Jekyll Island GA info

Fearless Tower

Fearless Tower

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After reading Ted's Beach Vacation thread, we decided to look into one of the recommendations for Jekyll Island for our summer family vacation.

Anyone have an experience there/care to offer an tips/recommendations?

Planning on going the weekend after 4th of July.
 
Great timing, I just got back from Jekyll Island a couple of nights ago. I didn't have any experience with the area prior, so it was all new to me, but my family all had a fantastic time there.

We stayed at The Jekyll Island Club and enjoyed it. The staff were all very friendly and they have three different restaurant/bars to eat at without having to drive anywhere. The rooms were a little small, and we didn't have a view from ours, and our air conditioner had two settings: freezing or hot. These were minor complaints though, since we didn't spend too much time in the room. If you're looking for something closer to the beach, the Hampton Inn looked pretty nice, but I didn't stay there, so I don't have any first hand experience with it: http://www.jekyllislandhamptoninn.com/photo-tour

The beaches were wide open, and the water was warm, but not blue/green. The sand isn't white sand that you'd see in places like Destin, but I actually liked it better since it was really well packed and easy to walk on. I actually saw a guy and his son riding their bicycles on the beach itself without issue.

I didn't play golf this trip, but the course looked pretty nice when we biked past it, lots of people playing. The bike trails are pretty fantastic, and quite impressive. They all look brand new and the vast majority of the trails are covered in the shade of giant oak trees, so we had some really nice rides. We just rented bikes from our hotel, but I saw a lot of people had brought their own.

Electric car rentals are available at the local airport, which is just a couple of minutes bike ride from the Jekyll Island Club. There was a guy in a Waco there giving rides from the airport. The airport seemed to be in great shape, but I didn't see any hangars or fuel available; there were 7 or 8 planes tied down, the biggest being an Aero Commander.

We drove up to Savannah from Jekyll Island on a Saturday to spend the day there as well. It took about an hour and a half to get to downtown, but everyone enjoyed the excursion. We took a horse-drawn carriage tour while in Savannah, which was fairly interesting. It made for a fun day trip off of the island.

If you have any other questions, let me know.
 
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I used to vacation there yearly during winter time usually. They put on a heck of a dress up show for winter. The the club is an excellent place to stay, it's close to the airport too. However I'd suggest not staying at the hotel but rather staying in one of the mansions, the rooms aren't especially expensive and it's a lot more private. I liked the San Souci and The Crane Cottege (don't let the name fool you) the best. One item to note is that the downstairs of the Crane is a restaurant and in the evening if you are planning on coming and going just expect there will be people all around and in the garden. The food in the Club is very good as well.

The first trans continental telephone call came from Jekyll and it's on display and the Goodyear mansion is open for tours I believe. I'm not sure if they still have the sea turtle center open but if so that's a great place to take the kids, it's right behind the hotel. Also check out the chapel right behind the club/hotel, pay particular attention to the stained glass window in the back of it. That was made by Mr. Tiffany himself, who was a frequent guest of the club.

There's a water park on the south end of the island that's great for the kids. Also jump over to Saint Simons Island which is only a couple of miles north and there are a lot of shops in the village, the airport there is very nice although I don't know if the FBO has a car for use. If you end up there go to Barbara Jean's, awesome food!

I agree with Challenged on visiting Savannah too. If you fly in note the graves on the runway :). There was a thread on here not too long ago about them.
 
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We're planning on flying down for a day trip there this Saturday with a couple of friends.

We've been there a couple of times before, though we usually just get a Red Bug (street-legal golf cart available for rent at the airport), grab lunch, and cruise the loop around the island.

There is a pretty cool 'driftwood beach' on the north end of the island. Haven't been to the beaches on the south end. There is a campground on the north end of the island as well.

No hangars at the airport. Runway is in good condition. No fuel available at Jekyll, but there are some decent prices a short hop from Jekyll.
 
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Thanks for all the input. We have reservations at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Looked like a pretty nice place. Can you reserve the Red Bugs in advance? Since we will be there over the weekend after the 4th, I'm wondering how crowded it might be.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Thanks for all the input. We have reservations at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Looked like a pretty nice place. Can you reserve the Red Bugs in advance? Since we will be there over the weekend after the 4th, I'm wondering how crowded it might be.
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Not sure. I'm planning on calling them today to find that out myself.
 
Lots of interesting history at the club, especially when the rich guys gathered there regarding U. S. economic policies and strategies. Check out the markers and wall-mounted plaques in the hallways.
 
I have made many flights in and out of Jekyll. It is a very easy in and out airport. They do not have fuel so you need to make plans accordingly. You can get fuel from any of the surrounding airports of which KSSI in St.Simons is my favorite. St. Simons is also worth a visit in addition to Jekyll. My wife and I went down to Jekyll for a week in January and stayed at the Jekyll Island Club hotel. Our room had a balcony overlooking the club entrance that was pretty cool. Overall I really like the hotel, but was not that impressed with the food at the hotel except they did have good breakfast. One of my lunches had so much salt in the food that it was simply uneatable. My wife and I did not rent a Red Bug on our January trip but I had flown my Son and Daughter-In-Law down for a weekend earlier and we rented a Red Bug for the day. They were a fun way to get around the island...not cheap, but fun none the less. Our battery charge did not last all day and had to swing by the airport to swap out for another bug, but that was no real issue either. I really like Jekyll and I think you will too. Just don't forget about checking out St. Simons Island just north of Jekyll. They have a lot of good seafood resturants there. You might also enjoy flying over Cumberland Island too, just south of Jekyll. Cumberland was owned by Carnigee and still has the remains of his mansion there. They also have wild horses that roam the island. For the most part Cumberland is uninhabited except for a few campers and you can fly low over the island for sight seeing. Just be aware there is a restricted area to the west of Cumberland over the Naval base at St Marys that you will need to avoid. Have a great trip!
 
Lived for quite a few years on St. Simons and spent a lot of time on Jekyl, mostly playing golf/beach.

The "driftwood" beach on the north end of the island is a spectacular sight to watch the 4th of July fireworks show over on St. Simons. You are looking across the sound to the north and it is close enough that you'll enjoy the show. I think that beach is on the top 10 most romantic beaches in the US.

St. Simons is a must and Barbara Jeans is top of the list. Good food! Easy drive to Savannah and worth it if you haven't been in the deep south before. Let us know how the trip goes.....

Oh, and the FBO on St. Simons does have a courtesy car if you fly over for gas and want to go get lunch or dinner.... You may want to call first to make sure they hold it for you.
 
Like the beach better on Jekyll ,but prefer st Simons for restaurants and the fbo .still can't get used to the grey sand.
 
Take the tour. It was well worth the money and will give you the whole history lession.



wabower said:
Lots of interesting history at the club, especially when the rich guys gathered there regarding U. S. economic policies and strategies. Check out the markers and wall-mounted plaques in the hallways.
Click to expand...
 
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