Investopedia
Top 9 Vacation Destinations For Wall Street Geeks
Friday July 18, 12:22 pm ET
Tara Struyk

Renowned investor Peter Lynch came up with this his best investment ideas not by studying in his office, but out on the street, where he could see the value of companies/products in action. No matter where he was or what he was doing, the wheels of investment analysis were always whirring quietly in his head.If you’re geeky about Wall Street and investing, it may not matter whether you’re placing trades with your broker or standing in line at the grocery store - the world of finance is never far from your thoughts. So, rather than try to leave your investor- think behind when you go on vacation, why not embrace your obsession by taking a trip that will please you and your family - and appeal to your inner geek. Here are our top picks.

1. Financial District, New York City
   Assuming you don’t work here already, you’ll want to visit Wall Street, the heart of the U.S. financial system. This lower Manhattan area is the original home of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), one of the world’s largest exchanges, and the headquarters of many of the largest American brokerages and investment banks. You can also visit the famous Wall Street Bull, a 7,000-pound bronze animal, whose flaring nostrils are often rubbed by traders for good luck.While You’re There: Although the NYSE, and many of the other institutions on Wall Street, are closed to the public, you’ll be within walking distance of hundreds of other major museums and attractions, including the Museum of American Financial History, at 26 and Broadway.
2. U.S. Bullion Depository (Fort Knox) - Fort Knox, Kentucky
   According to the U.S. Treasury, the “Gold Vault”, located at Bullion Boulevard at the intersection of Gold Vault Road, houses 147.3 million ounces of the U.S. gold reserves. It is a classified facility that does not allow visitors on the premises - a presidential order is required to gain access - but you can get a good view by traveling along US 31.While You’re There: Visit the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor, one of the largest in the U.S. Army Museum System (”Guide to U.S. Army Museums” (1997) by Cody Phillips)
3. Home of Warren Buffett - Omaha, Nebraska
   If you’re obsessed with investing, you might want to check out the birth place and hometown of the richest man in the world in 2008. Omaha is where Buffett earned his first dollars delivering newspapers, bought his first piece of land and where he still lives in the modest house he bought in 1958. It’s also where the headquarters of his company, Berkshire Hathaway are located.While You’re There: Buffett is known to be very down to earth, and still dines in local restaurants. Hang around long enough and you could catch a glimpse of this investing superstar, or at least absorb a little bit of his Midwestern, common-sense approach to investing.
4. Mount Washington Hotel - Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
   This regal historic building, open since 1902, is where the Bretton Woods monetary conference took place in 1944, leading to the creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Stories about the hotel’s ghosts also abound, so although the Bretton Woods agreement was signed more than 100 years ago, you could bump into one of its signatories along one of the hotel’s passageways.While You’re There: The hotel is open for business year-round and attracts visitors for its championship golf courses. The Mount Washing Resort is also New Hampshire’s largest ski area.
5. Caymen Islands
   Located 480 miles south of Miami, this island country is one of the world’s largest offshore banking centers, according to a 2006 report by the Bank for International Settlements. The Caymen Islands are also known for giant turtles. As you watch these creatures lumber up the beach, you may not be able to help but ponder the billions of dollars that are slowly accumulating tax-free gains.While You’re There: Snorkel or scuba dive off the islands’ many beaches and soak up some sun.
6. Bre-X Minerals Mining Area - Busang, Indonesia
   If you’re looking for some adventure, head to the dense and humid jungles of the island of Borneo. It is deep within these jungles, in Busang, Indonesia, that Bre-X Minerals claimed it had found huge gold deposits. The claim turned out to be a fraud, leading to the company’s collapse. An April 1997 article in Nothern Miner, stated that locals panning for gold in the nearby river came up empty-handed, but even if you don’t stumble across a gleaming hunk of ore, the jungle is likely to leave you feeling like anything’s possible.While You’re There: Getting to this remote part of Indonesia is difficult. In addition, ongoing ethnic and religious tensions in the country can result in violence and unrest, so check the U.S. Department of State’s International Travel Information before visiting this region.
7. Jekyll Island, Georgia
   This 12-mile-long island along Georgia’s Atlantic Coast became a part of U.S. financial history when, in 1886, it became a private club for some of the country’s richest capitalists, including J.P. Morgan, William Rockefeller and William Vanderbilt. As such, it was on this island that a secret group of the country’s financiers met in 1910 to discuss the establishment of what would become the Federal Reserve banking system.While You’re There: Check out Jekyll’s National Historic Landmark District and get a sense of how those 20th century “robber barons” lived.
8. The Louvre - Paris, France
   This Museum in France’s famous capital is the home of the Code of Hammurabi, which includes what may be the first official laws governing relations between creditors and debtors. According to an article by Tonietti Alphonse, which appeared in a 1928 edition of Credit Monthly, the code makes a distinct effort to protect debtors from creditors while also holding the debtor legally responsible for meeting his obligations. The sixth king of Babylon’s (now part of Iraq) reputation as a lawmaker is evident in the U.S. as well, as depicted on several U.S. government buildings, including the U.S. House of Representatives and the Supreme Court building.While You’re There: In Paris, you can enjoy the French lifestyle, sample some world famous cuisine and find just about any activity you can think of to fill your time.
9. Yap Islands, Federated States of Micronesia
   This group of Pacific Ocean islands make up the least Westernized state of the Federate States of Micronesia and is best known for its famous stone money, called “rai”. These giant, donut-shaped stone disks can measure between three inches and 12 feet in diameter, and are valued both for their size and their history. Islanders only use the money for ceremonial purposes - tourists will be happy to learn that the U.S. dollar is used for everyday transactions.While You’re There: Relax! This tropical island boasts relatively low rates of tourism and is known for its beaches and scuba diving.

