Adventures on Jekyll Island, Georgia
Sunday morning started with a cloudy day and it wasn’t long before the fog started to roll in. The morning rain predicted was one brief shower lasting for a minute. We enjoyed a good hot breakfast on board and worked on updating this web site.
We waited around until just after noon and checked out two bicycles for a ride around
Jekyll Island. As soon as we turned off the local
road onto the bike path we found
ourselves in another world. We were among huge live oaks draped with Spanish moss. They
towered high above our heads. The underbrush was thick with palms, vines and all kind of
local vegetation.
We came out of this little paradise to find the local shopping area and the main road. We crossed and rode along the beach front bike path to a little restaurant our marina staff had recommended. By this time we had worked up a little sweat and needed a break. We shared a sandwich and enjoyed a tall glass of ice tea.
After checking our little map of Jekyll Island, we got back on the bike trail traveling
along the edge of the golf course. As we rode along we found ourselves among the huge live
oaks, tall pine trees and less underbrush just before coming upon the historic district,
also referred to as Millionaires Village.
The center of the area is the Jekyll Island Club
Hotel shown behind this beautiful ancient live-oak tree. It is surrounded by homes of the likes of Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Morgan and Pulitzer.
The site contains not only private homes but the cottages used by the numerous staff brought
to the island to maintain the households of the “club members” and their families.
After years of neglect, Georgia purchased the island and now controls the
development leaving much of the island's natural beauty untouched. They
have restored the original club and nearby homes into hotel accommodations.
Traffic is limited to bicycle and walking paths in the area surrounding the
hotel making a pleasant area to spend several hours. The Club area
is now a national historic site and if you ever have a chance to visit here, don’t pass it up.
By the time we headed back to the marina, the sun had broken through the clouds and we began to peel off the layers of clothes. In hindsight having the cool weather during the ride was a blessing. We turned in our borrowed bikes and did some leg stretches before getting back on the boat. We relaxed with a little light reading before working on final plans for the next day of travel.