Free Room Upgrade at the Oceanside Inn & Suites on Jekyll Island from May 1st – 31st
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Posts Tagged ‘ jekyll island vacation ’
What’s New at the Days Inn on Jekyll Island?
Friday, April 9th, 2010
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Historic Savings For a Historic Destination
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
A Hot-Hot-Hot Deal from the Jekyll Oceanfront Resort
Monday, April 5th, 2010
People Love the New Hampton Inn and Suites on Jekyll Island
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
Thought we’d share a letter the General Manager of the new Hampton Inn & Suites on Jekyll Island received from a guest:
Good Morning Deborah,
I am a Hilton Gold Member and my husband and I just celebrated our 24th Wedding Anniversary and we stayed at your Hotel this past weekend. I just wanted to say thank you for the sweet little gifts and we had a great time. I’m so happy that we final have a Hilton on the island. My family and I have vacationed at Jekyll for several years. We just live in Callahan, FL so it is a easy hour and half drive.
We look forward to our next stay with you. Have a wonderful and blessed day.
Cindy Russ
A FAMILY REUNION AT THE JEKYLL ISLAND CLUB HOTEL, “IT’S ALMOST LIKE COMING HOME”
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
When winter is just a memory and warm breezes remind the family of good times on Jekyll Island, it’s hard to get the car packed and down the driveway soon enough.
The Jekyll Island Club Hotel each year welcomes families from across the country and many from abroad. This time of year, the landscapers have nurtured the lawns and gardens, the chefs have created exciting new menus for the season, and the accommodations have the charm and appeal of a life of elegant leisure. Special packages have been created to accommodate families on a budget. The Jekyll Island Club Hotel is the ideal location for a family getaway or reunion. Situated on this beautiful barrier island with ten miles of ocean beach, the hotel offers an adventure opportunity for every member of the family. The Grand Dining Room and the Courtyard at Crane restaurants offer gourmet dining. The kid-friendly favorites are Café Solterra, a bakery/delicatessen and the Poolside Grill (open seasonally).
In this historic landmark setting, the choices for customizing a family reunion are many. For example, several cottages may be reserved for the exclusive use of the family. One of these, Cherokee Cottage, has ten rooms and suites plus a spacious area for the family to gather for those memorable, cozy evenings together. The Sans Souci building, which has 24 rooms and suites, also has two beautifully appointed hospitality rooms. Crane Cottage, an Italian Renaissance structure, has 13 rooms and suites as well as the Courtyard at Crane restaurant for alfresco and indoor dining. Arrangements may be made for volleyball on the lawn or beach, a croquet tournament, or a shrimp boat excursion. The Hotel also has a photographer for hire (available by appointment) to take family photographs and group portraits.
Betty N. Mori, who has coordinated her family’s reunion here, described her experience in a recent interview. We have had several family reunions, five or six, at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Several generations of us gather for this important tradition. Many times, we’ve gathered at Thanksgiving. Family members of all ages begin appearing at the hotel on Wednesday night from various parts of the country. They bring their little children, and one family member is in his mid 80’s. For some, it’s the only visit of the year, and we’re so very glad to see one another.
This year it was my turn to coordinate the event at the Club, and we expected 60-100 people. The hotel has some wonderful, professional people who helped with everything we needed. From Sales to Catering, they handled it graciously. Our Thanksgiving dinnerin the Club Ballroom was, well… wonderful. Our sales representative suggested the hospitality suite in the Sans Souci building as a central meeting spot, and it was lovely. At the last reunion, we organized a trip on a shrimp boat, and we had such fun. Later some of the family took a nature walk while others visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. I just cannot think of a better place to have a family reunion.
• more information
Every member of your family will find exciting, fun things to do together at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. For information or reservations contact the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, 371 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA, 31527, call 912-635-2600 or 800-535-9547, e-mail sales@jekyllclub.com or visit our web site at www.jekyllclub.com
Discover the Gold Standard by Yasmin Smith
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Discover the Gold Standard by Yasmin Smith
Jekyll Island, one of Georgia’s Golden Isles, delights travelers with its rich history and natural beauty. Whether you’re seeking a weekend away with your honey or a family-friendly vacation, this place has it all and is a mere stone’s throw from Atlanta. Read the full article here.
Great Geocaching on Jekyll Island
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
A few of the great comments left in the logs of our geocaches lately…
ConnArtist found Enjoy the Sunset (Traditional Cache) at 3/23/2010
Log Date: 3/23/2010
Funny, same coords as last time took us 100 feet in another direction, and, eventually, the find. A serving of crab balls is only 8 bucks, but it takes a whole lot of crab balls to make a meal! Unfortunately for us, they were clean out of crab balls when we arrived late in the afternoon. They did, however, have fabulous raw oysters…this place is a funky treasure! Thanks for getting us here…………
ConnArtist found Ruins (Traditional Cache) at 3/23/2010
Log Date: 3/23/2010
Cache was in the open. Wonder if a critter is moving it! 
