Posted May 5, 2021 – Narrated by Carmen
 See our 5-Bambi rating legend at the end of this review. |
“I long, I pine, all my days, to travel home and see the dawn of my return.”
– Odysseus, in Homer’s The Odyssey
This post – Part 3 of 3 – wraps up The Navy Brat Tour of 2021.
Part One is Where Florida Begins and Part Two is Friendship Found.
In the interest of nostalgic self-care which the experts say is actually good for us these days, Jim wants to watch me rediscover the places I lived as a child. I’m supportive, but not much help.
At fourteen years-old I had already moved sixteen times. Memories of those first eight years are mostly learned from my sister Deborah and from Dad, and also from Mama who passed on several years ago.
And, as they say, “Time is like the Mississippi. It flows in one direction and never takes you back.”
My early childhood is like a sweet southern ambrosia – a slurry of bright innocent moments, suspended in heaps of that fluffy stuff dreams are made of – absent of schema, montage or terra firma.
And, I’ve learned to like it that way.
Also, going back is a lot of work. While most people can recover childhood memories from cardboard boxes in their garage, I must travel – and I’m not even quite sure where I’m going or what I’m looking for.
I have few recollections before my family boarded the SS Constitution and set off for Europe.
Georgia
Occasionally, I catch a glimpse of the big picture, but only momentarily. I guess, my developing childhood brain set aside record keeping and moved on to sensory management. Things trigger memories of those years on Georgia’s Barrier Islands … trees, moss, salt marsh, fish bones, the dank smell of mildewed leaves, tabby ruins, saltines crushed into a glass of milk …
One stand-out memory – deeply embedded in my hippocampus – is of watching shimmering flying fish from the deck of the family boat, Daddy’s Toy, as we toured The Golden Isles of Georgia.
We lived in two houses in The Golden Isles – an old beach house on Saint Simon’s, and a brand new house in a navy project in Brunswick.
Jekyll Island was our playground
On weekends we piled onto Daddy’s Toy and sped away to meet other boating friends on the beach for picnics and camping in a place I believed was a secret island wilderness …
where the driftwood shores, tangled forrest and marshland are still as familiar to me as Mama’s face, and the shadows of the overhanging oaks and riotous birdsong are like the comforts of the cradle.
Deb and I ran wild on the beach and through the dense forest where we took turns playing Tarzan because Jane was boring.
“Fifty-five years, and it looks about the same,” I said as we crossed the Sidney Lanier Bridge. Snowy egrets skimmed the surface of the marsh as we drove the lovely Downing Musgrove Causeway onto Jekyll Island.
By now, of course, I had figured out that Jekyll was not a family secret. But, until this Springtime visit, I had no clue that the island was once a winter refuge for the richest families in America … and, that wouldn’t be mine.
By appearance alone, Jekyll Island is a quiet, minimally developed vacation destination for travelers who just want to walk or ride a bike or a horse on the beach, or read a book and sunbathe without competing for space.
But the secret is starting to get out. Film makers are discovering Jekyll Island, and a new convention center has recently opened.
Jekyll Inland History
Yet, these islands were once home to tens of thousands of people. The Timucua Nation lived in present-day Coastal Georgia for 15,000 years.
The French were the first western invaders to arrive, but the British were the first to claim territory. General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia in 1733 and gave Jekyll Island its present name in honor of his personal friend, Sir Joseph Jekyll.
“It is my hope that, through your good example, the settlement of Georgia may prove a blessing and not a curse to the native inhabitants.”
– James Oglethorpe – founder of the colony of Georgia
The DuBignon’s settled the island and established a cotton and indigo plantation. Then, in 1886 and until 1947 the grounds were developed into a resort known as The Jekyll Island Club, where in charming, isolated splendor, the tycoons of New York City wintered in the edenic environment.
Today – due to the aftermath of The Great Depression – everyone can indulge in the splendors once reserved for the Vanderbilts, Hortons, Martins, Carnegies, Leakes, Rockerfellers, Macys, Goodyears, Pulitzers and Morgans. Some estimate that a sixth of the worlds wealth was once represented by members of the Jekyll Island Club.
