The Lovely Sleepy Town of Darien, Georgia

The town of Darien, Georgia exists in peaceful contrast to the lively energy of Savannah. I know that, because last April 2026, my husband and I spent four days in Darien. We loved it.

Darien is an old fishing town built along the Darien River–an offshoot of the Altamaha River. Darien lies about an hour south of Savannah. There are wonderful things to do in and around the town, but perhaps the best thing to do is to sit on the front porch of the Open Gates B&B with a refreshing breeze. After a morning of exploring, this can’t be beat.

Open Gates Bed & Breakfast

Open Gates is a lovely 1876 home located in Vernon Square in Darien. It is quiet and peaceful with an attractive view over the Square. The proprietors, Zach and Carrie, are a wonderful couple. Zach is a chef who used to work on private cruise lines. His breakfasts are delicious and well thought out. Carrie has designed a welcoming, beautiful home with an inviting library and living room open to all.

We stayed in a second story addition located in the back yard. Our charming room had its own AC and was really comfortable. I highly recommend staying at Open Gates.

Sugar Marsh Cottage

If you stay at Open Gates, you have no excuse not to walk across the street and enter the magical chocolate shop of Sugar Marsh Cottage. Dale Potts, the owner and chocolatier, has been making chocolates for 20 years. She is self-taught and opened her shop in 2010.

Dale’s background is quite interesting. She was an architectural major and used to work as a manager in a tenement construction firm in Atlanta. She said that the firm built about 20% of the Atlanta skyline. When the firm got rid of the tenement division, Dale said it “opened up an opportunity” for her to try the chocolate business. She credits her architectural background with aiding her interior design skills.

Dale uses to make shortbread cookies and give them to her neighbors. One of the neighbors said she should sell them, which “planted a seed.” Later, Dale and her husband attended a small trade show where she won several prizes, including ones for booth decor.

I have to attest: Sugar Marsh Cottage looks like something out of a Mary Poppins magical London setting. And the chocolate is good too! We bought a lot to give away, as well as keep for ourselves. How could we help it, with staff assistant Dee singing along to Frank Sinatra tunes and bringing us sample after sample? Such fun!

Darien Restaurants

There are several very good restaurants in Darien. Because Darien is a fishing village, especially known for the shrimp boats that ply their trade, you can expect to find large juicy shrimp in every restaurant.

Skippers Fish Camp

Skippers Fish Camp was so good, we ate here twice! You can get shrimp and scallops every which way; I chose blackened. I also discovered hush puppies–little round corn bread puffs with a fried exterior. Yum! (Too bad I didn’t get a photo of our dinner.)

Tabby House Brewing Company

The Tabby House, originally called the Adam Strain building, was built around 1815. They were going to tear it down, but luckily preservationists intervened and saved it. The building is a rare example of tabby construction: oyster shells mixed with mud and water.

The Tabby House is on a cliff overlooking the remains of other tabby foundations below. Visitors to Darien should definitely take a moment to examine the tabby walls of these ruins.

We ate a delicious lunch of flat-bread pizza and beer, while we sat on the back deck and enjoyed a view of the Darien River.

The Fish Dock

I don’t remember what we ate, but I remember it was worth the drive: 20 minutes north of Darien to Crescent, Georgia on the Sapelo River. The ambience was really fun–family oriented but not loud. There are lots of tables and a good view of the fishing dock on the river.

The River’s Edge

We went here one night for dessert. We had key lime pie to die for! Afterward we went upstairs, based on the proprietor’s recommendation, to see the local hangout. There were lots of guys playing pool and a few brave women dancing on an interactive dance floor. They weren’t dressed up and they never smiled, but they were braver than I’d be and seemed to be having a good time.

Walkable Darien

We really enjoyed walking around Darien: down to the river, peeking in the sprinkling of shops, exploring neighborhoods. There are so many cute homes and beautiful churches, not to mention huge oak trees draped in Spanish Moss.

Darien was originally planned by English General James Oglethorpe (who also planned Savannah) in 1736. There is a good blog about Darien’s history (and current status) here. Be sure to pick up a walking map of Darien from the local visitor information center at 1074 Magnolia Bluff Way, SW.

One night while we were walking down to The River’s Edge restaurant, we heard a clear and haunting rendition of TAPS. We found out that there was once a well-known lady in Darien who used to love hearing TAPS played. (TAPS is a military bugle call signalling “lights out.” It is also a military tribute to a fallen service member.) When this lady died, her family gave a donation to the Methodist Church and requested that they play TAPS every night at 8 pm. I think this is a lovely story. The recording is so clear, we really thought it was a live performance.

Stay tuned for more blogs on things to do around Darien. I will cover Fort King George, Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge, and Sapelo Island. And please leave a comment if you’ve been to Darien or are planning to go there, thanks!