Well, we put it back, just like the last folks to find.
T a fish
L a car
TFTC!!!
americantracker found Super Nature Trail (Traditional Cache) at 3/13/2010
Log Date: 3/13/2010
two gators one in the water and one on the trail!! TFTC
Oldtechies found Circle of Oaks (Traditional Cache) at 3/20/2010
Log Date: 3/20/2010
Loved our visit to the island. Took the tram tour, then walked around the area and found the cache. We’re visiting from CA. Brought some TBs to place here on the east coast. Glad to find a cache large enough for one. L TB and pencil, TN TFTC SL
c&s 143 found Glory Glory (Traditional Cache) at 3/20/2010
Log Date: 3/20/2010
Found this one today as our last find for this trip. We haven’t seen the movie but might have to check it out after being here. Thanks for all the great caches and we look forward to coming back to get more. TFTC!!
Team J&K found The Villas (Traditional Cache) at 3/19/2010
Log Date: 3/19/2010
Found while biking all over Jekyll Island. Another good hide in a great location. We used the chairs after the find.
Kazoo Enthusiasts Hummed A Happy Tune at Morgan’s Bar & Grill
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010Fun loving winter residents of Jekyll Island that are always looking for a good time and the opportunity to share their quirky talents established Jekyll Island’s first Kazoo Night. Morgan’s Grill was hopping with friendly chatter, mouth watering food and the hum of Kazoos Friday March 12 during their weekly sing-a-long happy hour. Musicians Chip Ward & Friends played to a packed house playing their hometown tunes while being accompanied by an audience of Kazoo enthusiasts.
New Jekyll Island Hotel Takes Green Practices to the Next Level
Friday, March 5th, 2010
Build an eco-friendly, beachside hotel using sustainable practices to help preserve one of the eastern seaboard’s few remaining true maritime forest and dune eco-systems. The developers of the new Hampton Inn & Suites on Georgia’s Jekyll Island did just that when building the barrier island’s first new hotel in 35 years.
New Castle Hotels & Resorts, a leading hotel ownership and development company and third-party manager, and co-developers Jekyll Ocean Oaks, LLC, an affiliate of the ownership group of the island’s existing Jekyll Island Club Hotel, followed an extensive set of guidelines, adopted by the Jekyll Island Authority, that require development respect and preserve the unique natural environment and historic character of the island. Developers applied a range of conservation practices throughout the building process, and incorporated sustainability practices into the hotel’s operation, including:
- Building the new hotel on the existing footprint of an older motel in order to avoid cutting old growth trees on the 5-acre site.
- Detailed mapping of tree locations and evaluation of their health and relative importance by a certified arborist.
- Planting of new live oak trees to replace a dozen trees removed to accommodate redevelopment of the site, and more than two dozen trees that were in poor health.
- Recycling materials like steel, copper, concrete and aluminum from the demolition of the older motel.
- Mounting elevated exterior downlighting on existing trees to avoid the cost and energy use related to manufacturing and installing aluminum poles for parking areas.
- To provide hotel guests with beach access and still preserve the forest and dune area, developers built an elevated wooden walkway. Hotel operations employ a host of sustainable practices, including:
- Rainwater is collected from the 25,000-square-foot roof and stored in a cistern for irrigating landscaping.
- The hotel’s laundry system recaptures final rinse water moisture from the dryers for reuse as wash water, conserving both water and energy. The system also scavenges waste heat from the dryers and reuses it to preheat water for the washing machines, recovering up to 90 percent of the waste heat and reducing overall energy consumption in the laundry by more than 50 percent.
- Use of solar thermal panels on the south-facing roof to preheat water for hot water systems that service guestrooms, restrooms and kitchens. The system reduces the burning of propane, a fossil fuel, to produce heat, thus reducing the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by the property.
- Thorough insulation and cladding with cement board, as well as the four-story design, require less energy for HVAC systems. Motion sensors control bathroom ventilation fans, and ENERGY STAR rated appliances and equipment further reduce overall energy consumption.
The 138-room Hampton Inn & Suites Jekyll Island opened in January 2010, the first new hotel to be built on the island in 35 years. Among Georgia’s 14 barrier islands, Jekyll Island is one of just four accessible by causeway.
2010 Jekyll Island Arts Association Arts Festival
Monday, March 1st, 2010
By Nancy Kring Rowan
The smell of oil paints and potter’s dust is in the air and Jekyll Island’s Historic District is abuzz with creative energies.
The annual Jekyll Island Arts Association’s Arts Festival is coming to the island the weekend of March 12th-14th from 10 AM to 4 PM on the grounds of Goodyear Cottage. This free annual event, co-chaired by Kate Hamer and Carol Healy, is a three-day extravaganza highlighting the works of many of the Association’s 432 members coming from all over North America. It is also a shopping mecca for all art lovers.