The state bought the club In 1947 in order to recover and restore the abandoned and tattered remnants of success and excess … but the place still smells like money.
The Jekyll Island Club Resort with the financial support of Georgia State Parks and the Jekyll Island Authority continues to maintain the historic and elegant Millionaire’s Village. The restored island homes are tastefully furnished with Golden Age appointments.
The Wanderer
The Jekyll Island Club has a robust history laden with scandal secrets and ghosts,
The Wanderer is a most difficult but important exhibit. The Jekyll Island Authority recently opened a trail with storyboards to outline a conspiracy devised by Charles Lamar of Savannah, Captain Corrie of South Carolina, and Henry DuBignon to break government laws against the slave trade.
The three schemed to outfit a sailing yacht, which appeared for all intents and purposes to be a pleasure craft, to sail undercover as a slave ship to the Congo.
The ruse was a success as the ship passed British inspections, allowing Corrie to sail into central Africa. There, he commissioned the capture of 500 souls and kidnapped them to Jekyll Island. The survivors of the ordeal were detained on the island until they could be smuggled into the illegal slave trade. The actions of this white-collar gang of heartless criminals (who were acquitted of their crimes) contributed toward tipping the United States into civil war.
“Slavery is against the gospel, as well as fundamental law of England.”
– James Oglethorpe – founder of the colony of Georgia
So, on a short first-day walk-through, Jim and I learned that Jekyll Island, my idyllic childhood paradise, serves as a microcosm of America’s colonial sins, and as the strange bedroom of an illegitimate ruling class, and contains the shore where our horrifying slaving past made an historic and revealing landfall.
But the island is not to blame.
With two whole weeks here, and so much to process, I would use the time to think about ways to improve the world, and exercise my primal scream …
But before donning loincloths, we acquired an exclusive and pricy full-coverage vehicle pass. The pass is purchased at the State Park gate and the funds are used to Keep Jekyll Classy with piers, beaches, hikes, bike paths. So, we coughed up the $56 annual fee and enjoyed our stay.
The vehicle pass is $8 per day and is not waived for guests of the campground, hotel or B&B. Over the years we have learned that islands are expensive. But we like islands, so …
The Campground
Jekyll Island Campground has 179 total campsites, with 167 full hook-up sites and 12 primitive tent sites located within 18 densely wooded acres.
All sites have four-point hookups – water, sewer and 30/50 amp service.
Every site provides a sewer connection, so no dump station is provided.
In an effort to protect the trees and the natural environment, the sites are non-conforming. Most sites are a bit tight while others have big yards. Some sites are back-in, and some are pull-through.
Some sites are quite private, and others offer no privacy at all.
But all of the unpaved bare-earth sites are numbered and have a fire ring and a picnic table.
The island is almost perfectly flat, so neither of our sites required leveling.
The majority of the campground roads are paved …
with dirt roads on the perimeters.
Majestic oaks draped in Spanish moss kept us cool with little need for the awning.
Wi-Fi is free at speeds of around 2 Mbps, but our Verizon cell signal facilitated around 5 Mbps – plenty fast for our needs.
Pets are allowed in the campground with a one-time $4 pet fee to cover the cost of poop bags and maintenance. Some of the beaches allow leashed dogs.
Bath Houses
Because of The Virus, we avoided the bathhouses. They were clean, but outdated.
Meeting Room
A climate-controlled special event pavilion has seating for up to 164 guests.
Laundry
The laundry room was spotless. The machines have slots for both credit cards and quarters.
Camp Store
The campground store offers firewood, fishing tackle, ice, bike rental, and limited personal items – but, no groceries.
Propane is available for sale at the front entrance for just under $4 a gallon.
Reservations
Rates start at $47 for full hookups, and $32 for a primitive site. With taxes and the pet fee, we paid $691 for 14 nights, averaging $49 a night.
Monthly rates are not listed online. Call the office to reserve the special 30-day rate. From October through March you can book up to 90 nights for $750 a month. From April through September, you can book up to 30 nights for $800 a month.
Check in is 3 PM and check out is at noon.
