Nearly 1,000 years after the shell ring's creation, you escape the hustle and bustle of 21st century life and follow the inviting forested trail to it. Encircled by graceful arching limbs of the same live oaks that sheltered its original inhabitants, you travel back in time to an unmatched example of Timucuan culture - The Grand Site.

​Immerse yourself in the landscape as you pause at interpretive panels and rubbing stations that reveal local wildlife and island lore. Discover the ancient shell ring and burial mound complex, nestled on the edge of the salt marsh. Reflect on the mysteries of this site, constructed thousands of years after most shell rings were built. Connect to our common roots, ongoing archaeological quest for knowledge and shared experiences of community and reverence as you experience first-hand a sacred place that tethered the Timucua here.

Transported by your half mile trek, clues of our predecessors’ presence, such as scattered oyster shells throughout the forest, will reveal themselves and a new appreciation of their lives and legacy will follow.

​The Grand Site will soon be open to the public and YOU can be a part of sustaining this amazing property by donating to The Friends of Talbot Islands Grand Site Fund. Funds raised will be used to maintain the site and trail and to support archaeological study on Big Talbot Island.