Approximately thirty-four years ago, the annual Arts Festival took flight as a way for the Jekyll Island Arts Association’s members to submit their art for judging and present an exhibit to the public. This festival has evolved into an unequaled event consisting of a committee of 35 people, nearly one hundred volunteers and attracting over 3,000 visitors yearly. With so many high-caliber artists participating, the Arts Festival promises to be competitive and feature an exhibit of the highest quality.
Founded in 1966, the Jekyll Island Arts Association (JIAA), located in Goodyear Cottage, is comprised of guilds in pottery, woodcarving, weaving, porcelain arts, a choral group, and talented artists working in all mediums. The organization funds a student summer program for classical musicians and Glynn County’s annual high school art show as well as monthly art programs and exhibits. The JIAA provides annual classes in ceramics, porcelain arts, needlework, painting, pottery, photography, jewelry making, quilting, sewing, weaving and wood carving to all of its members.
Most submissions to the Arts Festival will be for sale after judging and the “Festival Shop” will be open for purchasing that hard to find handmade item during the festival’s operating hours. In addition to the exhibit and shop, the Jekyll Island Arts Association will have demonstrations by weavers, carvers, painters and potters going on during the Festival as well as the unveiling of a special art fundraiser. The ever popular Festival Bake Sale will be selling delicious homemade baked goods and lunch can be found at “The Café” where famous Brunswick stew will be served with cornbread and coleslaw. Hot dogs, hamburgers and cold drinks will also be available during “The Café’s” hours of 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Please plan to attend this very special event and support Jekyll Island’s talented artist community.
March’s Jekyll Island Calendar of Events
Monday, March 1st, 2010March 5–7
The Seventh Annual Sandy PawsGreyt Fun in the Sun Greyhound Gathering
Open to all greyhound owners, non-greyhound owners and the public. Walk-in registration available. Events include: a Parade, shopping with vendors specializing in greyhound items, “The Rootique”, selling Sandy Paws merchandise, Friday evening Dinner (Roo-ing Away Again in Margaretville is the theme for this year), Group photo, a blessing and memorial, an ice cream social, car decorating contest, crowning of a King & Queen and lots of other activities. Sandy Paws is a neutral and non-political event geared toward celebrating the breed, promoting adoption and gathering other greyhound families.
Jekyll Oceanfront Clarion Resort
March 6
Oyster Shell Bagging
Two Sessions: 9 to 11 a.m. and noon to 2 p.m.
Please come prepared with closed-toe shoes and clothes you will not mind getting dirty. Water and gloves will be provided. A pre-bagging educational presentation about the G.E.O.R.G.I.A. program is available upon request. Please RSVP to caseys@uga.edu or (912) 264-7323.When responding, please mention whether or not you plan to attend the pre-bagging educational presentation. Aid us in obtaining oyster shell by letting friends and neighbors know about our oyster shell recycling & restoration program.
Jekyll Island Recycling Center
March 6
Pamela Bauer Mueller Book Signing
10 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Pamela Bauer Mueller, a 2009 Georgia Author of the Year will be signing her new historical novel SPLENDID ISOLATION: The Jekyll Island Millionaires’ Club.
Oceanfront Clarion Resort
March 12–13
Peaches to the Beaches Yard Sale
Friday & Saturday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
This treasure-finding Yard Sale event stretches over 170 miles on Hwy 341 through Georgia’s Golden Isles Parkway and the Peach Blossom Trail. Starting in Perry, the Yard Sale goes through 16 towns and communities, ending inside Jekyll Island’s beachfront Convention Center.
Inside Caldwell Hall, Jekyll Island Convention Center
March 12-14
Jekyll Island Arts Association Arts Festival, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
A three-day event every arts enthusiast will enjoy. Artists from all over North America compete for prizes and sell their creations. Enjoy food, crafts, demonstrations and purchase that hard to find piece of art you have always wanted. In addition, take part in the unveiling of the Arts Association’s and Jekyll Island Authority’s special art fundraiser.
Goodyear Cottage, Jekyll Island Historic District
March 23
Jekyll Singers, 7 p.m.
This free March Madness concert performed by a group of over 40 talented artists will take you on a musical adventure from the ridiculous to the sublime. Refreshments will be served.