Book a site online or call 912-635-3021. There is a three-night minimum stay for: Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. If you need to cancel, call the office to make changes. Cancellations and early departures are subject to a $10 fee.
Bird Sanctuary
Tucked away in the heart of the campground, we discovered a well-kept bird sanctuary with observation seating.
The feeders are maintained by dedicated volunteers.
Donations are accepted in a small box placed near the benches.
The sanctuary is a place to think, pray, day-dream, nap, meditate and be transported into the world of birds.
Driftwood Beach
It’s a short walk from the campground to Driftwood Beach, on the north end of the island.
Jekyll has several beaches – each one, unique – but Driftwood is the most popular.
The specter of hundreds of massive dead oaks blasted and bleached by sun, wind and tide is something to see.
Driftwood Beach is an example of Ghost Forrests – a type of forrest erosion caused by rising sea levels.
The boneyard invokes whimsy, fantasy and romance.
Fortunately, much better photographers than I have immortalized Driftwood Beach.
Biking and Hiking
About twenty-five miles of trails are maintained for bicycles and hiking.
Cycling on nice hard packed sand is a wonderful low tide pleasure …
and the off-street dedicated trails lead deep into the magnolia live-oak forrest.
Kayaking
Clam Creek Fishing Pier, about a half-mile from the campground has plenty of launch sites.
Wildlife
The island is home to an abundance of white-tailed deer, and wild predatory species. That’s why low speed limits are posted and enforced.
We didn’t see any bobcats, but the squirrels were constantly on Pico’s radar.
Jekyll Island is also Georgia’s premier birding destination.
Historic District
The structures built by Jekyll Island Club and its members are a National Historic Landmark, opened to the public.
Jekyll Island Businesses
Jekyll Market supports the island’s residents and tourists, but for serious provisions and produce, we traveled over the bridge to Brunswick which has everything.
Businesses on Jekyll Island are minimally stocked with necessities and are mostly tourism related.
Hotels and restaurants are located throughout the island, but most are part of the new Beach Village development where musicians often play in the courtyard on weekends.
There are ten hotels on the island and many short-term vacation rentals.
Restaurants
As of this writing, 28 restaurants are open for business, but we only visited a couple which offered outdoor dining and ample social distancing.
When you’re not playing Tarzan
There’s other fun stuff … kayaking, horseback riding, golf, miniature (Putt Putt) golf, court games – tennis, croquet and pickle ball – and a water park.
Saint Simon’s Island
Saint Simon’s Island is an easy paddle from Jekyll.
And we drove there several times.
Daddy gave us directions to the old beach house. Jim and I cycled all day along every single street and lane before giving up.
But, at least we had a good excuse for a cold beer at Barrier Island Brewing Company.
The house is probably gone now. But Saint Simon’s Island with its beautiful old front porch homes, expansive beach and friendly neighborhood shops and restaurants reminded us of our old home town, Coronado California.
We even felt a twinge of homesickness.
Fort Fredrika
My most vivid memory of Saint Simon’s Island was Fort Fredrika.
Mama often took us here to play under the trees while she harvested pecans for her amazing pies and divinity. As soon as we arrived I set out to find the grassy hillsides where Deb and I crossed our arms and rolled down the slope on our sides, making ourselves dizzy so we could stumble like drunks and sing, “How Dry I Am…” and then laugh our faces sore.
But there weren’t any hills, only earthen battle trenches dug in the 1700’s … Aha! For a child who grew up on sandbars, those trenches must look like The Alps. Those military trenches are also where The Battle Of Bloody Marsh took place, when Spanish and British forces collided over control of the barrier islands.
MmmMmm … Nothin’ like Mama’s Bloody Marsh Pie.
“That’s a good joke, but we tell it much better in England.”
– James Oglethorpe – founder of the colony of Georgia
So that wraps up the Navy Brat Tour.
What a winter! We didn’t see any flying fish, but we had a wonderful time, discovering and re-discovering some places that are a bit off the radar – all, good finds which we hope to see again someday.
And, Jim, my love, thank you for the memories and for making this happen. It was fascinating and informative. But that wasn’t really the goal, was it? You wanted to be part of my childhood, and now you are.
