The Golden Isles are an endless summer of paradise made up of four barrier islands and the port city, Historic Brunswick, on the states southern coast. Jekyll Island is the smallest of them, perfect for a fun filled day trip with unexpected adventure and rich history.
Local tip: currently, a daily parking pass to visit the island is $6 – all other activities are free.
+Horton House Ruins
A long abandoned two-story home with historical significance can be easily seen beside the road.
Major William Horton was the first European to ever settle Jekyll Island, he even created Georgia’s first brewery whose ruins are just down the road. His first home here was in 1742 out of Tabb, a concrete made by burning oyster shells, which the Europeans found in Indian shell mounts (trash piles), to create lime. They mixed it with water, sand, and ash creating a mortar poured into forms. It was frequently used in Coastal Georgia, where no quarries of coquina were present like in nearby St. Augustine. The Spanish in Florida were not pleased with British settlement in Georgia. They attacked nearby and were defeated ensuring British roots in the area, but still inflicting quite some damage, including the Horton House being burnt to the ground in 1742. During the British Colonial period and until his death, Major William Horton would remain on the island.
+Horton Pond
Just behind the Horton House there is a quiet unmarked trail leading into the woods.
If you follow it straight for .6 miles through a maritime forest you will reach the pond, a hidden gem filled with wildlife.
A platform in the center attracts gators and turtles looking to bask unbothered in the sunshine. Swimming nearby there was a grebe.
And up in the tree a heron.
Take the adjacent Tupelo Trail a .7 mile loop through the woods.
Along the way you will learn much about the flora of the area through plaques, with some really interesting tidbits. Did you know that Live Oak is the hardest of North American hardwoods? That’s why the USS Constitution was named ‘Old Ironsides’ – because cannon balls bounced off its wooden hull made from the tree. Also interesting etymology about the namesake tupelo trees.
Alternately, you can reach the pond and trail from a closer location on the other side of the island beside the Driftwood Bistro.
+Sharks Tooth Beach
Another surprise, you can hunt for shark teeth at one of the beaches on the island! This is another entirely unmarked trail in the real world – but on GoogleMaps the GPS location is ‘Shark tooth beach @ Jekyl Island’ located close by to the entrance for Summer Waves Waterpark. Find a spot the gate.
The walk is about ten minutes till you hit the end, the scenery is so lovely.
After learning so much on the Tupelo Trail I was able to identify a Buttonbush.
The beach was empty, well as people go that is.
There were so many dolphins hunting in the shallow waters.
A flock of great blue heron overhead.
The hunt was on. It would have been more ideal at low tide, but I didn’t plan it out well. Sifting through the shells where the water lapped the sand we found some fossilized teeth (though not as many as we did in Florida) and enjoyed the solitude of nature.
+The Wanderer
Discreetly located at the St. Andrews Picnic Area is an incredible history lesson about the second to last slave ship to reach the United States in 1858.
The Wanderer was a luxury yacht built in NY and converted into a slave ship which illegally smuggled slaves into the country from Angola to Jekyll Island.
Four hundred and seven survived the 42 day trip across the Atlantic, 80 perished. These people were some of the last Africans to be subjected to slavery in the US and the memorial tells the story of some of its ill-fated passengers.
Though slavery was legal at the time, importing foreign slaves had been illegal for 50 years due to the Slave Importation Act of 1807 and was a crime punishable by death. News of the what happened reached and angered the North, those involved were tried from their crimes in 1860, but acquitted. Just a year later the Civil War broke out, the Union took control of The Wanderer and converted her into a Navy ship. She would be used as a gunboat, tender, and hospital ship.
+Shipwreck
In 1996 on the southern most point of Jekyll Island a 60’ shrimp boat sank, long buried under the sand – all but its mast. To find it, come to the St. Andrews Picnic Area at low tide. Head out to the beach and make a left, just keep walking.
If you want to see your progress, there is a GoogleMaps GPS location under ‘Ship Wreck’. The walk is beautiful and even has some driftwood trees.
Soon you will see it sticking out of the sand, a post apocalyptic like rusting mast standing tall.
To make the walk all the more interesting, on the way back we ducked into an unmarked wooded trail leading away from the ocean. Along with the usual lovely flora, some old rusted equipment was hidden away.
+Driftwood Beach
The northern end of Jekyll Island is consistently battered by a strong current, its eroded soil is unable to support the pine and oak trees that once thrived there.
The beach draws a crowd, especially at low tide, to see the magnificent graveyard of these blanched trees.
Quite a sight, natures sculpture garden serves as a jungle gym for the children exploring the area.
So many unique formations, it is truly a photographers dream.
You can walk the beach for quite awhile, leaving the crowds behind, and finding a stretch of sand that actually looks idea for lounging.
Fun fact: X-Men and The Walking Dead have been filmed on Jekyll Island