Griffin Bufkin outside his restaurant
About an hour and a half down the shore from Savannah toward the Georgia-Florida state line is St Simons Island. The biggest of Georgia’s Golden Isles, St Simons is an outdoor lover’s paradise, with year round mild climate, broad sandy beaches … and some absolutely amazing BBQ.
Southern Soul Barbeque
2020 Demere Rd, St Simons Island, Georgia 31522
Locals and vacationers alike know the best bites on the island are cooked in the kitchens and smoked in the pits at Southern Soul. You’re more than welcome to add my nod of approval to the consensus. Everything I tried while chatting with co-proprietor Griffin Bufkin was a delight (as was the convo with Griffin). And the ribs were the tastiest and most tender I had during my trip (and just to be clear I had plenty of tasty and tender ribs all along that merry way) – and thus the tastiest and most tender I’ve ever had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into.
I could carry on describing the fun and folksy vibe of the place, how nice it was to be eating al fresco in the October sun, how everybody else there seemed to be grinning ear-to-ear. But best ribs ever oughta say enough, right?
I’d love to make it back to Southern Soul. For the ribs again, yes, but also for all sorts of other meaty morsels. There was talk of a pecan mortadella that unfortunately ran out before my visit but sounded like a just the sort of thing that I’d flip for.
Find out more at southernsoulbbq.com.
Beyond the Q
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To walk off your Southern Soul feast, head to the beach or schedule a round of golf. The sport is big business here, and the island boasts 99 holes. St Simons is home to a number of professional golfers as well as the host of the PGA’s annual RSM Classic. Beyond the golf, top attractions include St Simons Lighthouse, the ruins of Fort Frederica dating from the 1740s, and the site of the Bloody Marsh battle where in 1742 British troops defeated the Spanish driving them out of nearby north Florida.
To learn more about St Simons Island go to stsimonsisland.com and for info about making the most of a visit to Georgia have a look at exploregeorgia.org. For loads of help planning your trip to anywhere in the States, go to VisitTheUSA.com. And please be sure to keep an eye out for more BBQ Bound posts to come!
