Enter as strangers
Leave as friends
Days at the Goodbread Inn begin with a sumptuous breakfast…
and end with a satisfying sigh.
White picket fences join stately magnolias…
in a seductive symphony of the Old South.
Romance lives and adventure awaits.
The past is calling, and making memories is the order of the day.
Come experience the serenity of a gentler era and the warmth of community.
There is just something about St. Marys…
The Goodbread House sits in the center of the quaint waterfront village of St. Marys, Georgia, America’s second oldest city, and the. gateway to Cumberland Island National Seashore. Downtown St. Marys is listed on the National Historic Registry. The history of St. Marys dates back to a time when Guale, Timucuan, and Yamacraw Indians roamed the area, living off the riches of the land. First came the Spanish Occupation in the late 1500s. The English claimed Georgia in 1663. And in 1787, the British Colonial Council decided St. Marys would be a desirable site for a city. So 20 men got together and agreed to pay $38 each to make a permanent settlement at what was then known as Buttermilk Bluff. Thus, St. Marys was born
The Sandiford-Goodbread House was built in 1870 by Samuel Burns, who sold it to Ralph Sandiford, who in turn sold it to steamboat captain Walton Goodbread in 1901. The Goodbread (Gutbrodt) family had come to Philadelphia from Germany in 1731. Descendents of Phillip Goodbread Sr. migrated south during the war, eventually settling in Camden County. They fought in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and served in the Confederate Army in the Civil War. In 1918, Kate Brandon Bagwell and her sisters, Sallie, Semora, and Ethel, bought The Goodbread House to house the overflow of the Riverview Hotel, a neighboring Inn just steps from The Goodbread House formerly run by Jerry Brandon and his wife, Gaila, former proprietors of The Goodbread House. More recently, The Goodbread House served as Dixon’s Boarding House, serving family-style lunch and dinner to locals and visitors alike. It was renovated in the early 1980s, and today retains the charm of its original 1870s architecture.
Goodbread Proprietor and Host Mardja is the perfect combination of an Iron Butterfly and a Steel Magnolia. Mardja's passion for pampering her guests and making them truly feel at home is renowned. As a Certified Myers-Briggs Specialist, she has the unique talent of making an immediate connection to a guest's personal style – how they like to communicate, and other individual preferences. Mardja's personal mission is to send every Goodbread guest home with a burning desire to come back real soon, and The Goodbread House's envied history of repeat visitors bears out her successful track record of doing so.
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It has always been our pleasure to assist you in planning your trip to Cumberland Island.
We will be happy to assist with planning your trip to Cumberland Island, from securing your ferry tickets to making sure that you have a healthy picnic lunch to take with you.
Contact us with your dates, and we will help sort out all of the details!
(912)882-1418
You may also contact the Cumberland Island Ferry HERE
We are always happy to answer any questions or address any concerns.
If you need to cancel or change your reservation, call us at (912) 882-7490
Could there be a more spectacular gift than that of escape, romance and tranquility? The Goodbread House offers Gift Certificates of various denominations with a promise to make this gift to your special someone the most enchanting gift ever. All gift certificates can be personalized to your liking!
Call 912-882-7490 for details.