ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA – The A.W. Jones Heritage Center on St. Simons Island is open, providing expanded facilities and educational opportunities for visitors. Its opening represents a landmark achievement for the Coastal Georgia Historical Society which operates the center, along with the St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and the Maritime Center at the Historic Coast Guard Station.The 10,000 square-foot Heritage Center, in the St. Simons Village next to the Lighthouse Museum, was designed to complement its neighboring historic structures. It features a wraparound porch, tall windows and a variety of rooflines that create the illusion of several adjoining buildings. Its main entrance, on Beachview Drive, leads to a new, expanded museum shop. The larger shop provides a greater variety of merchandise, according to Pat Morris, executive director of the historical society.
“People love lighthouses and they’re always on the lookout for something new,” Morris says. “Now we are able to offer a greater variety of items, especially books.”
Museum visitors may purchase their admission tickets in the shop and proceed to a new and exciting exhibit entitled, The Sea Island Summit: Coastal Georgia Welcomes the World. The permanent exhibit, which fills an entire room, tells the story of the historic 1984 summit including how Sea Island was chosen as its site, the international leaders who attended, Summit accomplishments, and a fascinating look behind the scenes in preparing for and staging such an important and complex world gathering.The center’s first floor also features a variety of public spaces that are available for meetings, banquets, wedding receptions and other private gatherings. A 1,400 square-foot multipurpose room offers a stage and catering kitchen. It can accommodate 96 people for seated banquets and up to 150 people in theatre-style seating. An attractive outdoor courtyard provides additional space for functions.
The second floor includes administrative offices, a 500-volume research library and a climate-controlled, hurricane-safe vault housing the historical society’s collection of artifacts, objects and archival materials representing hundreds of years of coastal Georgia history. The collection exceeds 15,250 items including archival records, photographs, family papers, decorative items, furniture and archaeological artifacts.
The A.W. Jones Heritage Center and St. Simons Lighthouse Museum, including the lighthouse and keeper’s dwelling, are open Monday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-12. Children age 5 and under are admitted free with a parent or adult guardian.
The Maritime Center at the Historic Coast Guard Station is open Monday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Maritime Center admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-12. Children age 5 and under are admitted free with a parent or adult guardian.
Combination Tickets for admission to the A.W. Jones Heritage Center, Lighthouse Museum and the Maritime Center, are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12.
For more information about the A.W. Jones Heritage Center, St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and The Maritime at the Historic Coast Guard Station, contact the Coastal Georgia Historical Society at 912-638-4666. Or, visit them online at saintsimonslighthouse.org.