Jekyll Island Convention Center
Jekyll Island’s Winter Guest Activities
Monday, March 1st, 2010SPORTS
Golf
Winter Guest Clinics
Wed., Dec. 16 – April 28, 10–11:30 a.m. Learn tips from the pros on how to improve your game and get answers to specific problems you might have. Reservations: (912) 635-2368 www.golf.jekyllisland.com
Jekyll Island Tennis Center
Captain Wylly Road, (912) 635-3154 Wednesday’s Wimbledon mixed doubles 10 a.m. – noon. Tuesday’s Tennis Clinic-tennis instruction with USPTA pro Pete Poole and assistant pro Morgan Meacham Saturday Morning Clinics Beginning Juniors instruction 9–10 a.m. followed by intermediate and advanced juniors at 10–11:30 a.m. Match play begins at 11:30.
FOOD AND FUN
Happy Hour, Morgan’s Bar & Grill
Jekyll Island Golf Course Fridays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Location on map p. 8 & 9) Listen to the hometown music by Chip & Friends and enjoy a full menu selection from Morgan’s Bar & Grill.
Happy Hour, the Bistro Lounge
The Driftwood Bistro, Villas by the Sea Monday–Friday 4 to 6 p.m. Enjoy half-priced well brands.
Trivia Night, Sea Jays Restaurant
Wednesday, 7 p.m. Lots of competitive fun and great food. Get your team together or join one there for an evening of question and answer fun. Enjoy $2 Drafts & House Wines and $5 Snackers appetizers.
Red Bug Bingo, Red Bug Motors Pizza & Pub
Mondays 4–9 p.m. Reservations are suggested (912)635-9730 Drink and food specials available.
THE ARTS
Fiore Sculpture Exhibit
Mistletoe Cottage, Historic District Every Saturday & Sunday, 2–4 p.m. Fiore sculpture exhibit, featuring more than 100 original works of former island resident Russell Fiore, is open to public.
Goodyear Cottage Gallery and Shop
Historic District Monday–Friday noon – 4 p.m. Weekends 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sponsored by the Jekyll Island Arts Association. Free Admission (912) 635-3920
Give Yourself a Break this Spring at the Days Inn & Suites on Jekyll Island
Monday, March 1st, 2010Relax at the Award-Winning Days Inn & Suites on Jekyll Island. “Some of our best weather of the year is during spring break, from mid March to mid April,” exclaims Shirley Rayhon, general manager of the Days Inn & Suites on Jekyll Island.
“The days are warm, the azaleas are in bloom, and the beach is perfect for walking and sunbathing. And for our guests who think the ocean is a bit chilly, we have a large new heated pool and a hot tub.”
Located on 2,500 feet of beachfront property, the Days Inn & Suites boasts 84 tastefully decorated, very affordable guest rooms and 40 oceanfront suites with kitchenettes. The hotel, which completed a $4.5 million renovation in 1999, has a number of attractive amenities, including a complimentary continental breakfast (some say it’s the best on the island!) served to all guests on the second floor of the inn overlooking the Atlantic.
The famed Historic District of Jekyll, with its majestic Jekyll Island Club, quaint shops, and fascinating museums is only minutes away. Rent a bike at the hotel and tour this scenic island that in the late 1800s and early 1900s was the exclusive retreat of the Vanderbilts, Morgans, Goodyears, Pulitzers, and other wealthy American families.
The Days Inn & Suites offers several exciting vacation packages. “The Treasure Island package is one of our most popular,” says Shirley. “It includes accommodations for two people for two nights with deluxe continental breakfast each morning, a Jekyll Island Historic Tour, and a dinner/gambling cruise on the Emerald Princess casino ship. Guests also receive a unique island treasure as a gift upon arrival, two themed t-shirts, and a $50.00 dinner voucher for two at an island restaurant.”
The hotel’s new Land and Sea package is also very popular. It includes a 90-minute guided dolphin cruise along the Intercoastal Waterway of Jekyll Island, four hours of bike rental for two (choice of two bikes or surrey), dinner voucher for $50.00 to Latitude 31 restaurant overlooking the water in the Historic District, and a tour of the acclaimed Georgia Sea Turtle Center.
Golfing and other packages are also available. To learn more and to make reservations, visit daysinnjekyll.com, or call 888-635-3003. Reservations for packages must be made at least five days in advance of arrival.
Jekyll Island Museum Tour Schedule
Monday, March 1st, 2010Passport to the Century
Travel into the past. Hear the remarkable story of the Jekyll Island Club in the American Gilded Era and enter two restored cottages filled with rich tales and elegant furnishings.
March 1 – July 1, 2010 I 11 am, 1 pm, & 3 pm daily, Approximately 90 minutes.
$16 Adults, $7 Children 6-12 (Free under 6).
Historic Faith Chapel
Enjoy the charming chapel which Club Member Frederic Baker wanted to be “worthy of the island.” Delight in the architectural whimsy of its animal carvings, terra cotta gargoyles, and Tiffany and Armstrong stained glass windows.
