One big difference between living in my former city of San Francisco and here in Brooklyn is that the East Coast has actual seasons. That means that at some point in the midst of winter, you will tire of the cold and want to get away to a warmer locale. That’s how I recently ended up on Jekyll Island, a barrier island that is part of the Golden Isles off the coast of Georgia.
Besides warmer weather, the Mister and I had a few other requirements for a quick vacation. We didn’t want to travel too far. And we wanted to recharge with some nature — and no crowds. That last point made going somewhere in the off-season particularly appealing.
As a state park with beaches and bike trails, Jekyll Island fit the bill. We went at the end of January when temperatures were 60°F/15.5°C during the day, and in the upper 40s at night. While not exactly warm, it was much warmer than NYC.
How to Get to Jekyll Island
If you’re flying, the nearby major airports are in Jacksonville and Savannah. We flew into Savannah (flight time: 2.5 hours), which had better flight options from New York. From there, we rented a car. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is a small airpot, and it was quick to navigate to the rental car counters.
The drive from Savannah to Jekyll Island is about 1.5 hours. It’s an hour and change from Jacksonville. Do note that as a state park, Jekyll Island charges a parking fee of $10 per day.
If you can’t or don’t want to drive, there are buses which go to the nearby city of Brunswick. From there, you’d have to take a taxi to the island.
Where We Stayed: The Jekyll Island Club Resort
The Jekyll Island Club opened in 1888 as an exclusive resort for America’s wealthiest families.
We decided to stay at the Jekyll Island Club Resort because of its historical interest. The Jekyll Island Club was founded by some of America’s wealthiest families — think the Morgans, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts — and owned the island. When you’re that rich, you can own not just a vacation home, but a whole vacation island. After WWII, the state of Georgia seized and bought the island, then turned it into a park for the public to enjoy.
The original clubhouse with its distinctive turret has been renovated and expanded. In addition, the resort has several “cottages,” which are the former vacation homes of fancy families. I put “cottages” in quotes because they’re really mansions.
We opted to stay in Crane Cottage, which has 13 rooms, a library, an industrial kitchen and dining room for events, and a courtyard. So quiet was it that we wondered if there were even other guests staying in the building.
The courtyard at Crane Cottage.
Our king room in Crane Cottage. I did not clean up before taking this photo so you could see what it’s really like. There is an armchair at the right corner (barely visible, but it’s orange) and one bedside table to the left of the bed.
We booked a traditional king room, which was advertised as 269 to 500 square feet. I’m not sure if that includes the nicely-sized bathroom (probably), but the room itself, with a modern four poster bed, was “cozy” in real estate parlance. There was only room for one bedside table and one armchair. The cabinet on which the TV sat contained a mini fridge, coffee maker, and safe. But there was no desk, closet, or wardrobe. The lack of clothes storage was a bit of a problem as there was nowhere for us to hang up our jackets. A coat rack or even hooks on the wall would have been helpful.
The cottage is just a five minute walk to the clubhouse. Leather armchairs, dark wood paneling, and framed vintage textiles give it an old world vibe. I especially admired the curved bar, a replica of the one in the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance, which was filmed at the resort in 1999.
Surprisingly, the clubhouse didn’t originally have a bar. The current one is a replica of the one in the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance.
There’s a decent sized pool, which I had all to myself during our stay. It’s heated so you can use it in colder months. In fact, as a lap swimmer, I found it too warm for my liking.
The pool is a good size and heated, though too much for my liking as a lap swimmer.
Our room rate included a breakfast buffet — they gave us a credit to use in the dining room — which offered the typical items you’d expect from an American breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cereal, pastries, yogurt, and potatoes (which were strangely tasteless). The buffet is usually priced at $34, which I wouldn’t have been happy paying full price for. It was satisfactory, but nothing special. I enjoyed the omelette station and the elegant Victorian dining room decorated with columns and chandeliers.
As I mentioned in my Philadelphia dining post, I’m immunocompromised, so I try to eat outdoors when I’m out. That wasn’t an option for the breakfast buffet. But at least in the off-season, the dining room wasn’t crowded.
Things to Do on Jekyll Island
We stayed for three nights, which meant two full days on the island, plus travel on either side. Here’s what we did in two days:
Bike Rides
Jekyll Island boasts 24 miles of bike trails. I am not the most confident on two wheels, but I felt safe biking on the island, as the trails are not shared with cars. On some parts you ride through lovely wooded paths, on others close to the beach, and then there are less scenic parts where the path is next to the road. Several companies on the island offer bike rentals, but we rented bikes from the resort. Biking was our main form of transit while we were on the island.
Driftwood Beach
The beach has hundreds of eroded trees.
Driftwood Beach at sunrise
We biked to this beach on the northern end of the island, which has hundreds of fallen and eroded or petrified trees creating a haunting landscape. The water is shallow here, so the waves never pull the trees out into the sea and they lie on the beach like relics from another era. We liked it so much we came back the next morning for a magical sunrise.
St. Andrews Beach & The Wanderer Memory Trail
On the other end of the island is St. Andrew’s Beach. Near the picnic area (which has a public restroom), you’ll find the start to the Wanderer Memory Trail. The Wanderer was one of the last known slave ships to dock in America.
The trail is an outdoor installation with stations every so often that tells the story of a young African boy named Umawalla who was kidnapped and brought to America on the Wanderer in 1858. Some of the stations have audio, which you can hear with the push of a button. The trail ends at an observation deck. I thought it was well done, and appreciate the effort to educate about the dark history that took place here.
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
A patient, rescued from a cold stunning event, at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center
Where do sea turtles go when they get sick or injured? If they’re lucky, they’re found and brought to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, where they will be nursed back to health and released. There is general admission to an exhibit, but I recommend going on the behind-the-scenes tour where you will get to meet some of the aquatic patients, ask a veterinarian questions, and see cute hatchlings in their tanks.
History Tours
The Jekyll Island Club Resort has a tour about its history, free for hotel guests or $15 for non-guests, given by the hotel’s concierge. I found the tour uneven as some stories about various fancy people went on for a while, and I wanted to learn more about the Black workers who maintained the resort, as well as the building’s architecture.
There are other history tours on the island, such as tram tours run by the Mosaic museum, which we didn’t get the chance to visit.
Where to Eat
The burrito adovado from Tacos La Fiesta, with grilled chicken simmered in adobo sauce.
This section is going to be short because I only want to share eateries that are worth mentioning, and honestly the food we had on Jekyll Island was mid.
However, one evening we drove over the causeway into the nearby city of Brunswick to patronize a modest Mexican restaurant with just a few tables. I was not expecting to eat one of the tastiest burritos of my life! But wow, it was fantastic. If you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods, I heartily recommend Tacos La Fiesta. (It doesn’t have outdoor seating, so we went on the early side to try to avoid other people.)
Last Thoughts on Jekyll Island in the Off Season
A view during one of our bike rides.
If you have more time to spend, adding on a few days in Savannah would be worthwhile. We saw just a bit of the city on our last day in between checking out of the hotel and heading to the airport.
As to the island, I can see how it remains a vacation spot for more than 100 years. It’s got nature, beaches, and history. During peak tourist season in the summer, a water park opens. And more businesses are probably open then.
But honestly, even though it’s sleepier, I think it might be better to come in the off-season, especially if you, like me, don’t love crowds, bugs, or humidity.
