At first we thought the marina was going to be a bit pricey
– and to be honest, it was. But with a Boat US discount and because we had decided
to stay a whole week, we ended up staying 7 days for the price of 4 ½. And because
they had a restaurant on site, a (seasonally available) swimming pool with hot
tub, a strong wi-fi signal, and the free use of golf carts and bicycles, we
thought we were getting a pretty good deal after all. Moreover, with help from
an experienced dockmaster and dockhands, tying up along the long face dock
(where they usually put transients) was a snap.
Jekyll is one of Georgia’s barrier islands. It is about 7
miles long by 1.5 miles wide. The eastern end of the island borders on the
Atlantic Ocean and is where most of the beaches are located. The western side
abuts Jekyll Creek, the ICW, the marshland and is where the marina is located.
Everything on the island is within range of the marina’s golf carts. But since
you can only use them for an hour-and-a-half at a time, they are most useful
for short shopping trips. We used them to go to the island’s small IGA grocery
store – about a 20 minute ride. In the same shopping area there is a small liquor
store, a pretty well-stocked hardware store, a bank, gift shop, beauty shop and
a post office. If you want to go to one of the venues and take part in an
activity that might take over an hour-and-a-half, bicycles are the way to go.
And with over 20 miles of biking trails, it is easy to get almost anywhere by
bike.
There is a surprising amount of wildlife to see on the
island. Birds are abundant. The locals maintain that there are two nesting pairs
of bald eagles, though we only saw one.
For serious birders there are several areas to sit, watch and photograph
the local birds. While we were there, we saw a group of men and women equipped
with some serious binoculars and camera lenses all set up for bird watching. Brown
Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, Clapper
Rails, and various ducks and sparrows use these coastal marshes
seasonally. While some are skittish, others are quite bold. One time while
we were coming into the harbor, a brown pelican landed on our boat, right in
front of the pilothouse, and “allowed us” to give him about a 20 minute ride around
the island. I am not sure who was watching whom closer … him or us.
There are other kinds of wildlife indigenous to the barrier
islands, including alligators (we saw signs warning us about them, but alas, we
didn’t see any). Perhaps the most significant wildlife-related sight is the
Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Though there is a small charge ($7 for adults, $6
for seniors), the center is well worth the price. There, we learned a great
deal about sea turtles of various sorts (they begin nesting on Jekyll in May)
and got to see several turtles in various stages of recovery at the
Rehabilitative Pavilion.
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| The Turtle Surgical suite at the Turtle Rehab Center |
But what sets Jekyll apart from Georgia’s other barrier
islands is its history. The oldest structure on the island – and one of the
oldest in Georgia – is Horton House, a residence constructed of lime, sand and
oyster shell (what is today called “tabby”) in 1743 by Major William Horton, a
military aide to General James Oglethorpe, Georgia’s godfather. Horton was the
first English resident of Jekyll Island. He cleared land, raised cattle and cultivated
crops which he subsequently sold to the residents of nearby St. Simons. Horton
House has been preserved over the years and is considered an outstanding
example of eighteenth and nineteenth century construction techniques. It has all of its outside walls standing and from
the outside looks as if – albeit with a substantial amount of work including a
new roof – it could be lived in today.
After Major Horton died, the island was purchased by
Christophe Du Bignon, whose family brought slavery to Jekyll and made it into a
profitable plantation. The plantation continued to thrive until about 1860, but
by the time Union troops arrived in 1862, it was completely deserted.
After the Civil War the DuBignon family returned to Jekyll,
but without slavery they could not make it into a profitable enterprise. So, in
the 1870’s John Eugene DuBignon, together with his brother-in-law Newton
Finney, came up with a plan: they would sell shares in an exclusive club so the
wealthy could use Jekyll as kind of a winter retreat. It was this vision that
led to the formation of the famous Jekyll Island Club whose membership reads
like a listing of the most wealthy and influential individuals of the day. It
included JP Morgan, the Rockefeller family, the Vanderbilt’s, the Pulitzer’s , the
Astor’s and other giants of American industry. It is during this period of our
nation’s history – the so-called Gilded Age – that Jekyll Island became the home
of what was perhaps the most exclusive club in the world.
To learn about Jekyll Island the museum is a good place to start.
It is free and is packed with photos and some artifacts of the Gilded Age. But
the museum is only the start. You really have to take the tram tour. It costs
$16, but with excellent tour guides, I can guarantee you will learn about the
Island, its Club and its members. In fact, taking the tram tour is the only way
we found to be able to tour the inside of some of the cottages. There are other
tours available, such as the horse and buggy tour, the jeep tour, etc. But the
tram tour is a must-do.
On the tour you will learn that the Clubhouse opened its
doors in 1888. Designed by Charles
Alexander of Chicago in the Queen Anne style, the building has extensive
verandas, bay windows, extended chimneys, and, of course, its famous and
distinctive cupola. Inside,
there were twelve- and fifteen-foot ceilings, oak wainscoting, leaded art glass
and ninety-three distinctively detailed fireplaces. Back in the day,
members certainly spent some time in their rooms, but they came to the island
to enjoy biking, hunting, horseback riding, tennis, lawn parties, carriage
rides, and lounging on the beach. Importantly, these activities were not just
for the gentlemen, but in a manner unique for the age, ladies were encouraged
to take part as well. The highlight of each day, though, was the back tie
dinner in the Club’s dining room – an event members were expected to attend.
