Georgia on My Mind

Super Day! We slept late and woke up to rain on St. Simon's. Dressed and drove a half hour over to Jekyll Island. Most of the ride is going over the bridge to the mainland and then a long causeway out to Jekyll. This island is much smaller and practically deserted. We found the Hampton Inn and they checked us in so we are set to explore.

Decided to visit the Jekyll Island Club, the main attraction here. They call it the historic district and that includes the club, member cottages and shops. The grounds are gorgeous. We stopped at the museum which gave a nice history of the island and then took their tram tour. In the gift shop we found The Jekyll Island Club, a mystery written by our Yardley friend Brent Monahan.

We got to tour two of the cottages which are each about 8,000 square feet with 6 or 8 bathrooms. Very extravagant for this time at the turn of the century. The club's members were the creme de la creme of corporate America. Rockefeller,  J P Morgan, Crane, Pulitzer, Gould and other millionaires were the originals. They owned the entire island and they with their families, hunted, swam and played during the winter months escaping the cold weather up north. This lifestyle lasted until the Depression and finally fell apart during WWII.

The island was completely private back in the day and most of the owners and guests arrived by private yacht as there was no bridge and no motorized vehicles allowed on the island. Bicycling was popular as were red bugs, a precursor of the dune buggy.

The state of Georgia bought the island and now operates it as a state park. There are several chain hotels as well as rooms at the club. Several restaurants are open to the public in the historic district.

Restaurants and shopping are available on the island, but all on a small scale. We love that it is remote and quiet, especially now that school has started here and the large water park has closed for the season.

After our tour we had lunch at the grill of one of the four golf courses. Then we drove around the island stopping to see the Horton house which is a vacant tabby structure. Next was a stop at the Driftwood Beach. I had read about it, but it was better that expected. Dead trees are everywhere and it is like walking through an eerie forest on the beach. So beautiful! Jeff brought down our bag chairs from the car and we sat in the shade for a long time enjoying the scenery and the sound of the surf.

On the drive home we saw several fearless deer who posed for us.

Back to the hotel to change and then we dashed out to dinner at the Driftwood Bistro. This is a local favorite with southern cuisine that was good in a casual atmosphere. Later we went back tot he hotel and walked out to their beach. They have a long, wooden boardwalk that takes you over the sand dunes and is beautifully landscaped and lit at night. There is seating along the way. The pool area is beautiful too with lots of seating and a fire pit.