Celebrate your inner financial geek by unwinding at one of these destinations. If you’re inspired along the way, it could mean many happy returns.

Tags: coastal georgia, georgia coast, jekyll beach vacation, jekyll island, vacation destination
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Looking for a bit of excitement, a taste of glitzy nightlife?

Jekyll Island isn’t for you.

If you’re interested in lowering your blood pressure, though, Jekyll- about an hour and a half south of Savannah- might be just the balm you need, a splendid destination for a day trip or a weekend getaway.

On Jekyll, the smallest of Georgia’s barrier islands, you can chase a little white ball through sand traps, play tennis, or glide along 20 miles of bike paths. If all that sounds too arduous, there are miles of beach where you can simply veg out, soothed by sea breezes.

Brunswick’s Ernie Williams was enjoying his own favorite low-key pastime Saturday, idly hanging a pole from the fishing pier at the island’s Clam Creek Picnic Area. His son, Trey, sat next to him.

“My daddy taught me to fish on Jekyll,” Ernie said. “Like his daddy taught him. Now I bring my boy out here.”

“Caught anything?”

“Not a (colorful adjective) thing,” he said, laughing. “Sure glad we don’t have to depend on this for supper.”

Folks have been fishing around Jekyll since roughly 2500 B.C., when small groups of hunter-gatherers started visiting the island. In the late 16th century A.D., the Spanish were impressed by the numerous right whales in the area and called the island Isla de Ballenas (”Island of Whales.”)

In the 1730s, General James Oglethorpe, interested in protecting Savannah against the Spanish in Florida, dispatched troops to build fortifications on St. Simons Island. After one of the soldiers, William Horton, was granted 500 acres of land by the colony’s trustees, he established residency on nearby Jekyll Island Sir Joseph Jekyll, a prominent Oglethorpe supporter in England). You can still see the ruins of Horton’s house, one of Georgia’s oldest structures, on the island’s north end.

Jekyll’s most prominent historical structure, however, is the Jekyll Island Club, founded in 1886 as a winter retreat for such mega-rich Northern industrialists as Marshall Field, J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer and William Vanderbilt. Surrounding the Queen Anne-style clubhouse, several of the club members built grand winter homes - their so-called “cottages” - now restored and open to the public. The clubhouse is now an upscale hotel.

In 1972, the Jekyll Island Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places; in 1978, the 240-acre district was elevated to National Historic Landmark status. Guided tours of the area are available at the Jekyll Island Museum on Stable Road.

