Avenue of the Oaks

The Avenue of Oaks — which Stephen Malkoff often calls Oak Alley — is located on Retreat Avenue on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It is said that Anne Page King planted this famous oak-lined pathway more than 150 years ago. The oaks highlight the entrance to the Sea Island Golf Club. Visitors are invariably captivated by the beautiful natural canopy provided by the thousands of live oak trees that grow to such majestic sizes in this area

The Avenue of Oaks originally served as the entrance to Retreat Plantation, an antebellum plantation known for its superior quality sea island cotton and extensive flower gardens.

Live oaks are known for their enormous size and vast networks of twisting, winding limbs. They are so named because their deep green leaves retain their color throughout the year. In the early days, St. Simons Island supported a thriving lumber industry. Oak timbers, cut from Cannons Point, were used in 1794 to build the U. S. frigate Constitution, named Old Ironsides. In 1874, timbers from the island were also cut for use in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. While many trees in this area are older, legend holds that the average life span of a live oak is 300 years.