CUMBERLAND ISLAND TO BE FEATURED ON THE TRAVEL CHANNEL'S NEW "PARK SECRETS" PROGRAM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  

April 12, 2012

 

CONTACT:

Angela Wigger, St. Marys Convention & Visitors Bureau

912.882.4000, angela.wigger@stmaryswelcome.com

 

 

CUMBERLAND ISLAND TO BE FEATURED ON THE TRAVEL CHANNEL’S NEW “PARK SECRETS” PROGRAM

 

ST. MARYS, GA – The premise of the new show, “Park Secrets” is to explore and discover secrets and those less known places, spaces, and attractions on the way to national, state, and city parks across America.  Each show in the series will have a different theme and the final results for the film crews December visit to Cumberland Island will be featured on the “Private Islands” episode that will premiere on Wednesday, April 18 at 8:30pm Eastern time. 

 

The “Private Islands” episode will make the following exciting journey that you will not want to miss:

 

Most people think a private island escape is reserved only for the rich and famous, but with the right tricks, and knowledge, you can turn an island based-park into your own private getaway. We’ll start out at Bahia Honda State Park – a 524-acre uninhabited island smack-dab in the middle of the Florida Keys with pristine white beaches and a front row view for both sunrise and sunset just by turning around. After playing in the surf, we’ll chow down on some spicy southwestern hogfish at Mrs. Mac’s – a local institution since 1976. Then we’ll stay the night at the uber-luxe Little Palm Island resort – an exclusive private island get away only accessible by yacht. Get a massage, go snorkeling, and best of all, dig into Little Palm’s famously luscious key lime pie.

 

A quick jaunt from the Keys lands us in Puerto Rico, where little-known Vieques Island offers visitors 21-miles of virgin beaches and jungle. Once a US Navy bombing range, today Vieques is an unspoiled Eden where visitors can kick back and relax, or do a little exploring. We’ll go for a trek deep into the jungle and track down the secret ruins of a 19th century sugar plantation. Then we’ll head to local eatery El Quenepo and sample some deep-fried mofongo – a Puerto Rican delicacy – topped with a skillet full of fresh shrimp and lobster. Bellies full, we’ll spend the night at the nearby Hix Island House – a hidden tropical oasis resort that’s completely off the grid.

 

Back on the mainland, we’ll head north to the Georgia border and eat like a local at Angie’s Subs in Jacksonville Beach for a tall glass of super-sweet tea and a sandwich piled high with salami, sausage and bacon. Then it’s on to Cumberland Island, GA, where we’ll walk in the footsteps of the famous Carnegie family that once owned the island and made it their private retreat. After a night at the grand old Greyfield Inn – the only accommodations on this remote isle in the wilderness – we’ll explore the eerie ruins of the Carnegie’s Dungeness mansion, which burned down in the 1950s. And with any luck, we’ll run across the herd of wild horses that has free roam of island. Just don’t get too close – they bite!

 

For information on visiting Cumberland Island contact the St. Marys Welcome Center at 912.882.4000 or visit www.nps.gov/cuis.

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