Golfers will find three 18-hole courses on Jekyll (Pine Lakes, Oleander, and Indian Mound) and a nine-hole course (Great Dunes). Tee times can be made up to six months in advance. The Jekyll Island Tennis Center features 13 clay courts. Other activities include horseback riding through Jekyll’s maritime forests, kayaking, miniature golf, and the Summer Waves water park, where children can splash through 11 acres of refreshing rides.

For many folks, though, Jekyllis best absorbed in slow motion. Birdwatching is a popular pastime; the island has a sizeable yearlong population and serves as a resting place in the spring and fall for migrating species. Other visitors love to simply amble along the beach, collecting shells.

Some don’t even move that much.

Atlanta’s Kathy Williams and Bonnie Bell, for instance, spent most of last weekend nestled in their cozy beach chairs, gazing out at the Atlantic.

“Just the two of us and a little liquid refreshment,” Williams said.

“Sometimes that’s all a couple of girls need.”

Reprinted from Savannahnow.com

Tags: jekyll island beach, vacation
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Remember the Turner South network? Well they had this series called, “3-Day Weekend,” and they did one about Jekyll Island! Check it out!

Tags: , 3-Day Weekend on Jekyll Island, georgia coast, jekyll island georgia, jekyll island vacation
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Would you rather surf the ocean or the World Wide Web? Watch a movie or a campfire? Which do you think your children would choose? A Nature Conservancy-funded study showed that many of us would likely choose the movie or the Web. We’re more removed from nature than we have ever been in history. As a nation, we’re becoming more “indoorsy”, and that’s not a good thing.
The study reports that visits to U.S. national parks have been declining since 1987, after having risen for the previous 50 years. Researchers said that video games, home movie rentals, going out to movies, Internet use, and rising fuel prices explained almost 98 percent of the decline. The drop in attendance comes as our use of electronic media has risen - something that researchers call “evidence of a fundamental shift away from people’s appreciation of nature.”
“When children choose TVs over trees, they lose touch with the physical world outside and the fundamental connection of those places to our daily lives,” said Steve McCormick, President and CEO of The nature Conservancy.
Jekyll Island is an ideal place for you and your family to reconnect with nature. It has been and always will be a place of natural beauty and conservation because 65% of the island will always be in its natural state. Everything you need to reawaken your inner Thoreau is here-nestled safely and conveniently on Jekyll Island.
“We demonstrate our values in the way we allocate our time,” said Patricia Zaradic, an ecologist with the Stroud Water Research Center who worked on the study. “Research indicates that children who experience nature with a mentor develop an appreciation of nature as adults.”
Children who are led by their parents to experience nature firsthand also learn habits that support a healthy lifestyle. Spending time engaged in the natural world is far preferable to spending time parked in front of a television screen.
So leave your laptops for another day. You need not give up your video games for good. But you can unplug from this 21st century world, and give your attention to the beautiful, great outdoors and the diverse creatures living within it. Jekyll Island promises something special for every member of your family, regardless of age or interests. How many video games can say that?
Come and see what’s outside on Jekyll Island!
With 10 miles of unspoiled beaches, beach lovers have plenty of space to sunbathe, swim, walk or search for shells. You’re sure to see many live creatures as well, including hermit crabs and sand dollars. Preserve the Island’s shoreline environment by leaving these interesting beach dwellers just as you find them and take only a few of your favorite shells.
As a barrier island, Jekyll Island’s beaches are unique and ever-changing.

