Jekyll Island’s Top 9 Activities

By The Backseat View

Step back in history and vacation with the powerful families of the Gilded Age on Jekyll Island. Enjoy riding your bike under mysterious, ancient oaks dripping in moss to the perfect coastline beach. Wildlife and nature flourish in the marsh, bay, and ocean surrounding Jekyll Island. Visiting the enchanting Driftwood Beach is an escape to another world.

Driftwood Beach is worth the trip alone, but add the elegant mansions and biking trails, and Jekyll Island becomes a family tradition.

You can feel the island’s relaxed vibe with nature from the moment you arrive. Jekyll is a state park, so only 35% of the island can be developed. The perfect mix of modern development and historical elegance balances evenly with nature on Jekyll Island.

Jekyll Island’s top activities will leave you mesmerized.

1. Landmark District

• Experiencing a glimmer of historical fame and fortune by touring the National Historic Landmark District.
• The Vanderbilts, Carnegies, and Goodyear families once owned the mansions they called “cottages.”
• Strolling among the mansions felt like a Bridgerton episode. Y’all, I LOVED all these mansions and the history within. We spent hours here, and I will go back.

• Biking the sidewalks shaded by old plantation oaks and resting on the traditional Southern porches brings peace to your soul.
• The oldest oak tree is Plantation Oak, which is 350 years old.

• The National Historic Landmark District is in the middle of the island.
• There are 34 historic structures on 240 acres.
• The touring options for the Historic District are:
• Self-guided and biking
• A 60-minute Landmark Trolley Tour with tickets sold online and at the Mosaic Museum. The trolley ride allows entrance to a few cottages, the Mosaic Museum, and the Faith Chapel. Tickets average $20 for adults and $10 for kids. Everyone on the island does this tour, so buy tickets a few days in advance.
• 35-minute horse-drawn carriage ride runs $20/person.
• Living History Days and Tours in Model T cars are events held yearly.

Mosaic Museum

• The small museum is located in the visitor center.
• Experience the history of Jekyll Island from the Native Americans to the Gilded Age.
• The cars, the clothes, and the interactive museum exhibits make it worth the $10.
• The Trolley Tour includes the price of the museum.

Shopping

• For the best shopping on the island, explore the Historic District.
• Several smaller cottages are artist stores filled with home goods, jewelry, vintage souvenirs, and art.
• For delicious treats visit the Sweet Shoppe.
• The Wharf is on the pier for a dining experience on the bay watching boats.
• Public restrooms are by The Wharf.

Gators

• Behind the Horton House, built in 1743, is Horton Pond with eight gators. The unpaved walking trail behind the house leads to the pond.
• The Gatorology program offers twice-weekly educational events.
• Hands-on classes are $15, and tickets are sold online.
• The gator pictured above was on the side of the road.

Jekyll Island Club Resort

• This Resort is jaw-dropping with the architecture and breath-taking surrounding grounds.
• Step back to 1888 and enjoy the elegance of the Jekyll Island Club Resort.
• A dinner reservation in the Grand Dining Room is the ultimate in Southern fine dining in a Victorian atmosphere.
• Dinner, followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride under the oaks, is dream-worthy.

• It’s not so much about the food as access to walk and gawk through the hotel.
• Jekyll Island Club runs $350-$500/night.
• The Island Club is on the bay side, with a beach shuttle.
• Jekyll Ocean Club is oceanfront luxury with access to the historic Island Club.

2. Driftwood Beach

• Driftwood Beach makes America’s Top Ten Most Romantic Beaches list every year. It makes the “Best of the Best” U.S. beaches every year.

• I travel to beaches. I’m hard to impress, but Driftwood Beach exceeded my expectations.

As you wander, there’s a feeling of awe, respect, and love for the trees that soaks into you.

It’s otherworldly.

Sunset is even more magical.