Now, let’s play us some Tarzan and Jane.
If you want to see our exact route, click here.
*photos in this post (unless otherwise noted) were taken and copyrighted by Living In Beauty.
Our “BAMBI” rating system explained:
 – One Bambi: Should’a boondocked.
 – Two Bambi’s: Better than a Cracker Barrel or Walmart.
 – Three Bambi’s: Adequate for a short stay.
– Four Bambi’s: Great place! Met our expectations for an extended stay. Needs minor improvements or is not ideally situated for all our preferred recreation (hiking, cycling, swimming, kayaking) without driving.
 – Five Bambi’s: Destination Camping at its best! Critical as we are, there’s nothing we’d improve, and you can bet your sweet Bambi we’re going back! |
We were not paid, reimbursed nor influenced in any way by anyone for this campground review.
Click here to see our other campground reviews.
Enjoyed your tour of Jekyl island and surroundings. Winter must be the time to go. We were there in the summer and Georgia summers are hot and humid with tons of mosquitoes, especially in the campground. By the way we’re in your old backyard for the next week. We’re staying in Lakeside to visit some friends in the area. Always nice to get to the SD area.
Hey Vince! Spring is a perfect time for San Diego. Are the jacaranda in bloom? What an amazing sight! Lakeside is beautiful. If you haven’t already, I suggest that on a sunny day when the pass is clear to take a day-trip into Anza-Borrego.
Yes, the deep south requires some immunity. Apparently, I am mostly immune to the quintillions of flying, biting pests. Jim, unfortunately is not. That’s why we visited in winter. He gets the worst of it. Growing up in San Diego he just doesn’t have the immunities running in his veins and they just chew him up! EVEN SO … it was NOT bug free. Fortunately, the bugs did not appear until dusk (as they should) when the prey are safely tucked inside with cocktails and entertainment.
Great to hear from you,Vince! Make sure you go to Coronado for breakfast or brunch at Crown Bistro and say “Hey!” to the staff from the Beaubeaux’s.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
We just came from the Springs at Borrego (based on your recommendation). I’ll have to add the Crown Bistro to our itinerary. I’m like Jim, the mosquitoes love me even though I’m from New Jersey where they grow big and bite hard. Safe travels.
Vince,
What was your impression of The Springs? Yay or nay?
Carmen @ LIB
We liked it even though I don’t golf anymore. I wouldn’t have minded staying a little longer to explore the surrounding area. If we go back it will be earlier in the year for a little longer stay.
Vince,
If you don’t mind not having a cell signal for a few days, you might enjoy Agua-Caliente – it’s a San Diego County park. I don’t know if the hot springs and cool pools are opened though. It’s even a nice day-trip.
https://www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/park-pages/AguaCaliente.html
xoxo
My in laws loved their time spent on Jekyll Island with their airstream! Likely at this same campground! They went down every Oct just after Canadian Thanksgiving until Mid December when they went further south to Florida. We were fortunate to visit once and eat at ‘the club’. The beaches were amazing and the views stunning!
Hey Lynn! Thank you for sharing your memories and experience of Jekyll Island.
As far as we know, there is no other campground – these days, anyway. We noticed how many campers were staying long-term – for several months – at Jekyll Island Campground. We also noticed that the staff of volunteers were very well organized. Campers posted signs in front of their rigs hailing their home states. I looked for Canada, but didn’t see any. Ah, well … hopefully our neighbors can return soon. Seems like we’re getting close to “NowNormal” as our friend, Uly, calls it.
Yes, Jekyll is ALL THAT … beaches, sun, blessedly wonderful winter weather – even THIS infamous winter, which was our most miserable since LIB, was actually quite pleasant in Jekyll. So if it’s good enough for the Rockerfellers … 🙂
Wonderful to have you with us, Lynn!
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
Love Jekyll Island and Driftwood Beach!
Beverly! Thank you for sharing your experience of Jekyll Island.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
As always your descriptive talents surface. When the “notice” of a new LIB post pings, I hold off until I’m home from the office. A delight, your memories intertwined with the current state is a great read and informative. Your photography is really quite good, I hope you know that. We pine for the day the borders open and we can head south once again. Safe travels and thank you. John and Marg Bloemendal
Hey John and Marg!
