Island Days

Explore the land of seafood, Spanish moss, and sunsets in Jekyll Island, Georgia

- TATE JACARUSO

'On Jekyll Island, Spanish moss drapes across live oaks, visitors ride colorful bikes through the greenery, and in the summers, sea turtle hatchlings make their way to the ocean beneath starry skies. At restaurants, shops, and markets, visitors, hungry from a day of exploring the scenery, take a moment to fill their plates and bellies with meals of local seafood and Southern favorites. This itinerary will fill your days on the island with beautiful scenes and memorable bites.

STEP BACK IN TIME

When you arrive at Jekyll Island Club Resort, upbeat jazz music may float across the lawn while guests play croquet and socialize.

The club was founded in the late 1880s, and went on to include members like the Pulitzers, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers.

The club was a winter getaway for the well-to-do, who gathered for dinner parties, beach picnics, and lawn tournaments. The island opened to the public as a state park in the 1948 and the club reopened as a hotel in 1985. Today, many visitors are from Georgia, with some international tourists as well. Black-and-white photographs of the original club hang on the lobby walls.

Once you're settled in your room, walk over to The Wharf for dinner.

Find a spot facing the water and order the shrimp and grits and a beachy cocktail like the coconut mojito. If you can't get enough, Jekyll Island holds an annual Shrimp and Grits Festival in the fall.

CRUISE BENEATH LIVE OAKS