Open Daily (Subject to prior private rentals) | 2–4 p.m. | Admission is free
Self-Guided Walking Tours
Purchase a souvenir guidebook full of the museum’s archival images to genuinely appreciate the island’s detailed architecture and rich history. Explore the inviting pathways of the National Historic Landmark District on bicycle or by foot and find a treasure trove of information panels throughout the district.
Daily | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. I Tour availability and pricing subject to change
(912) 635-4036 | www.jekyllisland.com/history
Additional specialty tours and rates are available for parties of 20 or more.
Tours operate daily except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Travels with Jake and Stone: A Paradise Lite
Friday, February 19th, 2010Thanks for Sharing Jake and Stone!
Reposted with permission from travelgracenotes.blogspot.com
Travels with Jake and Stone: A Paradise Lite.
A Paradise Lite
Jake and Stone had been to Jekyll Island back in the pre-blog days of early 2008 on our way down to Florida to visit our old friends, the Farles, who were being held captive in Hollywood, FL, by the collapsing real estate market. On our drive down we stayed two nights in Jekyll and liked it so much we vowed to come back for a longer visit. Two years later we did so.
Thursday, January 21, 2010 – Our ride down from Jersey to Washington, DC, proves to be surprisingly easy. We rendezvous with our old DC pals, Da Labetts, and the previously mentioned Farles, for dinner at the Carlyle in the DC suburb of Shirlington. When we parked in the garage nearest the restaurant we parked in one of the many spots reserved for “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report: 9am-5pm.” And sure enough, WNET was right across the street, where they are apparently in no hurry to repaint the reservations with the updated “NewsHour” name.
Our meal was a wonderful all-around experience – great food, good wine, good service, and a stylish atmosphere. The crowd was typically DC, which meant it was hard to find anyone over 30 years old. And it was busy. It seems that in DC they have yet to hear about the recession. The dinner was a terrific way to start this vacation, that celebrates our 30th anniversary, with two other couples so happily married for almost as long. God bless us, everyone.
Friday, January 22, 2010 – We breakfast at a suburban DC diner called the Music Box and again we are six in number. But here Mrs Da L (who had to work, poor dear) has been replaced by the Farles’ son who will soon begin work in DC as a lawyer. After eggs and ham, and hugs and goodbyes, we hit the road aiming for Lexington, VA. The drive is rainy and cool, with some trees actually frosted by twinkling ice.
In Lexington we have some soup at a little bakery on Washington Street, then walk over to the campus of Washington and Lee University for a tour of Lee Chapel and Museum, which we can highly recommend. Highlights: the early portrait of a young George Washington by Peale that hangs on the left side of the chapel, the recumbent statue of Lee which dominates the scene, the concise museum downstairs, and finally, the Lee family crypt. This chapel — which is not really a chapel in the usual sense, having no religious or denominational connection — serves as a reminder of the religiosity that marked the Civil War, since it could be argued that Robert E. Lee lies in the crypt below the chapel in the same manner and for the same reasons that Popes are interred in the Vatican Grotto.
But then again, this is Virginia, not Rome, and it should be noted that outside the chapel, near the crypt doors as a matter of fact, one can visit another marked interment: that of General Lee’s horse, Traveller.
We spend the night at the Kerr House B&B in Statesville, NC. Unlike DC, here there is a recession. The restaurant we wanted to go to has closed, as has the music place we had hoped to frequent after dinner. At least the B&B proves to be quite nice (though up for sale!) and we get a good night’s sleep.
Saturday, January 23, 2010 – After a good breakfast and a friendly chat with the B&B owners we head down toward Walterboro, SC, which bills itself as “The Front Porch of the Low Country.” In the attractive historic area of town we drop into the Downtown Books and Espresso for a light lunch of coffee and pastry. Two elderly women sit and knit at one of the communal tables; we ask if we can join them, they say “of course.”
One of the best reasons to travel is to realize your own presumptions. We had sat down thinking we would find little in common with these two old, small town women and their knitting. Well, turns out they had just come back from a vacation themselves – to Peru! They talked of sharing some local “brew” with almost toothless native men in a dirt floored café of sorts, of hiking around Machu Picchu, and of para-gliding(!) off the cliffs of Lima. It all made Jekyll Island seem rather tame. Still we had a wonderful time talking with them, and realized what we would realize again and again on this trip – that down here conversation comes easily.
We get to Jekyll at 4pm, get the keys to our 2 BR duplex, and move in, all before 
dark. Down here just above Florida there is at least one more hour of daylight than back home. We want to make it over to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel while there is still light, for we know from previous experience that the Club’s sprawling grounds can be difficult to navigate after dark.
We make it to one of the hotel’s several eateries, Vincent’s Pub, just as happy hour is ending, which is good, because it opens up some seats in this intimate place. We toast our first night in Jekyll with a couple of martinis, then order some crab cakes and a burger from the room service menu, despite the 20% service charge. Though happy hour has expired, several southern male aristocrats are still seriously in the spirit of the hour(s) past, but we find charm in their bluster, thanks to their accents and our martinis.