For your convenience, public showers and restrooms are located at several sites and picnic areas.
Here is a bird lover’s paradise. A vast variety of birds make the island home. In addition to those, the island serves as a resting place in the spring and fall for migrating species on the Atlantic Flyway. The island has been designated an “Important Birding Area (IBA)” by the Georgia Audubon Societies. It is one of 18 sites along the Colonial Coast Birding Trail and boasts several significant birding sites: near the Welcome Center on the Jekyll Island Causeway; at Clam Creek on the northern side of the island; and at the “Glory” beach near the Jekyll Island Soccer Complex. New birding platforms are scheduled for construction at Driftwood Beach and the St. Andrews picnic area.
With 206 campsites available on 18 wooded acres, Jekyll Island has something for everybody– from tent sites to full hook-up to pull-through RV sites. The campground offers a long list of amenities, including restrooms, showers, pay phones, laundry and a full-service store with food, ice, bait, propane, supplies and bike rentals. Daily rates are available year round. For guests wishing to stay a bit longer, the campground offers a week-long special: stay six days and the seventh is free. Monthly stay rates are available November through March. Other times, a 14-day camping limit may apply.
The Georgia 4-H Tidelands Nature Center offers hands-on exhibits for the kids as well as guided nature walks and kayak or canoe tours. Guided activities include nature walks, Historic District Landscape Tours, and Turtle Walks (from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center), offered from May through August).
On a guided nature walk, you will spend a couple of hours to walking the beach, maritime forest or marsh with an experienced naturalist.
Explore the area by kayak or canoe on a three-hour guided tour of the local salt marshes and estuarial waters. Learn about wading birds, fiddler crabs, marsh grass and dolphins. There’s no better way to observe birds, fish and other coastal creatures in their native habitat.
Both canoe rentals and kayak tours are available March through October. Sea Kayaks, a more maneuverable and stable relative of the traditional kayak, also are available for saltwater excursions. Rentals, instruction and guided tours are available by calling (912) 635-5032.
Jekyll Island is perfectly suited for travel by bicycle. With more than 20 miles of paved trails, you can explore a broad range of scenery, from beaches to forests to Jekyll Island’s own Historic Landmark District and campgrounds. Free trail maps are available at the Jekyll Island Welcome Center.
Jekyll Wharf and Jekyll Harbor Marina are two points of access to the many water activities along coastal Georgia. Spend a day sightseeing, dolphin spotting or on a sailing tour.
For the fishermen, the island’s knowledgeable fishing captains know all of the best spots to catch a variety of fish, including Tarpon, Whiting, Red Drum, Sea Trout, Triple Tail, Spotted Sea Trout, Striped Mullet, Sheepshead, and Black Drum, just to name a few. Loggerhead sea turtles have found safe haven on Jekyll Island. Their nests, tucked among the dunes of Jekyll Island’s beaches, have made the island a major site for conservation and education. Sea turtle nests are marked and monitored by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. From May through August, female loggerhead turtles swim ashore, dig their nests and lay their eggs.
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center, a $3 million center, includes a learning center, rehabilitation center and veterinary clinic, is the first of its kind in Georgia. The Center officially opened June 16, 2007. For more information about the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and related programs, visit www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org
Jekyll Island has been a golf destination since 1898, when Jekyll Island Club members added the first course on the island near the present-day airport. Today, Jekyll Island boasts 63 holes of golf on three 18-hole courses and one 9-hole course, earning Jekyll Island the bragging rights as Georgia’s largest public golf resort. During course design of Pine Lakes Course, Clyde Johnston incorporated “Family Friendly” tee boxes, making this the only course in America that allows players of all ages to compete evenly.
Boasting 13 clay courts (seven of which are lighted), the Jekyll Island Tennis Center earned a spot among Tennis Magazine’s “25 Best Municipal Tennis Facilities” in the country. The Jekyll Island Tennis Center hosts six USTA-Sanctioned tournaments annually, as well as junior camps throughout the summer. Ongoing adult programs include clinics and round-robin tournaments, which are offered between October and March. The Center’s staff can arrange pick-up games for single players, as well as offer private and group lessons. Also available are rental racquets and ball machines, as well as equipment repair. Weekly, monthly and annual single-person and family memberships can be purchased as well.
For a totally different perspective, saddle up and experience Jekyll Island on horseback. Guided tours originate from the Clam Creek picnic area on the island’s north end, make their way though maritime forests and along the salt marshes, then return along beautiful Driftwood Beach. Reservations are required and can be made Monday through Saturday (weather permitting) at Victoria’s Carriages and Trail Rides at the Island History Center on Stable Road.
There are plenty of ways to unplug and unwind on Jekyll Island. If you need some ideas, just check out www.jekyllisland.com or our Welcome Center on the Jekyll Island causeway!

Tags: beach vacation, biking, georgia coast, golf vacation, golfing, jekyll island, nature conservancy study
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