How encouraging to hear that you look forward to your LIB ping. Thank you for that! And, thanks also for enjoying the photos. Not much can be done about it, but my distance vision is very blurry. I take photos so I can see.
Hopefully, the virus situation will be under control soon and with necessary precautions we can venture out safely.
If the borders were open, we would be entering Nova Scotia this week planning to spend the entire season … but then, we would have missed this barrier island tour which turned out to be better than we expected.
So wonderful to have you two with us.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
My first camping trip when I was a young boy was to this campground in my Aunt & Uncle’s 16’ Serro Scotty around 1968! Great memories!
Hey Kevin!
Yes, I’d classify it as a vintage campground and in need of some updated infrastructure. Nevertheless, everything works and it’s so close to all the best stuff on Jekyll.
Thank you for sharing!
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
One our our best Airstreaming memory!
Hey Eddy!
Thanks for sharing!
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
Excellent review. Sounds like you had an wonderful childhood growing up on the Golden Isles.
Waving happily from Richmond Hill.
Hey Joy!
Thank you for being with us. We love Richmond Hill!
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
Are there concrete pads or just dirt pads?
Hey Paul!
No. The pads are bare-earth – but our Prest-O Mat kept our porch area neat:
Even with rain showers, there was no standing water. The whole island is basically a sandbar, so moisture runs off very quickly.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
Nice read, been there and my sister lives on the island. Great history.
Hey Scott!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience on Jekyll Island! Your sister is so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
I enjoy all of your newsletters, and appreciate the effort you put into them. They are wonderful to read, and so helpful as we plan to do what you guys are doing, one day. But this post was particularly enjoyable as we just moved to this area and look foward to exploring all of these lovely places. Thank you!
Hey Judy!
Oh my, you are so fortunate to live in this magical area with so much natural beauty.
If you have not had the opportunity you might enjoy a visit to Okefenokee Swamp: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee/visit/plan_your_visit.html
– Okefenokee was another Georgia place my family camped, but we weren’t able to make it there this time. It is so peaceful and gorgeous.
Thank you so much for your encouragement and for being with us.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
This looks wonderful, thank you for the info! Excited to check it out. Looking forward to more of your blog posts. Safe and happy travels to you as well ☺️
We loved Jekyll island!
Hey Pamela!
Thank you for sharing your experience of Jekyll Island! We miss it already …
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
Awesome review and resources
Hey Catherine!
Thank you for the encouragement. LIB is a gift that we feel compelled to share to best of our abilities.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
Hey Carmen & Jim – Very much enjoyed this; we have not been to any of Georgia’s islands; now that trip is on our list of must-do’s. Side note: My mom, dad, sister and I sailed on the USS Constitution from Genoa, Italy to NYC in July, 1956; had my 5th birthday party as we sailed into New York. Wish I had a picture of that. Hope to see you guys soon; we are in Gulf State Park, another of your recommendations, with 31 of our Arkansas Airstream Club friends; great place!
Hey Michael!
I hope you and Judy are having wonderful beach weather at Gulf Shores. If you haven’t already, you might enjoy taking a trip to the sweet little village of Magnolia Springs.
Yes! Check out The Golden Isles and more. We’ve been traveling along the extreme Atlantic shoreline for months now and can’t wait to share all we’ve learned about it.
We are both in the Connie Club! What a fabulous memory of celebrating your birthday on that splendid ship!
Our voyage was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The military made a mistake and sent our entire family first class. We hillbilly children had our own cabin with a personal porter who attended to our every need. Unforgettable experience.
Cheers from us at Rehoboth Beach to you Gulf Shores!
Safe and Happy Travels!
Carmen @ LIB
Loved staying there…hope to again.
Hey Karen!
So do we! Even during this blustery winter our stay at Jekyll Island was so relaxing and mostly warm – even warmer than Florida and Alabama. So, we’re hoping to take advantage of those great monthly rates and winter there in the future.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
One of the best campgrounds on the Atlantic coast….natural and unspoiled.
