Jekyll Island 2024

We’ve been traveling constantly since our wedding. Our first stop on that tour was a last-minute trip to Jekyll Island, GA for my birthday. I’m on sabbatical, so why not?

I’ve never been to Jekyll, but I’ve seen pictures and heard about the driftwood beaches. Holly has been here a few times—most recently to look at a potential wedding venue for us.

Otto perches on an outdoor sofa on a screened porch, looking out at a peaceful view of greenery and a tree with red berries.
A whimsical painting of a bulldog wearing a red headband and sunglasses, floating serenely on a yellow inner tube on a body of water. The artwork, hanging on a white wall, exudes a playful and relaxed summer vibe.

We rented an Airbnb in a duplex about two blocks from the ocean. It was probably one of the better managed Airbnb’s I’ve stayed in.

The place was clean, had everything we could possibly need for a beach vacation, and they even left us a bunch of snacks, which was super helpful. Unfortunately, we arrived too late, and everything on the island had closed by 9 p.m.

Day 1

On our first full day, we packed up the beach bag and headed to the water late morning.

Luckily the beach was pretty quiet. We always try and find spots without a ton of people so the dogs can be off-leash.

For our dogs, the beach means digging without getting shouted at—so that’s always the first thing we do.

As much as I love the beach, I do get antsy just sitting around. I prefer to be exploring and seeing new things.

Holly suggested that we hop in the car and drive to see the famous driftwood beaches of Jekyll. We could hike around the island on the beach and take the inland trail back to the car.

A weathered driftwood log with intricate twists and turns stands on a sandy beach, with a small bouquet of fresh flowers nestled within its gnarled roots, offering a poignant contrast to the barren landscape. In the background, an array of similar skeletal trees stretches towards a sky filled with scattered clouds.
A dramatic tangle of sun-bleached driftwood sprawls across the sand at the edge of the water, under a moody sky. The gnarled branches twist and reach out as if frozen in time, while the ocean quietly laps in the background, lending a sense of quiet resilience to the scene.
Holly in a black and white patterned cover-up walks Remi and Otto on a leash across a sandy beach adorned with twisted, bare trees. The beach is quiet and the sky above is a canvas of soft clouds. The intricate silhouette of the driftwood provides interesting contrast to the white beach sand.

If you’ve never seen driftwood beaches, they are remarkable. They are dead forests that appear along coastlines. As the ocean erodes maritime forests, they leave behind sun-bleached trunks and branches along the beach.

Holly walks with Remi and Otto on Jekyll Island. On the beach their shadows stretching out before them. They're framed by a line of tall, slender pine trees on the left and the expanse of the shoreline extending into the distance, with the late afternoon sun casting a warm glow over the serene landscape.
A vast, tranquil beach scene with smooth sands in the foreground leading to a horizon of serene ocean waters. The sky is a tapestry of fluffy white clouds scattered across the blue, casting soft shadows on the sand below. To the right, a grove of weathered, bare trees and driftwood adds a rugged contrast to the otherwise serene landscape.

We hiked alongside the water, around the northern tip of the island, where you can easily spot the houses on St. Simons Island across the way.

One strange thing we came across on the northern shore was a large number of beached jellyfish. I have seen them on the beach and in the water before, but never in my life have I seen so many—or so many large ones.

I am not sure if the dogs would be interested in the jellyfish or not, but there were so many that we had to be careful not to step on them.

A partial jellyfish stranded on the sand, its once-fluid form now still and semi-translucent, casting a shadow on the sand that is speckled with tiny shells and debris, hinting at the ebb and flow of the ocean's edge.
A person's leg entering the frame from the top right corner, wearing a colorful strapped sandal, stands next to a large, washed-up jellyfish on a sandy beach. The jellyfish is centered in the image, casting a shadow to the right, with small shells and pebbles scattered around on the sand.
A translucent jellyfish washed ashore on the sandy beach, with its dome-shaped bell partially buried in the sand, reflecting the sunlight. Small shells and pebbles are scattered around the jellyfish, accentuating its gelatinous texture against the smooth beach.

We found one that was over a foot in diameter. Just imagine hanging out in the water and seeing that guy next to you.

I only put my feet in earlier in the day. Seeing all these jellyfish—there was no way I was getting back in the water for the rest of the trip.

Holly, Remi and Otto walking on a beach strewn with driftwood and skeletal trees. Their footsteps leave a trail in the sand, leading towards the calm sea under a vast sky with a few wispy clouds.

As we rounded the northern shore towards the pier, we spotted an enormous cargo ship. It felt out of place because the channel between Jekyll and St. Simons doesn’t look that large.

It was quite imposing to watch it pass from the beach. Of course, I couldn’t resist taking a few photos.

Generally, I try and avoid taking pictures into the sun. You can’t see the subjects and have to deal with lens flare, but I got a few amazing photos with the silhouette of the ship from the coastline.

Holly walks along the beach with Remi and Otto. She holds here hand over her eyes to observe the enormous cargo ship in the distance.

We continued towards the pier where we watched another huge cargo ship. This one was coming into port.

These ships look funny because they are car carriers. These ships take vehicles from Brunswick, Georgia all over the world. This one is run by Hyundai Glovis, who’s parent company produces Hyundai cars. It’s a similar type of ship to the one that capsized off of St. Simons in 2019.

A large car carrying cargo ship moves through the channel just before sunset. It is gray and blue two-tone with GLOVIS written in large letters across the side.

It was getting dark, and we were about a little over a mile from the car, so we decided to take the trail back. Based on what I could see of the coastline, I initially expected a boring walk through the woods. Definitely nothing like the picturesque driftwood beaches we had seen on our way there.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. The trail leading back home led us through these stunning grassy wetlands!

It really was a fantastic trail—driftwood beaches, huge cargo ships, grassy wetlands with wildlife.

If you’re ever on Jekyll, I’d highly recommend taking the trail. Park at Driftwood beach and start walking north until you round the island and get to the pier.

From the pier there is a trail that stretches diagonally across the island back to Driftwood Beach.

Day 2

We went back to the beach in the early afternoon on our second full day.

This time we drove a little south to Dunes Beach. We hung out on the there a bit more and tried to tire out the dogs so we could leave them and go for a bike ride around the island that evening.

It was a pretty tough task. Otto just doesn’t stop.

The dogs slowed down a little bit, and we decided to go grab froyo from one of the shops on the island.

I got a few decent pictures of the dunes when we were leaving.

We got on the bikes with about an hour of daylight left and speed around the island as fast as we could. There is an awesome bike trail that spans the Atlantic side of the island.

We rode that and then headed inward. We saw the oldest tree on the island and rode around the gorgeous grounds of the old Jekyll Island Club Resort.

Wish I had taken a few pictures. I love old architecture.

Oh, I did get a picture of this cool sign outside of the Mosaic Museum though.

Retro sign that says Fabulous Jekyll Island Year Round Beach Resort.

The sun had set and we were hungry so we stopped for a drink and dinner at Tribuzio’s Grille. It was probably the best meal we had on the island.

As an aside for anyone planning to visit—Jekyll is really a phenomenal place, but food isn’t a priority here. Next time we come, I’ll probably fix a few of our dinners.

All-in-all it was a fantastic trip though. And everything kind of fell into place for something we decided to do at the last minute.

2 responses

  1. owen Avatar
    owen

    I love how seemless the video is integrated. nice photos too.

    Reply
    1. Sam Solomon Avatar
      Sam Solomon

      Thanks! I try and be careful about adding auto-playing videos. If it isn’t done carefully, it an be overwhelming.

      Reply

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