompasses a team of instructors who teach lessons for all levels of sailors, ranging from those who just noticed wind to experienced sailors seeking a captain's license.

Waves aren't created equal—each rolls in differently than the ones preceding and following it, which explains why surfers often lie on their boards, studying the waters in anticipation of the next worthy wave. Reading the waves is one skill; popping up on the board to catch a wave is another. The instructors of Saltwater Cowgirls teach youth and adult students both skills in year-round private individual and group lessons. Students also learn basic through advanced maneuvers and board maintenance, such as what vitamins boards need for shiny coats. The staff organizes weekday and weekend surfing camps, meeting up with students directly on the beach.

From their dock on Amelia Island, Windward Sailing's US Coast Guard captains float out into the Cumberland Sound, where dolphins, manatees, and sea turtles swim alongside the boat's speeding hull. As these tours progress, the captain turns passengers' attention to the wild horses that gallop across the banks of Cumberland Island.

Though these tours introduce customers to the thrill of sailing, it's Windward Sailing's school that transforms the sport into a lifelong passion. In classrooms and on boats, instructors teach students to cruise local waters and prepare them for American Sailing Association exams. Depending on the course, instructors might teach fledgling captains to sail in light to moderate winds or navigate using nothing but constellations and the giant map NASA inscribed on the moon.