Oh, we agree, Jim. Absolutely beautiful. Yes, there are bugs and when a storm comes in it can be harsh to say the least, but we’re up for the experience.
Thanks so much for being with us.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
I got a chuckle out of this: “Why did you put me on this tree?” 🙂 Love Jekyll Island and been there many times. This was before living in our motorhome so we haven’t been back for a few years. Haven’t seen a lot of the new growth. But, I know there are still so many natural areas. I knew about the wealthy going there, but did not know about the slave trade. So sad. 🙁 I have to say your posts are extremely informative. I can’t believe how many links you add to other sites! You do quite the research, thanks for that. And your pictures are incredible. You go Tarzan! 🙂
Brenda!
Always wonderful to hear from people who like my nerdy links!!! Woot!!!
I feel the need to know as much as possible and share. I want to know who the first residents were and what they called the place. Most native people don’t “name” places but refer to it by what can be found there that is of use … Fish Lake, Medicine Valley, Dry Canyon, and so on. I could not find the name of Jekyll Island but I will keep looking.
Now, I didn’t get into it, because it has nothing to with history or travel or tourism, but there are many far-fetched conspiracy theories about The Jekyll Island Club – so did some deep research (even pulled things out of the NYT archives going back 100 years) to parse the junk from the facts.
I’m so glad you like the photos and my Tarzan yodel. I’m always working on that.
Pico is so transparent. I can pose him, but he’s a teenager and knows all my tricks to get him smile for the camera.
Safe and Happy Travels!
Carmen @ LIB
We stayed here once. Enjoyed it BUT NOT when it’s raining. It rained two days when we were here. The acorns came down on the Airstream. It was awful. So hard to sleep. When we left I was wishing I had slept in the meeting room. People who stay there are very friendly. I think there are a bunch of people who stay for the winter. When we were there, there were a lot of Christmas decorations in front of RV’s the blow up kind.
Hey Lisa!
Great to hear from you!
Yes, we noticed that the winter crowd seemed to be an intimate group of regulars. We arrived after Christmas, so the trailer kitsch was the usual happy camper stuff.
OMG acorns! We had that experience at my sister’s house. I thought someone was shooting at us. Late autumn is acorn time – best to avoid oak trees. I think some years are also worse than others.
It would be wonderful to see you guys again. Are you still going to Quartzite? I miss the Colorado River. Need some Yuma time.
Best to you and Bob …
Safe and Happy Travels
Carmen @ LIB
Hey Carzan! Like so many others , I look forward to LIB showing up in my inbox. But I haven’t been fooled into thinking it was a travel memoir- I knew all along it was a love story. Safe travels to you and Jim. See you soon in San Diego. Love, Lori
Hey Lori!
Hello from Delaware!
Gal, hearing from you is like getting a big warm hug from San Diego.
Hugging back from kinda windy and cool Rehoboth Beach.
xoxo,
Carmen @ LIB
Did the “no seeums” carry you off??!!!
Hey Carola!
They did come out at dusk, but they could have been worse. Not enough to be noteworthy. That’s one of the reasons we are enjoying the East Coast during the cool Spring shoulder season.
Thanks for being with us.
Safe and Happy Travels!
Love this place, one of our favorites ‼️ My dog loves all the squirrels ‼️
Hey Barb!
Pico got NO rest! And the squirrels intentionally taunted him with their antics. But Pico made certain we had no hitchhikers. He was ON IT!
Great to have you with us.
Safe and Happy Travels!
LIB
Wow, another beautiful and intriguing place to visit.
Thanks to you two, my bucket list of places to visit, has grown to a 55 gallon drum.
Thank you for sharing your adventures with almost 6000 of us subscribers!
C’mon people-tell a friend. Let’s bump subscriptions over the 6k mark!
Hey Dean, we’re in the same situation with our bucket list – very time we visit an island, we learn of two more.
It is a pleasure to share, and always a delight to hear from you, Dean. Thank you for the encouragement.
Safe and Happy Travels!
Carmen @ LIB
Love this campground
Lynne, so do we!❤️