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Never Stop Traveling

Golden Isles of Georgia

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Last Updated on January 21, 2022 by Jim Ferri

a white horse pulling a carriage on the Golden Isles of Georgia
A carriage ride at the Jekyll Island Club on the Golden Isles of Georgia

Beautiful islands, unknown to many travelers…

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

By Jim Ferri

The Golden Isles of Georgia are a great getaway, especially since they’re not well known among many travelers.

dawn over a marshland in Georgia

Dawn in Georgia’s Lowcountry

In fact, many people taking the drive down I-95 to Florida don’t realize what they’ve passed by. They cross into Georgia, perhaps making a stop in Savannah, and then set their sights on the Florida State Line, a bit over 100 miles to the south.

What they miss along the way, however, are a group of small Atlantic-coast islands clinging to the marshland of the Lowcountry, Georgia’s Golden Isles.

Only about a 15-mile drive off the Interstate, they’re easily reached on a drive across pristine stretches of marshland that’s punctuated by small islands known as hammocks, which create both a beautiful landscape and the appearance of a continuous stretch of land reaching out to the barrier islands.

A Quartet of Islands on the Georgian Coast

There are four islands along Georgia’s snippet of Atlantic coastline – St. Simons, Little St. Simons, Sea and Jekyll – that are interesting from both a touristic and historic perspective.

a white house with patriotic bunting on the Golden Isles of Georgia
A home on St. Simons Island

The Golden Isles are also fairly easy on the pocketbook since there’s a wide choice of hotels in the area, ranging from budget motels in the town of Brunswick near the Interstate, to spacious suites in coastal resorts, with prices to match.

When we visited we didn’t know anything about the area, so we just opted for a medium-priced motel outside of Brunswick. That turned out to be the best thing to do since it made for an easy drive to both St. Simons and Jekyll, the two most popular islands.

We couldn’t go to Little St. Simons since that was accessible only by boat and the folks at the Sea Island resort wouldn’t let us in since we weren’t guests.

A Perfect Weekend on the Golden Isles

people looking at antiques at an outdoor show on the Golden Isles of Georgia
Simons Island antique show

When we arrived on St. Simons we found we had picked a perfect weekend since there was an outdoor antique show taking place under the huge old sprawling oaks near the public library.

It was an interesting show to walk about, and we spent an hour or two at it before wandering over to nearby Mallory Street to wander in and out of several shops along it.

While the main attraction of St. Simon’s for Georgians is primarily its beaches, the island also has a few historic sites. One of the best is Fort Frederica National Monument on the west side of the island. It’s only a 20-minute or so drive from the shops on Mallory.

Historic Fort Frederica

a family standing under oak trees with Spanish moss on the Golden Isles of Georgia
Historic Fort Frederica

Fort Frederica was built in 1736 to protect the British expansion in the Americas from the Spanish Empire, this is where General James Oglethorpe, the founder of the British colony of Georgia, and his men repulsed the Spanish in 1742. Frederica was once a small town but following the outbreak of peace it slowly descended into oblivion.

Today you can walk about the old military town that at its peak had more than 70 houses.

As you stroll along the former Broad Street, now all covered with grass, you see the foundations of the old homes that were made with tabby, a mixture of limestone, sand and oyster, as well as parts of the old battery along the river. It’s a place well worth visiting whether you’re a history buff or not.

Jekyll Island

The following morning we set out across the Lowcountry marshland for Jekyll Island, another of the Golden Isles of Georgia, only about 15 minutes away. The marsh was punctuated every now and then by hammocks, and crisscrossed by little rivulets catching the flow and ebb of the tide.

people playing croquet in front of a vistorian-style building in Georgia
Croquet at the Jekyll Island Club

While we  found St. Simons to be a fairly spread out and a laid-back beach community, Jekyll Island turned out to be just the opposite  in size and temperament. Although the east side of the island, like St. Simons, draws a beach crowd, the main appeal for many is the upscale Jekyll Island Club, a hotel and National Historic Landmark on the west side.

When we approached the hotel, a beautiful 19th century building complete with turret and a broad front porch, the first thing we saw were a couple playing croquet on the manicured lawn. They were dressed in all white, appropriately giving a Gatsby-like look to the whole place.

Cottages for the Ultra-Wealthy on the Golden Isles

Jekyll Island was purchased by a group of wealthy families to use as a private retreat, and became home of the Jekyll Island Club. Its membership – which included such notables as Morgan, Vanderbilt, Pulitzer, Gould, Carnegie, Rockefeller and others who built “cottages” in the Jekyll colony – read like the social register.

rocking chairs on a hotel porch in Georgia
The porch of the Jekyll Island CLub

Scattered about are plaques describing the club in its heyday. One down by the dock notes that the world’s most luxurious pleasure craft docked there between 1886 and 1942 and relates how John Pierpont Morgan’s yacht, the 304-foot Corsair II, was too large to dock at the pier.

Morgan, it says, “was escorted ashore by a flotilla of small craft after a canon had sounded off his arrival in these waters.”

It’s interesting wandering through some of the beautiful rooms in the club, past the old-style restaurant (who’s summer menu included “braised green lip muscles,” “island crab cakes in a lemon-peach marmalade” and “roasted chicken strudel”) and out along the porch with its row of rockers.

A few hundred yards beyond the club are some smaller buildings, likely a service area for the original Club and “cottages,” which now contain some shops. We wandered about some of them before heading back over to the river and out onto the historic dock.

