The Golden Isles
The Golden Isles of Georgia consists of the mainland port City of Brunswick, and four barrier islands: St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island, and Jekyll Island. Each destination is a worthy place for an adventure, although this memoir is about Jekyll Island and Driftwood Beach.
Jekyll Island
I haven't been to Jekyll Island since Clarke Central High School Football camp years ago when the team still traveled there for summer practice at the original 4-H Center. It was always fun going to the Summer Waves Water Park at the end of a tough week of two-a-day football practices. Camp Jekyll currently occupies the grounds which are managed by Georgia 4-H, an extension of the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. The football team no longer travels to Jekyll for summer practice, albeit the Driftwood Beach itself is a reason to make a weekend trip in the fall.
This mini road trip started out of Athens down U.S. Route 441 South to Dublin, GA where we picked up I-16 East to I-95 South towards Brunswick and then to Jekyll. We stayed at The Westin for a long weekend in the fall of 2017 when the Georgia Bulldawgs won 41-0 over the Tennessee Volunteers. The Reserve Restaurant downstairs had a smorgasbord for breakfast which is my favorite meal of the day. We rented bikes the day of the game and road to the Clam Creek Picnic Area before spending the afternoon at Driftwood Beach leading up to kick-off. Located on the north end of the island, Driftwood Beach is a year round pet friendly beach with mystical ancient pines and live oaks petrified by a combination of air, salt water, sun, and the erosion of the local ecosystem. It is an exquisite landscape that most photographers would find breathtaking. Grab your camera and plan you trip to Jekyll Island.
This video was taken crossing a boardwalk through the Jekyll Island Club Resort on a bikeride around the island situated in the Golden Isles of the Georgia coast.
