JIFD has moved to a new state-of-the-art facility on Shell Rd, closer to major hotels but still…read moreless than a minute from the Historic District. We have visited the new FD a few times now and they are all moved in and up and running. They are housed with State Police who I understand were given more private sleep and showering quarters, and a better view despite few of them needing to stay there, however more funding came from their grants so that's how it goes. We see more rescue vehicles each time we visit (last time saw the mule, this time the jet ski) and we love hearing firefighter stories of how all of these tools are implemented to save people and protect the island. The old FD building is being repurposed by Jekyll Island Arts Association, who has raised funds to make it into more studio space, including a nice pottery studio so they can move their prior one out of Goodyear's basement.

I was nervous going to this office because of the bad reviews. My experience was excellent. The…read moresecurity guard was very nice. I got seen quickly I needed my 1099 to pay my taxes. Mrs Reeves was very professional and kind.

I echo Kim's comments and am so thrilled those people are getting shut down! The rudest and most…read moreinept employees I have ever experienced anywhere. We decided we'd drive to Savannah to deal with them losing an entire year of my income which they had acknowledged before. Good luck finding a job in the private sector, you creeps. No one wants employees with that kind of a horrible attitude and unbelievable ignorance!

Great selection of top quality art in a large variety of media. One artist was available to speak…read moreto about her art that she was showing. Another cashier was also available to talk to. They also had books from local authors. The prices were very reasonable for smaller pieces of art. (Doesn't carry art supplies.)

Jekyll Island Arts Association is housed in historic Goodyear Cottage in the Historic District on…read moreJekyll Island. The JIAA hosts art festivals and other events throughout the year, in addition to offering classes in a variety of art mediums. They have a pottery guild on the basement level, a store on the first floor, and classes upstairs. JIAA's store offers art created by its members, and they completely empty and restock the gallery every few months. There are dozens of artists' work on display; paintings, sculpture, fiber arts, pottery, even origami. It is so inspiring to walk through and look at everything. Prices range from as little as $5 or $10 for a crafty item, all the way up to the thousands for large paintings. Most of the art pays homage to the Golden Isles region, which makes it a special place to find a one-of-a-kind souvenir. I bought pottery pieces at the JIAA spring festival 2023, and a painting in Jan 2024. I smile every time I see these pieces in my home. JIAA members run the store, and often there is a member at a demonstration table working on their art during store hours, which is a very cool touch. Many members are retirees who live on the island and bring artistic experiences from all over the world, so for an arts center, this place draws from a diverse pool of talent, and a caucus of expertise. In other words, this place is beautifully appointed and well run!

Walking or biking around the historic district is just perfection, no other way to describe it…read more While it's a good distance to walk, it's manageable. I'd suggest buying a ticket to the Mosaic Museum and trolley tour (buy the trolley ticket and you get in the museum and chapel free) and tour the district first. After the tour you can stroll at your leisure along the homes and decide which ones you want to visit with some knowledge in your pocket. The trolley tour also gains admission into the Rockefeller home, Indian Mound that is just amazing.

Jekyll Island has been many things to many people, throughout history. It was a seasonal place to…read morelive for indigenous tribes (the Guale & the Mocama), just as it was for America's most elite of the Gilded Age. It was first explored by the Spanish in 1510, & called Isla De Ballenas. In 1562, it was claimed by France, & called Ille de la Somme. It was later colonized by the Spanish, then in 1733, colonized by the English. While Jekyll was also once a plantation site, & landing for one slave ship, The Wanderer, (all of which is pretty serious history), there are few physical remnants of that time, & the prevalent stuff the island is known for are the flashy late-19thC / early-20thC "Club Era" manses in the Historic District, surrounding the Jekyll Island Club Resort, which is the most iconic historic building on the island. In its heyday, the JI Club, & stately abodes that make up the Historic District, comprised "the richest, most inaccessible club in the world." BFDs like J.P. Morgan, William K. Vanderbilt, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field, Frank Henry Goodyear, etc. made JI their winter playground. Henri Charles DuBignon set out to create a winter retreat for the wealthy in 1886, & he was successful in this endeavor, until 1942, when the island was evacuated during WWII. At the end of the war, the state of GA bought the entire island. Today, the Historic District is 33 buildings on 240 acres on the western intercoastal "river" side of the island. The HD has a few access roads in it, but it is mostly a network of sidewalks, with benches throughout, & some picnic tables. All of the remaining structures are either fully renovated & in use, or are in some stage of restoration. The architecture is artful & romantic; no two buildings are alike. The showpieces are closer toward the water. These are the individual vacation homes of the prominent club members. Their mansions are called "cottages" in the ironic humor that only the most vile over-privileged people think is cute. I appreciate the work of the architects, & understand funding had to come from someone, but when I read the few didactics available at these sites, I wasn't really gripped by any of the stories. Not sure if it was simply the author's choice to highlight the showy-ness of how fancy, coveted, & expensive things were, or if that home's family really had nothing more noteworthy, humanitarian, or virtuous in their legacy to talk about, but I found the didactics, & even the plaque about J.P. Morgan's yacht, to be utterly grotesque. Yet, after the Trump Era, I guess I should've known better when walking around a former Mar-a-Lago. Maybe this is the socialist in me, but psychologically speaking, one must be a sociopath to reach a certain level of wealth. That said, regardless of these people's moral health, they created a beautiful spot, & no one thinks too hard while on island vacation in the sun, & the Historic District is exactly what tourists want to look at while sipping mochas or eating ice cream. The Jekyll Island Club is a large hotel building. Through JIC, you may also rent a room at the Sans Souci building (some of the first condos in the US), or one of the "cottages." The Crane & Cherokee cottages are popular for weddings. Other cottages are undergoing restoration, or are used for other purposes (offices, small local art gallery, etc.). The Gilded Age folk did create the Federal Reserve System at the JI Club in 1910, & made the first transatlantic phone call from the island in 1927, so some industry was accomplished. The former functional clapboard buildings (farrier, general store, etc.) mostly line Pier Rd, & are now all touristy gift shops. They are painted a uniform mustard yellow color, with brown trim. While quaint, they'd be much cuter in varying colors, to make each one stand out, w/ didactics in front of each to explain its former use. The Jekyll Mosaic Museum is the history museum adjacent to the HD, & they offer tours to explain all of the district's buildings, but still, didactics would be a much more enriching experience, to help that area come alive, IMO. Last, is this place haunted? Google ghosts on JI, for more, but the HD is known for ghost sightings. I encountered some heebie-jeebies at certain parts of the island: the path between Clam Creek & Driftwood Beach, near my rental house, the wooded area of the HD near the Sea Turtle Museum, and the JI Amphitheater ruins. But one night, smack in the middle of the lawn beside the HD's JI Club, I was walking around at sunset with a cocktail taking pictures, texting to a friend. My friend told me to zoom in on one shot; when I did, there were two ghoulish figures sitting on a bench--but there was NO ONE THERE in plain sight. What's more scary? My toddler woke up from his nap in the stroller & started saying "spooky ghost" out of the blue! I was so freaked out! See my posted photos to judge for yourself! Enjoy, but after sunset, get ready for some goosebumps!

