US-17 · Darien to St. Marys

US-17, Georgia's old coast road, one way: from Darien and its shrimp boats the route crosses the Altamaha marshes to Brunswick, climbs the Sidney Lanier Bridge, continues south through Waverly, Woodbine and Kingsland and ends at the St. Marys waterfront. It's 67 miles of marsh and rivers, flat and with no toll. The bridge is high and exposed, so expect crosswinds, and Brunswick and Kingsland have traffic lights. It's a scenery ride, not a curvy one; hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.

Before I-95, US-17 was the road down the Georgia coast. Darien was founded in 1736 by Scottish Highlanders who called it New Inverness, and today its shrimp fleet ties up at the waterfront park on the Darien River, where the Blessing of the Fleet is held every April. South of town the route crosses the marshes and rivers of the Altamaha delta to Brunswick, where the Marshes of Glynn Overlook Park, with its covered picnic area, looks over the marsh from US-17.

Then the route climbs the Sidney Lanier Bridge, a cable-stayed span over the Brunswick River that opened in 2003 and stands 486 feet tall, and continues south through Waverly, Woodbine and Kingsland to the waterfront at St. Marys. It's a one-way ride of 67 miles, flat, with no toll, and it's scenery rather than curves. The bridge is high and exposed to crosswinds, Brunswick and Kingsland have traffic lights, and hurricane season on the coast runs from June 1 to November 30.