• The fallen trees are preserved by the salt water.
• Driftwood Beach has a couple of small pullovers with parking for eight cars, then a slightly bigger area with cars parked on both sides of the street.
• Driftwood is THE BEST beach, but there are no facilities.

3. Biking

• Bring the bikes with an 18-mile bike trail to enjoy around the island.
• The island’s northern part is the best biking, near Driftwood Beach.
• The bigger pull-off area for Driftwood Beach has a wildlife scenic one-mile trail that ends at Clam Creek Picnic Area with the fishing pier.
• Clam Creek has plenty of parking, and you can walk the trail to the beach.
• Find parking, walk the beach, then go for a ride.

• The island is flat, and the bike lane is safe.
• Ride the Historic sites, beach shore and the forest.
• Beach Side Bike Rentals is by Days Inn with $6 hourly rates or $20 for the day.

4. Sea Turtles

• The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is in the same parking lot as The Historic District.
• It’s an educational, quick 30-minute visit with sea turtles for only $10.
• The front portion contains instructional displays on sea turtles, and the back portion is the turtle hospital for injured or sick turtles.

• There are opportunities to join a turtle walk from May-July to mark the turtle nest. You must be four years old and up to participate.

5. Beaches

• While the beach is hard-packed sand perfect for running and biking, the water is brown from the marshes.

Great Dunes Park

• Great Dunes Park is in the middle of the island near the Westin and hotels.
• The most crowded public beach, with restrooms, ample parking, and volleyball courts.
• This is a 20 acre beach park.
• Beach Village with a grocery store, shopping and restaurants is on Grand Dunes.
• Miniature golf and bike rentals are across the street.
• When you arrive on the island, you are looking at the Great Dunes area.
• Families love the volleyball courts, picnic pavilions, bocce ball courts, and restaurants.
• I love empty beaches, so this is my least favorite.

Corsair

• Corsair is on the southern side of the Beach Village with the Jekyll Ocean Club, the best hotel on the island, and Days Inn.
• The park has an ADA-friendly bathhouse, restrooms, picnic tables, and over 100 parking places.
• This beach is still a little crowded and noisy for me.

Ocean Beach Park

• Oceanview Beach Park is the most ADA-friendly, with a beach viewing platform above the sand and an ADA beach access point.
• There are restrooms, picnic tables and grills.
• It’s way less crowded than Great Dunes Park.

South Dunes

• Less crowded beach option
• Elevated overlook
• fresh water pond
• It has screened-in picnic pavilions, making it the best area for a family event.

Glory Beach Park

• Glory was hard to find.
• It is located by the soccer fields on the South end of the Island.
• The wide beach was an empty paradise.
• The beach is named after the movie “Glory” that was filmed here.
• The boardwalk leads to the beach.

St. Andrews Beach

• St. Andrews Beach is on the southernmost tip of the island.
• It is usually empty except for fishermen.
• Shaded picnic tables and a bird-viewing platform exist.
• For those looking for kid entertainment, a hidden trail on the right side of the parking lot supposedly leads to a fun tree rope swing.
• Wander Memory Trail tells the story of America’s last known slave ship that came ashore on Jekyll in 1858. It tells the story of life through a young slave boy’s eyes and is very educational.

Secret Beach

• SSSHHH… Secret Beach is for shark tooth hunting.
• It’s 1,000ft past Summer Waves entrance, an unmarked metal gate on the right side of the road, no parking, and a 25-minute walk to the beach.
• Wear bug spray and have an adventure.
• You can kayak here with Turtle Tides.

6. Fishing & Boating

• Fishing from the beach is extremely popular due to low crowds.
• The fishing pier is by Driftwood Beach and the Campground.

• Coastal Expeditions Charter Fishing offers dolphin cruises and deep sea fishing charters.
• Historic Jekyll Wharf Boat Tours for dolphin tours and private charters. A 90-minute wildlife tour is $25 a person.
• Kayaking the island is popular.
• Turtle Tides of Jekyll offers two-hour kayaking tours of the marsh & Shark Tooth Beach starting at $65.

