Hello from Jekyll Island, Georgia! Jekyll Island is located north of Jacksonville, Florida. We left Mayport Naval Station on a very rainy Saturday morning. Our route had us follow I-95 north to Georgia.
Crossing into Georgia on I-95
Jekyll Island is one of four Georgia barrier islands that feature a paved causeway to access the islands by car. The island measures 7 miles long by 1.5 miles wide. It is owned entirely by the state of Georgia. They have done a great job in making this island a favorite of ours.
Our home for the week was at the Jekyll Island Campground. Our 24 foot RV was a breeze to park in the campground. With the tall trees surrounding us, we really did feel like we were camping. Camping with electricity of course!
Across from the campground, is a beautiful park filled with huge live oak trees and lots of Spanish moss.
Spanish Moss
Roger is standing in front of Horton House which is one of the oldest structures on the island. It was made of "tabby," a material combining equal parts shell, lime, sand and water. Horton was given several hundred acres by the British government for his service to the crown. He stayed and farmed the land.
Horton House
These tanks are the rehab homes. The mirror in the upper part of the picture shows the turtle in the tank below.
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center
An example of a cottage.
Jekyll Island Club
The busy social life of the millionaires centered around this club. Today it is a hotel.
The wealthy had fun driving around in this precursor to the golf club type vehicles on the island today, known as Red Bugs. This one stands in front of William Rockefeller's cottage.
From the clubhouse looking onto the Intracoastal waterway. The only way the families could get to the island at the time was by taking a boat along this waterway.
Barbecuing on the campground
Jekyll Island has incredible bike paths, both around the island and cutting across it. We took advantage of those paths this week. Along the way, there were lots of historical signs that educated us about the history of the island. We learned that Indians, then the Spanish and French inhabited the area.
Roger with the Atlantic Ocean behind him. On the other side of the island, we found the intracoastal waterway.
Jekyll Island is home to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. With five of the seven known sea turtles using it's beaches for nesting, it is easy to see why this center was established in 2007. This institution is devoted to the rehabilitation of injured sea turtles and preservation of the delicate oceanic eco system. We learned a lot about the turtles, especially the loggerheads.
With the beautiful white sand beaches, we had to let Bear enjoy the joy of running off leash one morning. Bear loved to chase the waves, but not get too close. He was one happy puppy!
From the late 1800's to the early 1900's, Jekyll Island became the privately owned island of the nation's empire builders. Think of Rockefeller, Morgan, Pulitzer, Crane and Gould as just a few of the names that were the major wealth holders in America. These men built "cottages" for the winter season (January - March) on the island. All belonged to what is referred to today as the Millionaires' Club. Roger and I took a tour through the historical part of the island. In addition to touring two of the cottages, we got to see a beautiful stained glass window in the church installed by Louis Tiffany.
The busy social life of the millionaires centered around this club. Today it is a hotel.
Our week on Jekyll Island flew by. We truly loved the beautiful weather, the cycling, learning the history of the island, walking on the beaches and in the parks with Bear and our time in the campground.
Thank you for checking in with us. We leave Saturday morning for a one night stay in Lexington, South Carolina. Then we head to Ashville, North Carolina for four nights. We appreciate your interest in our travels.
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