St. James Plantation

Lush trees, greenery and colorful flowers welcome you into St James Plantation, the largest gated community in the Southport area. The four golf courses are impeciably maintained and the beautiful fairways and greens are the backdrop to many of the homes within the community. St James also offers resort style amenities including 4 swimming pools, 4 fitness centers, marina, and private beach club. Discover all that St James Plantation has waiting for you today!

Thanks to the mild Carolina weather, St. James Plantation offers a vast selection of outdoor spaces and activities. Waterway Park, Woodlands Park, St. James Marina, and miles of biking and walking trails are among the areas that allow residents to commune with nature.

Outdoor enthusiasts will also appreciate the miles of pristine beach accessible at The St. James Beach Club. Not only can residents dig their toes in the sand and relax to the soothing call of the Atlantic Ocean, they can also follow the annual nesting season of Loggerhead Sea Turtles.

From May through October, sea turtles work their way on shore to find a safe place to lay their eggs. As of July 20, 2020, Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program (OISTPP) reported 83 nests. OISTPP is a non-profit, all volunteer organization whose “mission is to monitor and protect the sea turtle population that visits the Oak Island beach strand.” Once a nest has been identified, they are marked for protection and volunteers keep close guard to ensure the hatchlings are in a safe environment.

If you want to learn more about this endangered species, track the nesting data, or keep up to date on hatchlings, visit https://okiseaturtle.org/ or follow them on Facebook @Oak-Island-Sea-Turtle-Protection-Program.

St. James Plantation is a frequently recognized for their charitable work in and around the community.  Many St. James residents are ready and willing to give their time or donation to a good cause.  Since 1997, The St. James Service Club, Inc. has donated nearly two million dollars to location charities.  In addition to protecting and supporting area residents, St. James also protects the environment that makes Brunswick County such a haven.

One of the beautiful water features in Brunswick County is the Intracoastal Waterway which runs between the mainland and the south facing beaches of Brunswick County.  St. James Plantation borders the Intracoastal Waterway across from Oak Island.  The St. James Marina gives residents and boaters direct access to the waterway.  Water views can also be enjoyed by residents at Waterway Park.

Waterway Park has become the site of the St. James’ Living Shoreline project.  Founded in 2005 by resident Taylor Ryan, the group has received town funding and a partnership with UNCW’s Center for Marine Science to build, expand, and maintain an oyster shell reef to improve the water quality.  Marsh and sea grass are also part of the project to stabilize the shoreline.  To discover more about this project, contact jtaylorryan@msn.com.

If you would like to volunteer with or learn more about the St. James Service Club, visit their website at https://sjserviceclub.org/

Trips by Patty

St. James Plantation has plenty of events to keep all their residents entertained. St. James also offers day and overnight trips to points of interest outside of the area. Trips by Patty has had the pleasure of offering motor coach day trips and short overnight trips to SJP residents and their family and friends for 3 years. Visit the website and click on the St. James tab for current “on sale” trips. Trips have ranged from overnight trips to Asheville and Winston-Salem for Dale Chihuly and Georgia O”Keefe exhibits to day trip destinations like New Bern, Beaufort and Raleigh/Durham. You can also sign up for new trip announcements from the website. Through a new partnership with Savannah-based Kelly Tours, Trips by Patty can also offer reservations on longer trips, such as the upcoming Kentucky Bourbon Tour in May. Please also consider Patty as a transportation resource for chartering your own coaches or mini-buses. Contact Patty Rogers, (910) 686-7941 for more information.

* * * *

They are all people (both real and fictional) that contribute to our experiences during the Beaufort, South Carolina trip.

First, you are probably wondering about the last two, Aviles and Vest. Pedros Menendez de Aviles is best known for founding St. Augustine, Florida. Prior to that and 40 years before the colony of Jamestown, he founded Santa Elena in 1566 at Parris Island, near Beaufort. We learn about “Santa Elena: America’s Untold Story” during a tour at the Santa Elena History Center.

What about Alabama Vest? A popular belief is that he was an African-American in Macon, Georgia, who invented the kazoo around 1840, although there is no documentation to support that claim. This story and a tour of the Kazoo Museum and Factory is an option in the afternoon. You can even learn to make your own Kazoo!

The Penn Center was a retreat site for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and human rights activists in the 1960’s. We visit this during our “Journey From Slavery to Freedom” tour. This tour also focuses on the culture of the Gullah/Geechee people who have lived here for generations. We learn about their struggles, their survival and unique culture through storytelling and dance. The tour also features a stop at a regional Folk Art gallery.

Finally, we learn about why Southern writer Pat Conroy loved living in Beaufort and how this town inspired some of his great novels such as the Prince of Tides and Great Santini during our tour with Beaufort Tours. Many film locations are pointed out on this tour since Beaufort has long been a favorite of Hollywood. Forrest Gump, The Big Chill and G.I. Jane were filmed here just to name a few.

Add a beautiful waterfront, antebellum homes along with fabulous shopping and dining for a unique winter getaway. This is a 3 day/2night trip and two dates are offered. February 10-12 with a departure in St. James, Southport and Leland and March 2-4 with Leland and Wilmington departures. Enjoy reading more about this trip and register on my website at this link, https://www.tripsbypatty.com/