Just outside Vincent’s and up one level is the hotel’s in-house deli where we get some java and croissants to go. Even at night the grounds of this grand old place, once the exclusive haunt of millionaires, are quietly enchanting. Our walk back to the car, amidst the quiet demi-dark of palm trees and formal gardens, seems magical, but looming as well. But once back in our simple but sweet 2BR place all that truly looms is a good night’s sleep.
Sunday, January 24, 2010 – Bike rental for the two of us for what’s left of the week is about $100. We take the bikes for a little exploratory ride down to the beach via King Avenue where we see way more birds than people. We do some food shopping at the little grocery store in the strip mall that is the only serious retail on the island. Today’s temp is perfect for us: 61 degrees.
Stone drops Jake off for some windy golf at Great Dunes, an interesting 9-holer that dates from 1926 and costs but $10 to walk. The layout is basically links-like, except for the 
occasional stand of wind-blown trees, and the grass is all brown (dormant, Jake guesses) except for the greens, which range in size from small to micro. In fact, Jake stepped off the two axises of the the circular 9th green and they each measured 16 paces. While Jake fights the wind and his game, Stone drives around a bit, visiting the sea turtle center and finding a close-in parking spot for our next visit to the hotel. Back at the ranch/duplex we do some lunch, some napping, some reading, and then it is time for dinner and a DVD movie.
Monday, January 25, 2010 – Stone says Jake slept trough a major thunderstorm last
night and on Jake’s morning bike ride to get a newspaper the evidence of the downpour is everywhere. Puddles dot the bike trail, and the broad and empty beach looks newly washed, with nary a footprint marring its plaster like sand.
Besides Great Dunes, Jekyll has three 18-hole golf courses, but today Oleander is closed because it is too wet to play. The starter suggests Indian Mound where, even though it is sunny and prime golf time (10 am) Jake tees off alone. The course has brown fairways, is very wet and the wind is quite stiff most of the time, but the sky is sun-filled and for $26 to walk it’s one heck of a deal. There is no extra charge for seeing a rather large turtle (at least by Jersey standards) and several herons. Stone spends the morning biking and walking along the beach. We both need some nap time after our lunch back in the duplex.
When we were here before we had a good meal at Coastal Kitchen so we go then again tonight for dinner; we are not disappointed. This classy restaurant, right off the causeway on the way to St. Simons Island, features a large list of wine by the glass and great seafood, including fresh, wild Georgia shrimp.
After dinner we drive into St. Simons looking for the movie theater that seems so easy to find on Google maps. Alas, we get lost in a maze of malls that would do Jersey proud, and are about to give up when we spot a small sign that saves the night. We catch the last show of the night, “Sherlock Holmes,” which gets out at about midnight. Rather than risk another mall maze we see a sign for I-95 and know our way from there, so we take the Interstate home.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 — Jake bikes into the strip mall again for the morning 
paper. The day is sunny and breezy. The ocean along the bike path is much calmer than yesterday and several people walk the sand. After breakfast we two take a beach walk. After our walk we visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and its attached turtle hospital, which proves quite interesting. We had hoped to have lunch at the Crane Cottage but it is closed, so we walk over to Latitude 31, but they are not doing lunch either. We end up at Morgan’s Grill at the golf course(s), which serves surprisingly good golfer food.
Since tonight is our anniversary night we go upscale to Halyards restaurant on St. Simons Island. The drinks and wine are first rate. Stone’s Chilean sea bass is wonderful, as is Jake’s blue fin tuna salad. Finding out that it is our anniversary they give us a free dessert. It all makes for a memorable evening and we don’t even get lost going home.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 – Another day of sunshine and temps (eventually) in the low 60’s. Did somebody say perfect? We do breakfast at Morgan’s before Jake does another 18 holes, this time on Pine Lakes. Jake plays with a friendly married couple who summer in Maine and winter down here. The green fairways (different type of grass?) give Pine Lakes a better look than Indian Mound, and the course is surprising dry, giving a good run to drives that fine the generous fairways.
Stone does a long bike ride of around 10 miles, heading up to the northern end of Jekyll Island and back. Along the way she discovers some gift shops, marsh lands with lots of birds, the historic Horton House and an equally historic cemetery.
As the afternoon lengthens, we head over to the hotel, which is on the western side of this small island (Jekyll must be only about 1.5 miles wide in most places) in hopes of seeing the sunset. At the Lobby Bar (which was featured in the movie, “The Legend of Bagger Vance”) we get our drinks, then find some seats on the veranda 
overlooking the sculptured lawns, the palms trees, the walking paths, and the developing sunset over the small river that separates Jekyll from mainland Georgia. There are maybe half a dozen other people on the veranda. We all fall into easy conversation as the sun sets, the sky ribbons itself in purplish rust, and another wonderful day on Jekyll slips into darkness.
