Submitted by Evelyn C. McDonald
Arts & Culture Reporter
October 14, 2015 12:00 p.m.
Don’t you sometimes feel you want to “get out of Dodge.” You’re restless. That feeling you had as a teenager kicks in and you just want to get in a car and drive. The trick with these escapist feelings is deciding where to go. A leisurely drive along A1A is an oxymoron. Orlando is too far. The ideal road trip is to a destination less than 2 hours away (trust me on this). It should have something of interest to see and a good place to eat. And if you’re female, places to shop.
I can suggest a destination that meets these criteria – Jekyll Island, Georgia, just under 1 ½ hours away. You cross huge coastal marshes heading to the sea from I-95. Here and there in the marshes, there are islands of trees making you wonder how they survive the brackish water. A causeway leads to the island and there’s a $6 fee to enter.
For eating, there’s the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, a lovely old structure with a vintage hotel dining room. Immaculate white table cloths, flowers, and knock out food at reasonable prices await you. In the area around the hotel, there are a number of small buildings that house gift shops, art galleries, and food stores. The welcome center also has a nice collection of items besides maps and kitchen magnets.
The Georgia Sea Turtle Rescue Center is a great place to take grandchildren. In addition to information on turtles and their habitats, you can see live turtles that have been rescued and are being rehabilitated. And there is a gift shop. My grandson is particularly excited by gift shops. I could be taking him to see the Great Wall of China and on the way in, he’d spot the gift shop.
Check out the Jekyll “cottages.” The wealthy built cottages that are huge by our standards. These were vacation homes as defined by someone who lived in a 100 room mansion the rest of the year. Crane Cottage, open for Thanksgiving dinners, is quite spectacular.
At the north end of the island, there is a large T-shaped concrete fishing pier and beach. The pier is shaded in places so it’s a nice place to watch boats on the Intercoastal Waterway. When I took my grandchildren there, we saw dolphins playing in the shallows by the pier.
There you have it – a destination not far away with good food, shopping, and things to see. The perfect road trip.
A great destination for sure. St. Simons Island is another popular destination about 15 minutes further up US17. For the kids there is a great playground and putt-putt at Neptune Park as well as swimming and small water park during warmer weather. Fort Frederica and Christ Church provide some great sites to visit as well.
My next road trip is to Cassadaga, FL the “psychic capital of the world”, just south of Amelia Island & SW of Daytona Beach, a small town full of kooks and a funky hotel and bar.
Dave, you will be right at home in Cassadaga. LOL There was a show for two seasons on one of the cable channels called The Glades where one of the episodes was about a murder in Cassadaga. An interesting place for sure.
Go around Halloween and venture up to the cemetery in Lake Helen where the police have to have constant patrols that time of the year because of the visitors and vandals to the “Devil’s Chair”.
Worth the trip, for sure.
Jekyll Island has the pristine, accessable beaches that St. Simons is mostly missing. If you have the time to stay overnight, Jekyll Island has a variety of ocean-front hotels to choose from and the prices are very reasonable. (especially in the off season)
Food is a different matter. St. Simons is home to quite a few excellent restaurants at all price ranges, while Jekyll Island is very limited.