Once a gilded age retreat, Georgia’s Jekyll Island welcomes all

On Georgia’s Jekyll Island, time seems to move at a slower pace. Bordered on one side by beaches lapped by the Atlantic and on the other by salt marshes, Jekyll Island is a serene haven shaded by live oak trees hung with Spanish moss. Despite its small size — just 1.5 miles wide and 7 miles long — it offers fascinating history, abundant wildlife, and recreational opportunities ranging from kayaking and biking to golf.

Originally home to the Timucua and Guale Tribes, in the18th century Jekyll Island was a hub for maritime trade and a home base for pirates. In the late-19th century it became a winter retreat spot for some of America’s wealthiest citizens, from the Pulitzers and Rockefellers to the Goodyears. Strict rules governed who could come to the private island, whose amenities included a luxurious members-only resort.

After the state of Georgia purchased Jekyll Island in 1947 and made it into a state park, the general public has flocked to the island. But it retains an air of gentility to this day, especially in the Jekyll Island National Historic Landmark District that preserves many of its Gilded Age structures. The district’s centerpiece is the Jekyll Island Club Resort, the former members-only club. Here you can sleep in rooms that once catered to the elite and in the afternoon play a leisurely game of croquet on its manicured front lawn.

To learn more about the island’s history, visit Mosaic, the Jekyll Island Museum, which is housed in a refurbished stable. Its exhibits cover eras from the prehistoric to the present, including the island’s role in one of the most significant events in America’s financial history. In 1910, six men met at the Jekyll Island Club to reform the nation’s banking system. The meeting, which was a closely guarded secret until the 1930s, led to the formation of the Federal Reserve System. The museum also offers narrated tram rides through the historic district and a tour of Hollybourne Cottage, one of the island’s most distinctive dwellings.

Three Oaks Farm offers additional ways to tour the island, including narrated carriage tours and horse rides along its forest trails and ocean beaches. For a special treat, visitors can sign up for a moonlight or sunset ride.

For many visitors, Jekyll Island’s natural wonders are its primary draw. Only about a third of the island is developed, with the remaining land kept in its natural state of sand dunes, beaches, and maritime forest consisting primarily of live oaks, palmettos and yaupon holly. The waters that surround the island are home to one of the world’s largest populations of bottlenose dolphins, which can be seen on a 90-minute boat cruise offered by Jekyll Island Boat Tours. And at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, you can learn about the life cycle of these endangered animals and how the center rehabilitates injured and sick turtles before releasing them back into the wild.

The 4-H Tidelands Nature Center offers more ways to experience the outdoors, including, coastal ecology programs, nature walks and kayak tours through the island’s tidal creeks. At the center itself, you can make the acquaintance of coastal animals that include sea turtles, horseshoe crabs, snakes, alligators and various species of fish. Another place to spot wildlife is Horton Pond, which has an ADA-accessible observation deck where you can often see alligators and turtles.

Thanks to its wide range of habitats and its location on the Atlantic Migratory Flyway, Jekyll Island is one of the top bird-watching spots in the nation. Herons, ibises, egrets, rails and the endangered wood stork thrive in its salt marshes; its forests are home to songbirds, raptors and woodpeckers; and its beaches attract sandpipers, plovers and turns. Favorite birding locations include the south end of Jekyll Island, which is home to a large population of shorebirds, and the bird sanctuary at Jekyll Island Campground.

You’ll find many other recreational opportunities there as well. The island’s 10 miles of beaches are among the most unspoiled along the Atlantic seaboard, offering swimming and other water sports, while bikers can ride 22 miles of trails that wind beneath towering trees, around sand dunes, and past Jekyll Island historic sites. Golfers can choose from among four championship courses, while families enjoy the Summer Waves Water Park.

Given its location, it’s not surprising that Jekyll Island is known for both exceptional seafood and for low-country dining (Low Country is a term used to describe a 200-mile stretch of coastal Georgia and South Carolina). For Victorian ambience and excellent seafood dishes, book a table in the Grand Dining Room at Jekyll Island Club Resort. At the Driftwood Bistro you can sample low-country favorites such as fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits and stuffed collard greens. And for food-with-a-waterfront-view, try The Wharf or Tortuga Jack’s Restaurant.

Finally, be sure to visit one of the island’s most iconic attractions, Driftwood Beach, a stretch of sand lined with hundreds of twisted and gnarled trees. The trees, which were uprooted by storms, tides and erosion, create a landscape of haunting beauty. The views are especially beautiful at dawn, when the trunks frame the shifting colors of the sky reflected in the water. There’s no better place to say goodbye to this remarkable island.

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