7. Summer Waves Waterpark

• Summer Waves is a small but fun summer afternoon.
• There’s a lazy river and several slides.
• Daily admission is $28.
• Open daily for June & July, then just weekends.

8. Golfing

• Jekyll has four golf courses, a historical course, and three 18-hole courses.
• The Great Dunes Course was developed in 1926 with nine holes.
• Indian Mounds doesn’t have good reviews.
• Oleander is the most difficult.
• Pine Lakes is the most family-friendly course.
• The best golfing in the country is a 20-minute drive to Sea Island.

9. Horseback Riding

• The Three Oaks Farm provides sunset horseback rides on the beach.
• Sunset rides are $88 and last an hour.
• They offer a variety of rides from Driftwood Beach Forest to Moonlight tours.
• You must be five years old to participate.
• Private “Romantic” Evening Carriage Tours of the Historic District run $55/couple.

Let’s Plan

• Jekyll Island is a leisurely vacation with few plans to make.
• There’s an $8 fee to drive onto the island.
• The nearest airport is Jacksonville, FL with an hour drive to the island.
• From Atlanta, GA, it’s a five hour drive.
• After lodging reservations, fishing charters are the only reservations to make months in advance.

Lodging

• The island’s crown jewels are the Jekyll Island Club Resort in the Historic District on the bay and Jekyll Ocean Club.
• The Ocean Club is oceanfront luxury with 40 suites ranging from $400 to $700/night. The same website books both, so be careful.
• The chain hotels are on the beach.
• The island only allows 4-story hotels, so the beach is never overcrowded.

• The Westin is next door to the Jekyll Island Beach Village shopping center and looked a little crowded, but you could walk to dinner.

• I will choose my regular Hampton Inn a bit further south, which runs $250/night.

• Jekyll Island Campground is across the street from the fishing pier and Driftwood Beach, a perfect northern location.
• There are 18 acres and 206 campsites.

• Cottages at Jekyll Island are a neighborhood on the island’s north end. Being privately owned and rarely rented, use VRBO. While the houses are excellent, the beach erosion is severe.

Restaurants

• More hotels than restaurants mean dinner reservations and eating early to avoid the summer crowds.
• There are around 15 restaurants on the island.
• Zachry’s Riverhouse for sunset river views with your seafood.
• Driftwood Bistro for wild GA Southern Shrimp dishes and classic Southern sides.
• Grand Dining Room in the Historic District for fine dining.
• The Wharf for views on a historic pier in the Historic District for the BEST SUNSET VIEWS on the bay.

St. Simons

• St. Simons is a 20-30 minute drive for a day trip or dinner reservations.
• You can’t visit Jekyll and not visit St. Simons so go for early afternoon and dinner.
• Searching for the spirits carved in the trees is a fun scavenger hunt.
• St. Simons Travel Guide explores the quaint, upscale, and classy beach town.
• If you prefer houses and upscale resorts on the beach with fine dining, St. Simons is the island for you.

Last Thoughts

• Savannah, GA, and Jacksonville, FL, are other day trip ideas.
• Do I prefer Jekyll Island over Destin or Panama City for vacation? The answer is YES! Give me history, uncrowded beaches, and bike rides through nature any day.
• Is Jekyll better than St. Simons? That’s a tough call. I like the beaches on Jekyll better for a beach trip. St. Simons wins for a romantic weekend, a winter or spring trip, or a restaurant-focused trip.
• Jekyll Island can be done on a day trip. Visit Driftwood Beach and bike for a couple of hours. The Historic District Trolley Tour and the Sea Turtles will be another three hours. That leaves a few hours on a beach.
• Jekyll and St. Simons are the PERFECT Girl’s Trip.
• If you are looking for more Gilded Age History paired with the perfect beach town, Top 15 Attractions of St. Augustine Travel Guide delivers.

Thanks for reading Jekyll Island’s Top Activities Travel Guide.