Headed to the Georgia Beaches? Check our unique list of family friendly Things to do on Jekyll Island!
Jekyll Island Georgia has been on our list for awhile and we can say we’ve checked it off the list…but we’ve put it back on the list!!!! A huge thank you to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel for sponsoring our trip, now for me to give you all of the good details and experiences we had! I will go ahead and warn you…there are a TON of pictures…
Georgia Family Vacations
If you are headed to the great Georgia beaches and tossing around a vacation in Georgia – I hope to sway you with this post to head to Jekyll Island! Hands down it is still the most favorite family vacation in Georgia we have taken!
So many times family vacations get checked off the list… it was fun, it was good and it’s done. You loved the memories and time away, but you’ve “been there done that”. Right? then you have the family vacations that it was more than you dreamed of, more than you imagined and your only wish was that you could pause time and just relish the days, hours, minutes, seconds, moments and throw away all time boundaries. That right there describes our time in Jekyll Island last week.
Things to do on Jekyll Island
Here is a little punch list of things to do – before you read on about our adventure at the Jekyll Island Club.
- Rent Bikes and ride around the Island
- Go Fishing
- Visit the Historic District
- Pack a Picnic for a Georgia Beach lunch
- Walk around the Jekyll Island Club Hotel
- Spend some time at Driftwood Beach – if you have time plan to go in the morning and evening…both times of day are gorgeous in their own way!
- Visit the Jekyll Island Museum
- Jekyll Club Cafe – for an afternoon treat
- Any of the restaurants at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel did NOT disappoint!
- Catch a sunset view
- Horse Back Riding on the Beach (we didn’t get to do this with a 16 month old but it’s on our bucket list!)
- Relax and Enjoy
More about our…
Family Vacation in Georgia
We arrived on Friday evening after driving all day…with a few good stops in there for our little E to freely walk, play and get some energy out. She was SUCH a trooper in the car, so much so she surprised me…so much we are scheming more road trips not just flights!
As we arrived it was of course dark…yet through the dim street lamps and some sparkly Christmas lights that were out I could tell we were in for a real treat for the next few days. As we pulled up to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel the beauty at night was beautiful. We both said “Wow” in harmony, I think, and soon after we were greeted and welcomed by the friendliest of staff. We checked-in, got our room directions, key and made our way to get settled in and get the little one in bed. We couldn’t wait to get our first sleep on Jekyll Island behind us so we could explore the next day!
On Saturday morning little E got to start the day off with breakfast in bed! Once our day began we knew we had made the right choice for a Jekyll Island Vacation!
Now this was a first…isn’t that what vacations are all about making memories and getting out of your “norm”. Well that we did…we packed a lunch…let Elle skip her morning nap in “her bed”…grabbed an island map…rented bikes and headed to the Georgia beach! 
It was a warm and sunny day with beautiful cloud-less blue skies and a slight breeze. Adventure was to be had! The ocean was a short ride from the hotel and we let Elle loose! We already knew she loved sand and water after our trip to Maine this past summer….she played, laughed, smiled, chased birds, ate her picnic lunch which included a little extra sand that day, got wet and had sand everywhere…we loved watching her and she loved every minute of this adventure!
After staying at the ocean for a good bit we strapped her in her seat and put her little helmet on and off we went to explore the island! She fell asleep because her daddy is such a good chauffeur, a morning nap while riding a bike on the island…now that’s the life!
We found ourselves seeing the quaint homes and neighborhoods of Jekyll Island which led us to one of my favorite spots from the whole trip and that was Driftwood Beach. It was high tide when we arrived and it was beautiful…we met the kindest couple who took our family picture and we began talking to them and they said we should try to come back during low tide if we could. So we mentally made a note to try to come back. We hopped back on our bikes to finish up our trail riding…the last couple of miles we all found ourselves looking forward to a nap and crashing in our room!
After our afternoon naps we decided to stay low key and take a walk to the water for the sunset. We had a feeling it would be a beautiful one and we weren’t let down at all by God’s amazing handiwork. I’m so thankful to be able to see what He creates and to capture His beauty. We then headed to the Jekyll Club Cafe where we treated ourselves to a DELICIOUS sandwich and a little dessert…key lime pie…we’re on vacation and calories don’t count…right? At least that’s our motto!
A good nights rest and we were up and at it on Sunday morning! We headed to the Grand Dining room for a fancy and delicious breakfast. Something fun and out of our ordinary…after stuffing ourselves with some yummy orange marmalade french toast, eggs, bacon and fruit we headed off to Driftwood Beach…again. It was cold…but as we arrived and we walked down the path that takes you to the beach…when my eyes landed on the beach I was SO excited…you should ask the mister! He so patiently held our little one keeping her bundled while I was in my own little world snapping photos. I had a blast with my fish-eye lens here. It was breath-taking as the sky was a deep blue, the sun was shining, the wind was cold and the tide was out…I quickly set the self-timer and we snapping a few family pictures since no one was out there and we had the beach all to ourselves!
Off we went to join the Jekyll Island Baptist Chapel in worship. We met some of the kindest souls there. Genuine and welcoming. A good time of fellowship with fellow believers in a new place!
Hmmmm…it’s lunch time, lets try a new place! We headed back to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel and decided to have lunch at The Courtyard at Crane. Sandwich and a soup in the most adorable little room where you felt like you were in Italy…not to mention the yummy hot bread they bring you with oil and balsamic vinegar. I told Bern I could sit here and eat that all day long…although I know better! We then walked around for quite a while exploring the historical area, letting Miss E loose and enjoying our time together, which ended at the Sweet Shop for some ice cream and home made peanut butter cups! 
Nap time and rest time. Our favorite part of the day, right? It’s vacation!!!!!!!
A lazy Sunday afternoon and we spent walking around the beautiful grounds, driving around the other side of the island to investigate and found ourselves eating at BBQ for supper and buying lots of yummy food…reminding myself we’re on vacation, we don’t count calories!!!
Monday was a cold day…a beautiful sunny cold day! Little miss E headed out in her PJ’s and hat to the cafe on a little breakfast date with daddy… they picked out breakfast and brought it back to the room. We made it a lazy morning reading books, eating breakfast, drinking coffee and enjoying the view out of our window! After getting dressed out heading outside on this gorgeous day we bundled up little E in her stroller in hopes she’d fall asleep…right? Yeh…right!!!! I finally picked her up and she fell right asleep on my shoulder! That girl is a mess, a fun mess!
Next on the agenda is LUNCH! We love to eat!!!! The island lost water due to a break in a line so the choices were limited on this day. We had planned to head to the highly recommended Driftwood Bistro but they were closed due to the water problem. We didn’t disappoint ourselves by heading back to the Courtyard at Crane! Hot bread again, yes please! Soup and sandwich- indeed!
This last day ticked by as we relaxed, walked around the grounds, enjoyed the Sweet Shop, the sights, the creation, the beauty and the weather! Touring the local museum and learning more about the rich history of the Island and heading back to a different part of Driftwood Beach…I mean we passed it again and we had to stop!!!!!!! Then to the Pizza joint to enjoy some yummy pizza…the sad part is this was our last meal on the island…the happy part we ended it by going and getting ice cream and pie…we have to celebrate vacation, right?!
As we packed up our room and loaded up we had to swing by and get a treat from the cafe for the road…tell the friendliest of staff goodbye and take a few last minute pictures before we strapped ourselves in for the road trip ahead!
If you have a list of places you’d like to go…places you’d like to see and visit I highly suggest you adding this to your list of Georgia Family Vacations! My dream was to ride the horses on the beach…since we have a 16 month old that’s just not going to happen, so NEXT TIME!!!!!!
“Traveling: It leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller” – I. Battuta
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Joyce says
Oh wow! This place is simply beautiful and would love to check it out. Gorgeous photos too!