St. Marys, Georgia

(Mr. Freezes and parades...yeah summer!)

This 4th of July all that I wanted to do was to see a parade in a small town.  Growing up in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan (practically Canada), I get nostalgic and misty eyed during the summer months, which were my absolute favorite in the North. Summertime in the UP is amazing for several reasons: 1. No snow!; 2. Many families have cabins or "camps" on lakes and rivers and even if you don't have one, there is no shortage of hospitality in the UP! Sooner or later, an invitation to a BBQ and swimming or jet skiing/boating in the river/lake is sure to come; 3. Each town has their own festival and  they are usually during different times in the summer so you can attend all of them...they usually have fireworks too; 4. and last but certainly not least PARADES. I don't think I appreciated parades until recently but, especially in a small town, they are a shining display of a community's pride and sense of togetherness that can be hard to find elsewhere.

St. Marys, Georgia did not disappoint! We arrived about 20 minutes before the start of the parade, parked along the side of Osborne Street and walked a few blocks to a shaded area along the parade route. They really went all out for their parade and it was awesome! I kept saying "I'm so glad we came here" to Ryan and he just nodded and smiled and kept his thoughts about how crazy I am to himself. After the parade, they had a street festival and if we had stayed until evening, we would have seen the fireworks show after dark.

Swinging on the porch swings by the water

Even though you may not be able to recreate my perfect small town 4th of July parade and experience, you can still visit St. Marys! While they have been hit by the recession just like everybody else, it seems as though efforts have been made to keep the immediate downtown area looking very nice. There are many well kept Victorian style houses and B&B's, restaurants and a charming park near the water with porch swings that overlook the river. We went to Captain Seagle's outdoor patio area and enjoyed a delicious shrimp basket with hush puppies and seasoned fries....the drinks were inexpensive and it was lovely to sit out there and enjoy the view.

I highly recommend taking the short (45 min-1 hr) drive from Jacksonville to St. Marys, GA to take a break and get a taste of small town life!

Walking the pier in the only red, white and blue shirt I own...thanks Bex :)