Thursday, January 27, 2010 – Stone is eager to show Jake what she discovered on yesterday’s bike ride, so off we go on the main bike path north. Last night on the veranda we were told not to miss Driftwood Beach, which is on the northern part of the island, and indeed to day we find it just off the bike path through a set of trees. Driftwood Beach is littered with giant trees, apparently washed up during Hurricane Hugo. No wonder it is the most photographed place on a very picturesque island. Along the beach we find some sand dollars that are still alive and some unusual shells, including welks, one with the little animal still inside!
The bike trail then heads into a vast marshland where herons and egrets stalk the muddy ri
vulets with patience and a ballet-like tempo that can be mesmerizing to watch. At the top of the island there is a fishing pier and a picnic area. Then we bike down the west side of Jekyll, curving through miles of high trees that drip Spanish moss almost ostentatiously, as if each tree were trying to out festoon its neighbor.
Back down near the hotel we ride on Old Plantation Road to the Crane Cottage (built in 1919 by one of Jekyll’s millionaire families), where after a comfortable 15 minute wait in the cottage’s “living room,” (made more comfortable by a waitress taking our drink order) we have an alfresco lunch aside the cottage’s center courtyard and loggia (this millionaire had a thing for Italian architecture); delightful in every way.
Later in the day, around 4:30, when it’s safe to say hardly anyone will be on the golf courses, Jake finally gets Stone to join him in hitting and then chasing the little white ball around the landscaping. We have a wonderful time by ourselves on the Oleander course, which is now open for play but still quite wet. We end up having only time for seven holes
before darkness sets in, but during our good-walk-not-spoiled we see a family of deer and a lone bald eagle, hear an owl hoot from somewhere in the gloaming, and watch the almost full moon harden into view above the pine trees, tall guardians of this bit of Nature.
Friday, January 29, 2010 – This morning both of us bike for the paper, and as we pass the beach we spot four or five dolphins less than 100 yards off shore; quite thrilling for us. While watching the dolphins we meet a guy from Florida (he is not particularly impressed by the dolphins’ presence – he says sees them all the time where he lives) who used to live on St. Simons. Again we fall into easy conversation about this and that, and he ends up giving us some local recommendations for food on St. Simons: Barbara Jean’s for crab cakes, Sweet Mama’s for breakfast and the 4th of May for just good local food.
While Stone spends the day reading and biking and walking, it’s another golf day for Jake. He plays on Pine Lakes again, with another husband and wife duo, this time from North Carolina. Jake enjoys the round, which includes a baby alligator sighting, yet finds that the golf on Jekyll has not all that he had hoped. Perhaps his hopes had been too high. The golf is plentiful and cheap, but he found the 18-holers to be without much personality, and with few memorable holes. In fact, the Great Dunes Nine had the most memorable hole: #5: a 466 yard par 5 that ends with a pur-blind shot to a seriously elevated mini green that overlooks the ocean.
We do an early dinner, do the packing for tomorrow’s leaving, and watch another DVD movie. Outside, our near week of perfect weather (ever day sunny, usually a breeze, mornings in the 40’s, highs near 60) seems about to change. The evening’s sky is full of scudding clouds, the moon rises and then disappears behind a bank of pearly, soon to be charcoal, clouds. On a final check before bedtime, raindrops begin to dot the sidewalk.
Saturday, January 30, 2010 – Rainy but a balmy 57 degrees as we drop off the duplex keys and head back north. Our weather continues to be rainy but is not problematic till just outside Fayetteville, NC, where I-95 slows down due to ice and snow. We pull into Dunn, NC, to find the town beginning to shut down, virtually paralyzed by what is a major ice storm. On the main street we find a fast food place that remains open and have what passes for lunch. We are there a good half hour and all the while not another soul enters the place.
Worried that dinner in town will be impossible, we ask where we might buy provisions and are directed to Wal-Mart where we get some nice snacks and two good looking salad platters. When we arrive at our B&B – it is only a couple of blocks off the main street (which seems to be the only plowed street around) and we are one of the few cars on the road which makes driving on the ice and snow a lot easier – our hosts are kind enough to invite us to dinner that night with them and two other couples who live within walking distance. We offer our salads and a bottle of wine as our contribution to dinner, then go up to our room delighted with our good luck.
The dinner is everything a good dinner party should be – good food, good drinks, good people. Jake and Stone are both put immediately at ease, and we both revel in the dinner conversation that ranges from local politics, neighbors, and the history of Dunn, to more worldly affairs – and those southern accents as well!
After such a dinner it should go without saying that this B&B in Dunn is on our highly recommended list, but even if the storm had not occasioned such generosity 
from our hosts, we would still think that the Simply Divine B&B simply lives up to its name. The bedrooms are large and smartly decorated, the parlors are several and comfortable, and throughout the house, which dates from 1906, there is a pervading sense of quality and pride. And the price was divine, too.