A Funky Little Bar

bartender at a bar with the walls covered with dollar bills in Georgia
The Rah Bar on Jekyll Island

There we found the Rah Bar, a funky little place on the end of the dock on the inlet that led out to Jekyll Sound. With its inside walls plastered all over with dollar bills, it was a cornucopia of peel ‘n eat shrimp, crawdads, oysters and other Lowcountry specialties.

We opted to eat at one of the outside tables, got two beers and the menus. It was a great place to spend an hour or so, and probably would have been spectacular at sunset.

Changes are coming to the Jekyll, however, and there’s now a small convention center and some hotels scattered along the ocean beaches.

Although the state has said that overall development of the islands is limited to only 35% of the available land area, listen carefully and you’ll hear Rockefeller, Pierpont Morgan and Carnegie rolling over in their graves.


You may also enjoy: Top Things to Do in Charleston, SC / Three Great Days in Savannah, Georgia / Charleston Plantations

If You Go:

Golden Isles Georgia
1505 Richmond Street, 2nd Floor
Brunswick, GA 31520
Tel: (800) 933-2627
https://www.goldenisles.com/

Jekyll Island Club
371 Riverview Drive
Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Tel: (855) 535-9547
http://www.jekyllclub.com

Fort Frederica National Monument
6515 Frederica Rd.
St. Simons Island, GA 31522
Tel: (912) 638-3639
http://www.nps.gov/fofr/index.htm

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Comments

  1. Cliff tatum says

    March 4, 2021 at 8:49 am

    How far away is a golf course.?…is there a Marriott near. Restaurants.

    Reply
    • Jim Ferri says

      March 7, 2021 at 8:56 am

      Hi Cliff, There is a golf course (the Jekyll Island Golf Club — 9 holes) On Jekyll Island.

      Reply
  2. Mary says

    March 4, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    The Rah Bar is now a restaurant called The Wharf.

    Reply
  3. Stevie says

    March 7, 2021 at 3:49 am

    Things are changing daily. Visit often!😉🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍍

    Reply
  4. Dave Capano says

    March 7, 2021 at 7:32 pm

    There are three 18 hole golf courses (Oleander, Pine Lakes and Indian Mound) and a 9 hole course (the Dunes).

    Reply
    • Jim Ferri says

      March 8, 2021 at 8:19 am

      Thank you for that info Dave.

      Reply
    • Edward Tracey says

      January 29, 2022 at 10:32 am

      I couldn’t believe you thought Saint Simon’s was laid back vs. Jekyll? Lol

      In fact we describe it the opposite way.
      Saint Simon’s consists of three key areas and a fourth that is slowly growing into as exclusive a place as Sea Island, which you didn’t see.

      The King and Prince Hotel and Resort and East Beach area has beautiful beaches and wonderful restaurants, as well as the new World War II Museum. Then their is the famous Lighthouse and Pier Village area with so many shops, restaurants, a park, walking and fishing pier and other wonderful places to see. Third is the Redfern Village area near the McKinnon Airport with World Famous Southern Soul Barbecue, and restaurants all kinds of cuisines and more shopping.

      Finally one of the most beautiful parts of the Island is the Northend. It is where Frederica Road takes you to Lawrenceville Road. Along the way are the Shops at Sea Island at the intersection of Sea Island Road and Frederica Road. A lot more restaurants and higher end shops at the gateway to 5 star resort The Cloister at Sea Island. As you travel down Frederica Road the infamous Red Barn Restaurant and bar is just past Sea Palms resort. At the end of Frederica Road you either go left or right at the roundabout. To the left is the historic Christ Church where John and Charles Wesley preached at this beautiful little chapel in the woods with a 300 year old graveyard. Then you can go onto Fort Frederica.
      If you turned right at the roundabout you head to one of the fastest growing area of the Golden Isles referred to as the North End and Hampton Point. Two gold courses and beautiful. At Hampton Point you can take the ferry to Little Saint Simon’s Island, a wildlife preserve famous for birdwatching. By reservation only.

      That’s all the time I have now, but it looks like you need to come back and tour again. There is so much you missed.
      I own EDWARD Transportation the Holden Isles only Google 5 Star Transportation Company. We cover from northeast FL to Savannah Hilton Head.
      http://Www.edwardtransportation.com

      Reply
      • Jim Ferri says

        January 30, 2022 at 11:36 am

        Hi Edward,
        Thank you for providing your perspective.
        Jim

        Reply
  5. Joy says

    November 14, 2021 at 6:53 pm

    Don’t forget to visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. https://gstc.jekyllisland.com/
    The turtle rescue is a highlight. Admission cost helps to save lives.

    Reply
    • Jim Ferri says

      November 15, 2021 at 9:18 am

      Thank you Joy. I believe in rescuing our Sea Turtles.
      Jim

      Reply
  6. Reid says

    December 15, 2021 at 8:33 pm

    The Rah Bar has been gone for years.

    Reply
    • Jim Ferri says

      December 17, 2021 at 8:59 am

      Hi Reid,
      Thank you, you right. I believe they had tried to put another in its place but it didn’t work out.
      Jim

      Reply
  7. Gary Franklin says

    December 19, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    At St..Simons make sure to go down to the pier. Take a trolley tour around the island and if fit enough go up in the lighthouse. Fishing is great as well.

    Reply
    • Jim Ferri says

      December 21, 2021 at 8:42 am

      Thank you Gary.
      Jim

      Reply
  8. Sue says

    March 4, 2022 at 9:51 am

    Are there camping sites for R.V.s available?

    Reply
    • Jim Ferri says

      March 8, 2022 at 5:52 pm

      Hi Sue,
      Yes there are — see here: https://www.goldenisles.com/search/?q=RVJim

      Reply

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