Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins is a campground with cabins that are located in Folkston, Georgia, which is on the southeastern side of the state and is close to the border between Georgia and Florida. The entrance to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is located down the road to the east of the property. It is the closest campground and lodging to the wildlife refuge. The area is mostly swampland and offers water trails for paddleboats and motorboats to travel down. Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins provides 11 places for tents, five cabins of varying quality, and 19 RV spaces with additional units in development. The campground also has an open field that is often a suitable location for people to gaze at the stars during the night. The Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins are open for reservation year-round.
Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins has various locations for guests to stay, as well as a number of different types of lodging options. Guests can bring their own RVs and rent out one of the 19 RV slots, they can bring a tent and reserve one of the 11 tent spots, or they can choose to stay in one of the five cabins that are already on the property. The RV units are pull-through sites, and all of them have access to sewage, water, and 50/30/20 electrical hookups except for two.
There are several different cabins that guests can choose from, depending on what kind of stay they would like to have. All of the cabins have air conditioning and heating as well as a picnic table and fire pit. There are two basic cabins that offer a double bed, single bed, microwave, a small desk, mini-refrigerator, and towels. The basic cabins don't have their own bathrooms, but guests are able to use the bathhouse. The deluxe cabins have similar amenities as the basic cabins, but they also come with a television, full bed, bunk bed, a micro kitchen, and a private bathroom. The premier cabin comes with all of the amenities as the deluxe cabins, but pets and children under the age of 15 are not allowed inside. It has a screened porch, a deck with a charcoal grill—charcoal is not included with the price of rent—and is located near some of the walking trails.
The property also has several locations that may be interesting places to visitors for spending time. One of the most noteworthy places for guests to spend time is The Starfield. The Starfield was created for astronomers and individuals who wish to stargaze. It is an open field that offers more expansive views of the sky than most areas. Due to the fact that the property is in a relatively rural area and it is separate from the campground, there is much less light pollution, which offers stargazers a better view of the sky. There is a small store on the property that sells a variety of things like tents, sewage hookups for RVs, laundry detergent, barbeque sauce, candy, drinks, ice cream, and more.
There are a number of attractions in the area that guests can take part in while they are staying at Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins. The first and most notable one that the owners recommend to their guests is the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The area in and around the refuge is mostly swampland, so there are many different water trails that visitors can travel on with their paddleboats and motorboats. The Folkston Funnel is located near the heart of the town and doubles as a train museum as well as a station that trains can still come through.
The owners also like to recommend a few different restaurants to guests as well. One restaurant they enjoy mentioning is called Los 3 Mariachis, which is located on Main Street and serves various Mexican dishes. Another restaurant they like is called Thai Smile, which is also on Main Street and specializes in serving Thai-themed food. The third restaurant they may mention to guests is called Solomon's Porch Restaurant, where they serve breakfast all day and offer burgers and wings for lunch.
The owners of Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins, whose names are Michelle and Dale, explain that their goal for the property is to, "keep it as natural as possible." They would like to leave as many trees and local wildlife as they can untouched. The atmosphere they try to create for their guests is one that makes them feel relaxed while they are staying in nature. One thing Michelle and Dale do to try to help their guests enjoy their time at the campgrounds is they try not to bother their visitors and leave them alone to do their own thing, though the owners are happy to check in with their guests to make sure they have everything that they need and that they are enjoying themselves. Michelle explains, "If we are riding by on our golf cart and they wave at us, we will wave back. If they start talking to us, then we will stop and talk to them. We won't go out of our way to bother them." Dale, her husband, often works around the campsite, so he gets to interact with the guests more often than she does.
Events are not typically hosted at the campsites, which Michelle explains is likely because "they aren't big enough," although she also mentions that she is not opposed to guests holding small events as long as they abide by their policies.
The policies that Michelle and Dale have put into place for Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins are varied, though important to the owners. One important guideline is that there is a quiet time during the nightly hours. This is to help the other guests have an easier time winding down for the evening and have as little noise as possible throughout the campground. Quiet time starts at 10:00 in the evening and goes on until 7:00 in the morning. Another policy that is in place is that there are no late check-ins after the office closes for the day. Pets are allowed in certain parts of the property and in a few cabins. A pet fee is required for those renting a cabin, however, some cabins are not pet-friendly. It is recommended that guests ensure their rental is pet-friendly before they make reservations.
The property has received a number of reviews from people who have stayed at Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins in the past. Several of the reviews mention the quality of general cleanliness on the premises and the friendliness of the staff. One person who recently stayed at one of the cabins at Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins wrote, "It was very clean and comfortable. The campground is very quiet and well kept. There is a nice water area with fountains and fish. The employees were all helpful and friendly." The reviews also often mention the various locations on the property, like the pond. Another review reads, "So quiet and peaceful - perfect for star gazing and relaxing. Great staff and lovely scenery. The WiFi was great - I used it for two days to work with no issues at all. Lovely fish ponds where you can feed the fish. Very large and spacious pull-through sites."
Michelle and Dale purchased the property in the fall of 2016. They are not the original owners of Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins. Before they bought the campgrounds, it had been a KOA, which stands for Kampgrounds of America and means that it was part of a system of privately-owned campsites. The location has been used since the 1970s and has been a variety of things before it became Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins. It first started out as a gas station. Later it became a junkyard, and after a while, it was turned into a campground by the previous owners.
Michelle explains that they found the property when they decided that they wanted to move south. The two of them spent time looking at properties that were in the area. They wanted a campground that had something that would attract people, Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins is located outside of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. When Michelle and Dale found the property for sale, they decided to purchase it.
Michelle and Dale have made several changes since they took ownership of Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins. One of the biggest things that they added to the property was The Starfield. They removed a few of the tent locations from the open area and moved them back near the trees so there would be more shade. Two of the basic cabins were much closer to the road, so they moved them further back near the other cabins. Dale has been responsible for adding RV sites, as well as updating the current ones over the years. In the future, they plan on adding more locations for people with RVs to stay.
The owners explain that they love their job and, more specifically, enjoy meeting the people that come to stay at Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins. A number of them came from places outside of the country. Some of their guests came from far away places like the Netherlands. The owners have put up a map that is titled, "Where in the world do guests come from," where they will place a pin on parts of the world that correspond with the hometowns of those who visit the property.
28244 Georgia 121
Folkston, Georgia
United States
Campground
Michelle & Dale