Sunday, January 31, 2010 – The drive north from Dunn on I-95 is slow going at first. After our first 2 hours we had gone only 60 miles. But then things got better and once we hit Virginia it was pretty much clear sailing all the way to Washington, DC – or more specifically, Alexandria, VA.
We checked into the Morrison House in the Old Town part of Alexandria, where somehow we had gotten a room for under $200 total – including taxes and valet parking. We feared such a luxury place might be a little snooty, but everyone on the staff was friendly and helpful, and what few patrons we saw seemed normal enough. Everything was just about perfect – from the plush bathrobes to the free wine hour – except for the WiFi. Why such a “luxury boutique hotel,” has such a Byzantine wireless sign-up process is baffling. We ended up doing without the service. But just to get even, Jake wears his plush bathrobe as often as possible.
We didn’t have much time to explore the area, and the foot travel was made difficult by the often still not-shoveled snow on the narrow sidewalks, but we did discover an interesting place for coffee: Misha’s Coffee Roaster Coffeehouse. Misha’s is the opposite of elegant, but with art on the walls, coffee bean bags lying about, and a variety of clientele, it is its own kind of scene and worth a visit.
Down King Street, about a 10 minute walk from our hotel, is Brabo restaurant, where we meet a couple we became friends with recently and who live in the DC area. We hadn’t seen each other in some time and it was great seeing them again. Brabo is a fairly new restaurant and we hoped it would live up to its generally rave reviews. Well, it did. The room is elegant without being stuffy, the service both friendly and impeccable, the wine affordable, and the menu so enticing that we all had to ask for more time to decide what to eat. At the end of the night we all agreed the evening had been – well, great.
Monday, February 1, 2010 – On the way home, which took us but 3 hours from the hotel to exit 9 on the Dear Old Jersey Pike(!), we reviewed Jekyll to see if we might go again. The weather, the golf, the biking, the walking, the ocean, and the (sea)food, had mostly met or surpassed our expectations. Indeed, our week in Jekyll had turned out to be a sort of toned down version of our month in Sequim, WA, which we consider our summer paradise. We could never spend a month in Jekyll as we did in Sequim, but for a winter’s week (or maybe two weeks, next year) it certainly turned out to be a Paradise Lite.
Jekyll Island Authority Celebrates Indian Mound Cottage Dedication with Ceremony and Open House
Monday, February 15th, 2010Contact: Alexa Elsberry
The Butin Group
akelsberry@thebutingroup.com
(912) 638-9892
Jekyll Island Authority Celebrates Indian Mound Cottage Dedication with Ceremony and Open House
Jekyll Island, GA, February 15, 2010 – Today the Jekyll Island Authority celebrated the dedication and reopening of Indian Mound Cottage. Indian Mound Cottage, part of the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District, had previously been under renovation for the past two years.
Careful attention was given to maintain the historical integrity of the Cottage while updating it with new carpet, fresh paint, and a new roof among other improvements. The dedication ceremonies marked the re-opening of Indian Mound Cottage for public tours.
Indian Mound Cottage was originally built in 1891 as a winter retreat for Gordon McKay but was purchased by the Rockefellers in 1905 to be used as their vacation home. William Rockefeller, brother to John D. Rockefeller and a partner in Standard Oil, was a charter member of the Jekyll Island Club beginning in 1886. He was active in the island life of the Club for 36 years until his death in 1922. William and his wife Almira Rockefeller oversaw the additions and renovations that gave Indian Mound Cottage its present day appearance.
Tours of Indian Mound Cottage are given daily by the Jekyll Island Museum, (912) 635-4036. The cottage is also available for private function event rentals, (912) 635-4403.
Stay an Extra Day on Jekyll Island to go to The Georgia Sea Turtle Center
Monday, February 15th, 2010“Worth the side trip to see!”
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
SizzJulian 2 contributions
Roswell, GA
Feb 2, 2010
We were in the area for a wedding on St. Simons Island and decided to stay an extra day to go to the georgia Sea Turtle Center and experience Jekyll Island. Our side trip to the center was so worth staying an extra evening. The center was interesting and the staff was very informed and willing to share information and respond to questions.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
cachedan found Circle of Oaks
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010Log Date: 2/9/2010
SL What a great day we had on this beautiful island. thx for directing us to this lovely spot. 2/9/10
L. kalideascope (sp) t. pirate booty pack.. TFTC
Visit Circle of Oaks
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=87af55a1-9c6b-4abd-9056-aa7771a756cb
Valentines Day Specials at Time Out Sports Bar & the Jekyll Oceanfront Clarion Resort
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Thanks for sharing Jake and Stone!