Steeped in centuries of history, the Lover's Oak in Brunswick, Georgia stands as a testament to…read moretimeless affection and enduring strength. Legend speaks of this magnificent 900-year-old Southern live oak as a rendezvous spot for Native American lovers, whispering their vows beneath its sprawling branches. Located in the heart of the Brunswick Old Town Historic District, this living monument has witnessed countless stories of love and devotion. This tree is easy to find in the Historic District in downtown Brunswick. You'll see signs with directions to the tree throughout the area.

Lovers Oak is a very old Live Oak tree (dated to the 12th C), in the Historic District of…read moreBrunswick. It's in a residential neighborhood, at the corner of Albany and Prince Streets. There is kind of a median strip in the middle of the street, where the tree lives. It has a plaque and a small sign. The lore is that Native American lovers "met under the tree." Hmmm... and then what? Ate pizza? Anyway, it's a beautiful old majestic tree, with a trunk diameter of 13 feet!!!! Worth a look-see, and a photo. It's a lot more public now than it once was, but you could probably eat some pizza under it with your sweetheart.

If you have any appreciation for early American history, the Horton House ruins on Jekyll Island…read moreare absolutely worth a stop. Built in 1743 from tabby, a fascinating oyster shell and lime mortar used throughout colonial Georgia, these walls have survived Spanish raids, Georgia hurricanes, and nearly three centuries of harsh coastal weather. The atmosphere is wonderfully peaceful. No crowds, no noise, just moss-draped trees, the sound of the breeze and the birds singing. This site could use a little more facts about Major Horton, the DuBignon era, and the plantation history would make the experience even more meaningful for first-time visitors. Across the street from the Horton House ruins is the small DuBignon Cemetery, a tabby-walled enclosure containing the graves of five people: Ann Amelia du Bignon, Joseph du Bignon, Marie Felicite Riffault, Hector deLiyannis, and George Harvey. They owned the Horton House from 1790 to 1886 and operated the land as a plantation for over a *century. Still an over-all interesting history stop.

This was such an interesting historical site to explore. It's easily accessible -- right along the…read moreside of the road. We parked and walked over to the house. There are explanatory plaques about the tabby-built house along with a sign about tabby (the building material formed from a mix of sand, lime, oyster shells, and water). The house is one of the oldest of its kind in Georgia and is on the National Register of Historic places. Horton was in charge of the British troops stationed on island. He built this house as his residence and lived here from 1736 until 1748. (He died in Savannah in 1748 or 1749 -- I've read two different dates.) One other interesting note about Horton was that he had the first beer brewery in the state. What you see when you come here is the shell of the house. Open aired without a roof or paned windows. You can walk around the outside and inside. It's a good photo op for various views through the open windows. Later on, the house was occupied by the French du Bignons (who owned the island until they sold it to the American millionaires in 1886) from 1790 to the mid 1800's. Their cemetery is located across the street from the House, and you can easily walk to see this, as well, which we did.

Scammers, ripped me off and treated me like a criminal. The level of incompetence is outrageous…read more The "greater than thou" attitude is unacceptable.