I visited Jekyll Island, Georgia for the first time in 2025. It is one of the Sea Islands – a chain of tidal and barrier islands along South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Jekyll Island is also one of the Golden Isles of Georgia, along with Blackbeard Island, Little St. Simons Island, St. Simons Island, Sapelo Island, and Sea Island.
The island is owned by the state of Georgia and operated as a state park.
Jekyll Island
2025 Price: $10 per vehicle per day
Beaches and Parks
There are 10 miles of beaches along Jekyll Island and multiple parks. Below are my favorites.
Driftwood Beach
One of the most well-known spots on the island is Driftwood Beach. Visitors enjoy blue waters and sand covered in ancient driftwood. Once a maritime forest, decades of erosion created this truly stunning shoreline.
These gnarled trees are massive, reaching toward the ocean and the sky.
We visited before sunset during golden hour. The light was perfect and coated the trees with warmth.
We found sanderlings, snowy egrets, and white ibises.
Several free parking spaces are available along North Beachview Drive.
South Beach
We stayed at Hampton Inn & Suites on the southern end of the island near South Dunes Beach Park. It has an elevated boardwalk with direct access to the beach.
This easy access made it impossible to fight getting up for sunrise. I am so glad we did. The views were incredible, and I took over one hundred photos.
In the span of 20 minutes, we watched dark shadows bloom into vibrant color in the clouds.
In the early light, we saw ring-billed gulls and sanderlings.
St. Andrews Beach
St. Andrews is a short walk from the southern-most tip of the island – Jekyll Point. In addition to a picnic area, the park also offers a wildlife viewing platform and Wanderer Memory Trail.
There are some large pieces of driftwood on this beach as well.
St. Andrews Beach is on the intercoastal side of the island, facing the mainland, making it the only west-facing beach. This makes it perfect for sunset!
There is a large public parking lot for the area.
Riverview Park
Riverview Park sits between Jekyll Creek and Riverview Drive. There is a paved path through the park and an elevated boardwalk over a marsh area. You can also enjoy views of the Jekyll Island Causeway Bridge.
I found it a great spot for bird watching – there were great blue herons, little blue herons, and white pelicans.
A medium-sized public parking lot is available.
Historic Sites
Jekyll Island offers multiple historic sites for such a small area.
Horton House Ruins
Major William Horton came to the Colony of Georgia in 1736 as part of Oglethorpe’s regiment. He was the first English resident of Jekyll Island. The plantation residence, completed in 1743, acted as his home until his death in 1748.
These ruins are a great example of a tabby house – a home constructed using mortar made of equal parts sand, lime, oyster shell, and water. African and Arabic in origin, the word tabby means “a wall made of earth or masonry.” Brought to America by the Spaniards, it was used in coastal Georgia as late as the 1890s.
The orange color visible today is due to stucco applied during preservation efforts in 2002. Stucco, historically used in all tabby buildings, protects the building from its harsh environment.
Horton Pond
A 0.7-mile trail takes visitors from Horton House across the island to Horton Pond. Information signs along the trail provide descriptions of native plant life.
From the observation deck, we had clear sightlines for the entire pond. From there we spied an alligator and turtles sunning on the center platform. Anhingas and black-crowned night herons perched in trees on a small low-lying island on the north side of the pond.
du Bignon Cemetery
Across the street from Horton House, sits the burial ground of several members of the du Bignon family. Christophe Poulain du Bignon was one of four Frenchmen who purchased Jekyll Island in 1791. He became the sole owner a few years later.
In 1794, he enlarged Major Horton’s house as his manor. Jekyll Island spent almost a century as the du Bignon Plantation – five du Bignon generations lived here. The burial ground and tabby ruin are all that remain.
The du Bignon family owned the island until 1886 when they sold it to a group of millionaires who formed the Jekyll Island Club.
Historic District
In 1888, an exclusive clubhouse was constructed to cater to wealthy visitors. It opened that January, and every January through 1942, for the winter season. Due to security concerns, the area was evacuated during World War II. In 1947, Georgia purchased the island.
Just off the causeway, the Historic District encompasses Jekyll Island Club Hotel and mansion-sized “cottages” built by the wealthiest members including the Goodyears, Morgans, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts.
Boat House Site
The site of the Jekyll Island Club Boat House, where the 100-foot The Jekyll Island steamer was stored during the off season, can be found in Riverview Park. No bridges connected the island during the Jekyll Island Club era, so members arrived by steamer or yacht.
Today, only a few piers and the capstan (used to pull launches from the water into the boathouse) remain.
Restaurants
Jekyll Island boasts several restaurants with mouth-watering dishes. We ate at Beach House Restaurant, Tortuga Jacks, and The Wharf Restaurant.
At Beach House, we shared seafood nachos which were a special that night – delicious!
Tortuga Jacks has beachfront dining and Baja Mexican food. We got a kick out of the robot waiter, named Consuela, that carried food to the table and played music.
I loved my time on Jekyll Island and would recommend it to anyone wanting to visit the Golden Isles.
Such beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing!