Cumberland Island Private History Tours

If you are looking for a personalized history of Cumberland Island with your own private guide, these are the perfect tours for you!
Choose from two-hour, half-day, or all-day options below.

Private Cumberland Island Two-Hour Tour

This tour offers a perfect snapshot of the action-packed history of the Dungeness Area for those who have limited time or energy.
Molly's Old South Tours group at Carnegies' Dungeness Mansion
Group at Carnegies’ Dungeness Mansion

On this leisurely stroll of Cumberland’s Dungeness Area, learn the tumultuous history of the island, inhabited over the last 500 years by Native Americans, Spanish, British, and Americans, as you travel down palmetto-lined trails past wild horses and expansive marshes.

Here, we explore

  • The Carnegies’ haunting Dungeness Mansio ruins
  • A 200-year-old cemetery where historic figures such as Light Horse Harry Lee are buried
  • Carnegie servants’ buildings such as the beautifully-preserved laundry, and more

Your experienced guide, who will create a fun and interactive atmosphere, will be focused exclusively on you and your group’s comfort and specific interests.

Time

12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Pricing

$50 per person (minimum $300) for up to 9 people

$40 per person for 10 or more people

Distance

About 1 mile walked with many chances to sit in the shade

This pricing does NOT include ferry tickets or park entrance fee.

Recommended ferries to book for this tour: 11:45 and 2:45.

To book, for other itineraries, or for pricing specific to your group, contact us here, call 904-735-8243, or fill out an inquiry form here.

Private Cumberland Island Half-Day Tour

This tour offers the best overall picture of Cumberland Island’s South End, covering the Dungeness Historic Area, maritime forest, and beach.
Molly's Old South Tours' private tour group posing in front of Dungeness Mansion
Private tour group in front of Dungeness Mansion

Wild horses. Elegant mansions. Unbridled nature.

On this tour, we devote the first half of our time to the island’s eventful history and the second half to its breathtaking nature.

First, enjoy a walking tour of Cumberland’s Dungeness Area to learn the tumultuous history of the island, inhabited over the last 500 years by Native Americans, Spanish, British, and Americans, as you travel down palmetto-lined trails past wild horses and expansive marshes.

Here, we explore

  • The Carnegies’ haunting Dungeness Mansion ruins
  • A 200-year-old cemetery where historic figures such as Light Horse Harry Lee are buried
  • Carnegie servants’ buildings such as the beautifully-preserved laundry, and more.

Then, we walk beneath a canopy of live oaks through Cumberland’s maritime forest to its pristine white sand beach – the longest stretch of undeveloped beach on the East Coast – where we learn about the island’s fascinating ecology and seine for fish along the shore.

Your experienced guide, who will create a fun and interactive atmosphere, will be focused exclusively on you and your group’s comfort and specific interests.

Times

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. or

12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Timings

Dungeness History Tour: 1.5 hours

Beach ecology/seining/free time: 1.5 hours

Walking: ~1 hour

Pricing

$65 per person (minimum $450) for up to 9 people

$55 per person for 10 or more people

Distance

About 2.5 miles walked with many chances to sit in the shade

This pricing does NOT include ferry tickets or park entrance fee.

To book, for other itineraries, or for pricing specific to your group, contact us here, call 904-735-8243, or fill out an inquiry form here.

Private Cumberland Island All-Day Tour

If you wish to take your time and truly immerse yourself in the history and nature of this breathtaking island, choose this customized tour!
Molly's Old South Tours group strolling in Cumberland's maritime forest
Group strolling in Cumberland’s maritime forest

On this tour, we devote the morning to the island’s eventful history and the afternoon to its breathtaking nature.

First, enter the Ice House Museum to look at and touch artifacts from the Native American era through the Gilded Age. Items such as the Carnegies’ china and intricate furniture pieces help evoke their lavish lifestyle.

Then, enjoy a walking tour of of Cumberland’s Dungeness Area where you will discover the tumultuous history of the island, inhabited over the last 500 years by Native Americans, Spanish, British, and Americans, as stroll down palmetto-lined trails past wild horses and expansive marshes.

Here, we explore

  • The Carnegies’ haunting Dungeness Mansion ruins
  • A 200-year-old cemetery where historic figures such as Light Horse Harry Lee are buried
  • Carnegie servants’ buildings such as the beautifully-preserved laundry, and more

Enter the 200-year-old Tabby House, the oldest structure on Cumberland Island, and touch tabby, an early form of concrete, which was used to build a massive early American mansion on the island.

After having lunch in the shadow of the evocative ruins, we hike a beautiful trail beneath a canopy of live oaks through Cumberland’s maritime forest, where we may spot deer, armadillos, and even horses following the same path. We end at the pristine white sand beach – the longest stretch of undeveloped beach on the East Coast – where we learn about the island’s fascinating ecology and seine for fish along the shore.

Your experienced guide, who will create a fun and interactive atmosphere, will be focused exclusively on you and your group’s comfort and specific interests.

There is no better way to fully immerse yourself in this island’s past and present through all of your senses than with this hands-on, personalized tour

Time

10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Timings

Dungeness History Tour: 2 hours

Lunch: ~.5 hour

Beach ecology/seining/free time: 2 hours

Walking: ~1 hour

Pricing

$80 per person (minimum $600) for up to 9 people

$70 per person for 10 or more people

Distance

About 2.5 miles walked with many chances to sit in the shade

Recommended ferries to book for this tour: 9:00 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.

Note: Larger groups have the option of chartering a private ferry to the island to create a more flexible schedule. Learn more here.

This pricing does NOT include ferry tickets or park entrance fee.

To book, for other itineraries, or for pricing specific to your group, contact us here, call 904-735-8243, or fill out an inquiry form here.

Horse at the Carnegies' Recreation House at Dungeness
Horse at the Carnegies’ Recreation House at Dungeness
Important Notes:
Cumberland Island Walking Tour fee does NOT include the ferry ticket or entrance to Cumberland Island National Seashore.

To book the ferry, click here.

Recommended ferries to book for this tour: 11:45 and 2:45 (when it is running from March through September).

For park entrance fee information, click here.

What to Bring to Cumberland Island:
  • Water
  • Food
  • Sunscreen
  • Good walking/hiking shoes
  • Rain gear
  • Hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Bug spray

There are two restrooms and two water fountains in the Dungeness Area.

Be aware there is NOTHING to purchase once you arrive on the island.
All of your trash is pack in, pack out.

Questions? Contact us here or call 904-735-8243.

Cancellation Policy

Customers who cancel or rebook their tour 48 hours or more before their reserved tour time will receive a full refund or may rebook to the date of their choice.

Customers will also receive a full refund or credit in case of operator cancellation due to inclement weather, such as hurricanes, or other unforeseen circumstances.

No-shows will be charged the full price.

Email mollysoldsouth@gmail.com or contact us here for cancellation and rebooking questions.

Check out our other tours such as our St. Marys Murder, Mayhem, and Martinis Walking Tour or our Fugitives, Fighters, and Fudge: St Marys Walking Tour!