Waycross, Georgia is the place for nature lovers to relax and enjoy the beauty of a true wilderness. Large alligators lounge in the sunlight on the banks of the black swamp. Cypress knees and draping Spanish moss complete the eerie picture of the Okefenokee Swamp, which covers almost a half-million acres.
Okefenokee Swamp Park is the Waycross entrance to the massive Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The park offers daily guided boat excursions into the refuge, railroad guided train tours, Eye on Nature shows, and several interpretive displays of native animals. The 1.5-mile train tour winds past a honey bee farm, turpentine site, Seminole Indian village, and moonshine still while a narrator tells stories that bring the swamp and American pioneer life into focus. There are also boardwalk trails, educational lectures, films, and exhibits that provide a window view into the swamp.
Only 10 minutes from Okefenokee Swamp Park is Laura S. Walker State Park, one of the few state parks named for a woman. The park offers excellent lakeside camping facilities, rental cottages, playground, picnic areas, and more. Bikes can the rented for the trails and kayaks for the water. Launch your boat and spend the day fishing or water skiing, or look for wildlife on the nature trail. For golfers, The Lakes at Laura S. Walker offers an 18-hole championship course and pro shop.
Waycross is the location of the 36,100-acre Dixon Memorial Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which offers opportunities for hunting deer, turkey, squirrel, dove, and waterfowl, a firearms range, and a boat launch. Camping, hiking, picnicking, canoeing, and other recreational uses are allowed year-round, unless otherwise posted. Horseback riding and bicycling are restricted to open, improved roads,
