Jekyll Island was only a couple hour drive south from Hilton Head, South Carolina. We were looking forward to it’s less pretentious and more rustic island community.
Jekyll Island
Jekyll Island is one of Georgia’s four barrier islands. Although it’s a popular tourist destination, there were plenty of trails and beaches to get away from the crowds, at least when we were there.
Jekyll Island Campground
We stayed at the Jekyll Island Campground. They had full service, marginal wifi, large sites, and plenty of ticks. They are known for their abundant oak trees which equates to abundant squirrels. Unfortunately, the trees dropped acorns on the roof the entire time we were there which was a new sound to get used to.
Across the road is a huge fishing pier that offered good views of the Golden Ray. It capsized a couple of months ago. The ship was carrying over 4000 Hyundi and KIA cars, which still need to be unloaded.
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is a rescue/rehabilitation center on Jekyll Island. They also have a small museum that was fun to visit.
Loggerhead, leatherback, green, Kemp’s Ridley, and Hawksbill sea turtles can be seen in the Georgia coastal waters.
William Horton House
The William Horton House was built in 1742 out of an indigenous material called tabby, which consists of a mixture of lime, crushed oyster shells, and water.
Horton’s Pond
There were plenty of fresh water turtles to see, like this soft shell turtle.
There were Blue, Green, and Black Capped Herons in additional to Snowy Egrets. A volunteer was at Horton’s Pond to provide lots of history and animal identification.
There were a couple of alligators in the pond, but kind of far away.
Driftwood Beach
Although there were a number of beaches on the island, Driftwood Beach was our favorite.
A full moonrise at sunset was stunning. It was a great opportunity to let Jake off leash for a little exercise and exploration. Just south of Driftwood Beach is the Driftwood Cafe, where we indulged in fresh seafood.
