IN THE EARLY 20th century, you’d be hard pressed to find a more elite venue than Jekyll Island, a secluded sea destination two miles off the coast of Georgia and home to a private club for some of America’s wealthiest families – Rockefellers, Astors, Pulitzers, Morgans and Vanderbilts. Away from business and social pressures, it offered a perfect fall escape to fish, golf, hunt, ride horses and bathe in the sea.
Fortunes changed dramatically for this exclusive enclave with the coming of the Great Depression, then World War II exacerbated the decline of the Jekyll Island Club Resort. It even closed for five years due to fear of offshore German submarines. After the war, the State of Georgia aggressively tried to buy the property and convert it to a state park, which it did in 1947. The first causeway to the mainland opened in 1948.
Jekyll Island today is a unique blend of history, conservation and outdoor activity. Highlights for visitors include four golf courses, a croquet lawn, a top-notch tennis facility, an equestrian center and more than 25 miles of paved bicycle and Segway trails through maritime forests, marshes and historical sites.
The island is also home to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, a rehabilitation, research and educational facility housed in the old Jekyll Island Club power plant and devoted to preserving the loggerhead, leatherback and green sea turtles that nest on the Georgia coast. Among the many programs for adults and kids is a guided nighttime exploration of turtle nesting grounds during certain times in the summer.
Jekyll features 10 miles of unspoiled shoreline to explore. Driftwood Beach on the north end of the island presents a beautiful and surreal landscape of bleached and preserved fallen pine and live oak trees. Portions of the 1989 Civil War movie “Glory” were filmed on St. Andrew’s beach on the south side of the island. A long boardwalk built by the film producers provides an easy stroll across sand dunes and freshwater pools to the sandy beach.
The heart of Jekyll is the 240-acre National Historic Landmark District, featuring the restored Jekyll Island Club, now a first-class resort property, and numerous houses built by original club members. During the Christmas season, known as “Holly Jolly Jekyll,” visitors and locals come together for activities such as a tree lighting, parade, concerts, horse and carriage rides, and decorated house tours.
No more than 35% of the island can be developed, which means Jekyll retains its unique character. And you can experience all it has to offer, just like the titans of American industry did back in the day, but at a fraction of the cost!
