Things To Do in Jekyll Island, Georgia

Jekyll Island Things to Do

Jekyll Island Georgia offers visitors a rare combination of nature, history, and fun things to do.

Fun Things To Do

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center, allows visitors to watch veterinarians perform medical procedures on injured sea turtles. Successful treatment here allows them to return to the sea. Golf one of Jekyll Island’s four beautiful courses. Rent a bicycle to see the island. The flat terrain makes for an easy ride. Bike paths wind through moss covered trees, along inland waterways, and down to the beach. Hop aboard Jekyll Island’s Historic Tram Tour for a narrated and comprehensive tour of the island’s history.

History

Visit Faith Chapel. Built in 1904, Jekyll Island Club members with names like Morgan, Astor, and Rockefeller, used this non-denominational chapel. Crane Cottage is another example of the extravagant riches on display in Jekyll Island’s Historic District. The Crane family, of plumbing fame, used this Italian Renaissance mansion as a get-away. The “cottage” has 17 bathrooms, most unusual for a vacation cabin built in the early 1900’s. Built by Major William Horton, second in command to British General James Oglethorpe in 1740, the Horton House Historic Site served as the center of plantation life for 140 years. Built in 1884, the Du Bignon Cottage is the oldest cottage on Jekyll Island. It served as a residence to the Du Bignon family, the original owners of the island. Two other not to miss homes are San Souci, built in 1896 for banker J.P. Morgan, and Indian Mound, built in 1892 for John D. Rockefeller.

Nature

Photographers will love Driftwood Beach. Driftwood and downed oak trees in most interesting shapes and textures litter the beach from end to end. A long boardwalk through a series of natural dunes leads to Glory Beach where they filmed the closing battle scene of the 1989 movie Glory. Jekyll Island has more than 300 species of birds and three sites on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail. The Nature Center on Jekyll Island has many exhibits with live animals and lots of information about the ecology and wildlife of the island. They offer nature walks, kayak tours, and a number of other environmental learning programs.

Editor’s Note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about things to do in Jekyll Island.