There, they could schmooze with other millionaires, discuss the events of the
day and enjoy the company of their families and their peers.
Staying at the Clubhouse, however, wasn’t enough for the
wealthiest members. They felt obliged to build their own “cottages.” Now
cottages on Jekyll Island are probably not like the cottages that most of us
imagine. While they may not be as big as the homes these millionaires
maintained back home, they are still pretty serious mansions. These are major
houses with rooms not only for mom, dad and the children, but what would a
cottage be without a wing for the servants?
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| A Red Buggy -- an electric car used on Jekyll "back in the day." Automobiles were prohibited, so red buggies got the wealthy from their cottages to the nightly black tie dinners. |
There are several cottages still standing, each built by one
of the club’s members. Some changed hands during the club era and other were
just torn down. But today, there are still about a dozen cottages that you can
see from the outside, a couple you can rent for weddings, etc. and at least two
that you can see inside and out from the tour. On our tour we saw Indian Mound
Cottage which was owned by the Rockefeller family and Moss Cottage which built
by E.V Macy. Interestingly, neither of the cottages had kitchens; members were
generally expected to eat in the main dining room with everyone else.
If the wildlife and history aren’t enough to maintain your
interest, there are a number of other activities on the island. Jekyll is famous
for its four golf courses, each offering a little different experience. For
those of us who are not serious golfers, there is, of course, a miniature golf
course. That is where we played before adjourning to Red Bug Motors Pizza for a
spot of lunch.
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| Shhh ... Here I am carefully lining up my putt on one of Jekyll Island's most famous courses |
If golf isn’t your cup of tea, there are also water
activities – a lot of water activities. In
addition to the many fine beaches and the marina’s swimming pool (when opened),
there is Summer Waves, the water park. Although it wasn’t open in April when we
were here, the staff seemed to be getting it ready (it doesn’t open until May 2
this year). The park features the Pirate's Passage and Force 3 tube slides, as
well as the Nature's Revenge body slide. Other rides include the Turtle Creek
lazy river and the Frantic Atlantic wave pool. From all reports, it is a fun,
family (and grandchildren) friendly park.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the various
restaurants on the Island. We generally visit restaurants for lunch or a snack
rather than a full sit-down dinner. Although there are somewhere around fifteen
restaurants of various sorts on the island, we could only visit three – and we
loved all of them. After a tough round of miniature golf we enjoyed some
wonderful hot dogs at Red Bug Motors
Pizza, had a somewhat fancier lunch at the Courtyard at Crane with some friends who were staying at the
Campground, and visited the Rah Bar
twice while tooling around the historic district. The Rah Bar is located at the
Island’s historic dock and serves wonderful seafood.
We stayed for seven days and enjoyed ourselves each and
every day. Though we tried to go somewhere and do something different each day,
we still didn’t get to everything. We need to check out some more restaurants,
the water park, the beaches and do some kayaking.
ANN’S NOTES …I know I missed the last blog entry, my fault I
missed the main writer’s deadline and I don’t do well under pressure when it
comes to writing. That being said I will back track a little.
 |
| Spot. In her harness on the back deck. |
I have to tell you that most of my “free” time has been
taken up with a certain little feline named Spot. Most people think that you
cannot train a cat but I am giving it my best shot. Since she is a boat cat I
wanted to be able to take her off the boat to stretch her legs and that
involved a harness. Needless to say she was not a happy cat to start, but with
a few cat treats and lots of calm talking, she has decided if she wants any
freedom off the boat she has to be in a harness with a leash attached. We have
made great strides, she no longer bites at the leash and she comes when she is
called to put on the harness. The truth be told…I think the treat has something
to do with her acceptance of the harness. Hey…it is still one point for the
human!!
Our time at Jekyll Island was great. I really had a good
time, and the island is a bike riders dream. I had to borrow a Marina bike and
the last day we tried to ride was a nightmare, but the rest of the week was
fine. I do have my own bike but when we downloaded it the front tire was flat.
I have become an expert on bike inner tubes, I did not know there were
different kinds of stems on inner tubes…yes peeps…I had one of each and our
pump only could put air in the one tires that was not flat.
As Michael told you we did an activity every day, miniature
golf was fun...a little on the warm side, not a tree to be found. My favorite
was the tram ride and the Turtle Rescue Center. I guess I am a history buff or
becoming one. I love going into homes and onto plantations and seeing how it
was “back in the day”. And sometimes hearing the southern point of view makes life
a little more interesting.
I am going to limit my wild life count from now on, I will
tell you that there are still plenty of dolphins out there on the ICW and in
the Atlantic. I think I have counted most of them. I still love to go out and
talk to the dolphins when they come out to play in our wake. I just do not want
to report on them anymore. The wildlife is amazing and if I see anything out of
the ordinary you will be the first to know. I now have my own little piece of
wildlife on board and she keeps me pretty busy.
Thanks for reading…
Traveling Soul…OUT
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