We arrived on J
ekyll Island on Sunday, November 24th. Jekyll Island is run by the Jekyll Island Authority much like a state park. There is a toll bridge to get onto the island, $8 a day. We arrived a bit too early to check into the campground, so we parked at
Oceanview Beach Park and had a picnic lunch. Once on the island, the beach parking is free and there are restrooms and showers.
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| Stella Lance parked at Oceanview Beach Park |
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Covered picnic table where we ate lunch
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| Walkway to Oceanview Beach |
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We were absolutely smitten by the quiet remoteness of this island. Everything is laid back, there is little to no commercial development, some small homes, some tasteful condos, but mostly trees, beaches and bike paths. The
Jekyll Market is a general store with everything from groceries, beer, wine, and deli to t-shirts, souvenirs and jewelry. There are no big beach outlets, no billboards, no tall buildings, it's just right.
Jekyll Island Campground is large, rustic and has preserved a natural campground setting with trees and crooked roads. I failed to take any pictures of the campground to showcase the space per se. I did however take a picture of this cute vintage camper and it gives some sense of the setting.
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Vintage camper at Jekyll Island Campground
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The campground has a nice gift store with some food staples, ice, wood, etc. There is a laundry room and the bathrooms were clean and water hot. We were at the campground for Thanksgiving and joined a potluck dinner in the Community Building. Following dinner some folks got up to jam for an hour. There is a weekly jam session and in peak season over 20 musicians join the jam.
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| Jekyll Island Campground Jam Band |
We quickly discovered that there are bike paths
(see map) that cover Jekyll Island. We biked almost everyday and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the island by bike. Our first adventure took us to
Driftwood Beach. This is less than 1 mile from the campground and one of the most extraordinary places I've ever seen.
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| Sandcastle feature |
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Carol and Kelly at Peppermint Land
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Another day we biked to
Horton Pond and saw alligators and turtles. There was a much larger alligator sunning on a rock in the distance, but I was able to get a much better picture of this little guy from the viewing platform.
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| Juvenile alligator and soft shell turtle |
We visited the
Georgia Sea Turtle Center and spent a few hours learning about sea turtles and visiting the sea turtle hospital. All of the turtles at the Sea Turtle Center have come to be treated for illness or injury. Many have been hit by boat propellers but there are a variety of reasons they come to the hospital for treatment.
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| Sea turtle recovering in the hospital |
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| Sea turtle recovering in the hospital |
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| Kelly and Carol at Georgia Sea Turtle Center |
Jekyll Island does lights right at this time of year!
Holly Jolly Jekyll starts November 29th and it is something to behold. We were mesmerized walking and driving around the island to see the magnificent lighting displays. This is a fraction of what we saw.
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| Sunset from the Historic District |
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| Lit up! |
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| Lights in the Historic District |
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| Biking on trail along Oceanview Beach |
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