The Georgia coast is an amazing place. You’ve got beautiful scenery all around you. The nicest people. History galore. And good food. For the most part it’s not as built up or as buys as other beaches, and if you live in the Southeast it’s an easy drive to get there. And for me it always feels like going home.
Growing up in Savannah we frequented Jekyll Island. And mostly for one reason… Summer Waves. But we never actually stayed there as it was such an easy drive and really didn’t even explore the island outside of Summer Waves. In July we had the chance to go and spend a weekend on Jekyll Island and really explored it all and fell in love with this little island and all it has to offer! So let’s dive in…
Where to Stay:
I 100% recommend the Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island. This place has it all. Amazing views, right on the beach, a kids club, an awesome playground, a great restaurant, family friendly pool (with a poolside bar) and more. We stayed in a suite so we had plenty of room for all of us and found it to be very clean and comfortable. The price absolutely can’t be beat for a beachfront hotel either. Every person working at the resort is friendly and greets you with a smile. Whether you have young kids or not this is the way to go!
Where to Eat:
We pretty much ate every meal at Holiday Inn’s Beach House, which you can eat at even if you don’t stay at the resort. But if you are staying there your kids get to eat free, and the food is really delicious. There are also several other restaurants on the island though. We also ate at The Wharf which is on a dock and has the most breathtaking views and great food, and picked up pizza and hot dogs quickly while out and about which we enjoyed as well.
What to Do:
There really is a lot besides just the beach! Here were our highlights…
Driftwood Beach: All of the beach on Jekyll Island is breathtaking. It’s less built up than other places and less crowded. But Driftwood beach is a special part of Jekyll’s beach that is just spectacular. It’s pretty infamous with photographers for being the place in the area to take family pictures (like we had done there) and it has this kind of eerie but also just gorgeous feel that I’ve really never experienced anywhere else. The kids loved climbing on the trees and splashing in the water!
Georgia Sea Turtle Center: This has become a spot we visit every time we are in the area with our kids. There’s a great informational center where the kids learn all about turtles and get to follow along in the life of one, and a turtle hospital where they can see the turtles and learn about how the center is rehabilitating injured turtles. Plus there’s a pretty epic gift shop where my kids enjoyed picking out a zillion things. It’s right next door to the historic area where you’ll find ice cream and a hot dog stand so it’s a fun little outing!
Mini Golf: Our kids asked if they could do this after we drove past it and we said why not? We had a blast playing mini golf and then grabbed pizza at the place next door!
Real Golf: This was more for my husband. He wanted to play 9 holes so we joined along. The course is very pretty, and they were totally cool with 3 crazy kids being out on the course. We didn’t see anyone else the whole time we were there which was nice because we didn’t feel like we were bothering anyone else. Tom got to play golf, I got to drive the golf cart which I always enjoy, and the kids got to run around and have fun. Everyone won!
Dolphin Tour: We had a blast on the dolphin tour that leaves from Jekyll Island! Our kids were thrilled to spot so many dolphins and it was a really fun experience for all!
Summer Waves: So we actually didn’t do Summer Waves on our trip because of not having much time and because our kids are too little for most of the stuff there, but I have great memories of this place as a kid and would love to go back!
Watch the whole video of our trip here:
If you have the opportunity to visit Jekyll Island I 100% recommend it! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
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