Jekyll Island

Jekyll Island sits off the Georgia coast within the Golden Isles, a few miles from St. Simons Island, Sea Island and the City of Brunswick in Glynn County. From the 1880s to the 1940s it belonged to the Jekyll Island Club, a winter retreat for families like the Morgans, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts, who built cottages along Jekyll Creek. The state of Georgia bought the island in 1947. Today it is a state park, and the old club district is now one of the larger restoration efforts in the southeastern US. Worth knowing: unlike other Georgia state parks, Jekyll receives no operating money from the state, so the parking fee at the gate funds the roads, restrooms, landscaping and conservation work.

Most people come for the beaches and the quiet. Driftwood Beach, on the north end, draws photographers to its weathered fallen trees. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center rehabilitates injured turtles and explains the work to visitors. You will also find live oak canopies, a maritime forest, an updated oceanfront promenade, the Beach Village, the historic landmark district, the Clam Creek fishing pier and miles of bike trails. Golf, fishing, crabbing and Summer Waves Water Park round out the days. Turtle crossing signs greet you as you arrive, a hint of how the island runs.