It was messy. Half the bathrooms were out of service…read more Dirty floors in men's restroom.

There are lots of reasons to exit the interstate right in the middle of nowhere, but on this day…read moreleading up to the Memorial Day Weekend it seems most were pulling over for the same reason, some dashing, some hobbling but all were making their way to the facilities located quite aways from the parking area depending on where you were able to find an open space. From the condition of the restrooms it's apparent they did get their share of use this fine Friday afternoon, whew this is not a place to linger or touch anything - this is why wet wipes were invented. Well at least there weren't any long lines with one exception. There was this one gentleman that a small crowd had gathered around in the parking lot parallel to the building housing the restrooms as he so proudly proclaimed to have some of the best if not the best Georgia grown peaches and today he was willing to part with them for $5.00 a bucket, it's actually a small carton but no use in splitting hairs with this old guy, this side show pickup truck business was thriving as people stood in line with their fist filled with dollar bills to get their hands on some of these juicy ripened fruits at what seemed to be a bargain price. Well I can't say I was impressed with the cleanliness of the facilities but them peaches were pretty tasty although a little pricey in my opinion, but this review is based on the rest area itself since the unlicensed vendors only shows up occasionally for a short while I'm sure as do the attendances who get paid to clean this place...

The Jekyll Island Authority is the Ranger office. Jekyll is GA state owned, and it's a hybrid of a…read morestate park, and government-regulated tourist area. The Island Authority is the ranger station authorized to patrol and protect the island, and its wildlife. The best way to get to know the island wildlife is to take a Ranger Walk. There are other programs throughout the year, but from Dec-March, the bald eagles hatch their young, and can be observed in their nests. Jekyll Island is home to a variety of birds, reptiles, and mammals, as well as some very cool plant activity. Ranger Erin headed my walk, and it was extremely fun. Our group was about 10 people, and my toddler was able to join free of charge. We did plant and animal spotting, and the information Erin pointed out was so fascinating to me. We saw and learned about salt marsh succulents (that can provide fresh water if needed), sweet gum trees, Resurrection ferns, Yaupon hollies, muscadine vines, tasted pickle wort (a delicacy in London), and we crushed up wild bay leaves to smell their beautiful scent (which I wish someone would bottle into perfume!). We learned that Spanish moss is an epiphyte, and its closest relative is pineapple. We saw black needle rush that really is like sharp needles, and learned that Timucuan tribes used it to sew clothing. We saw a number of birds (I'm sorry I cannot remember them all), and learned that egrets almost went extinct for the use of their feathers in ladies' hats. Erin brought a telescope on the walk, and let us all have a few turns looking at the eagles' nest. She explained they were lucky to have an eglette a couple years in a row, and gave a lot of info on bald eagles. She estimated their nest was the size of a VW Beetle, which was amazing because we were so far away, it seemed a lot smaller. But eagles are fiercely protective of their young, and she said they must sense the telescope gazing from their tours, because the parents had built up the wall on that side of the nest for further privacy. We saw a female gator named JC, who was pregnant. She was lounging in a freshwater stream, but our ranger showed us a nearby salt marsh, where gators spend an equal amount of time. She said health benefits abound for gators to cross-inhabit these micro-ecosystems, such as using salt water to clean freshwater bacteria from their mouths. Erin said the gators had never hurt anyone, and their department is much more concerned about human injuries to gators (like from speedboats, and one had been shot). She named several of the resident gators of Jekyll, and noted where they usually could be found. The largest, Sauron, is 11.5' long, and likes to hang on the main golf course. Erin was so informative, and added many on-the-job experiences to her stories, such as how she has to hold gator mouths shut when they track them to collect data. She said they don't have many muscles to open their jaws, so holding them shut is not as hard as holding them open. When you hold their mouth open, they're really powerful to resist because of their muscles needed to chomp on prey. That made me feel better about our safety, but I was still a little nervous. I cannot say enough about the ranger team on Jekyll. I felt so safe in their hands on the island. Their programming quality goes above and beyond to entertain and educate visitors.

Hoping the JIA reads this…read more It's with much sadness and overwhelming disgust that I see Maxwells missing from the list of merchants to occupy the new village. We built a home on Jekyll in 1962, still have it, and spend lots of time there since retirement. Over the years we have learned to depend upon Maxwells for anything we needed to do repairs and upgrades and recently signed a petition to keep the store going on the island, obviously to no avail From the list I see of the future merchants, money does the talking. What a crying shame that Mr. Hooks and his crew are bowing to mercenary influences.

Due to U-boats during 1942, much cargo and many ships were lost. The tremendous number of losses…read morenecessitated the need for more ships that were stronger, larger, and can hold vast amounts of cargo. During 1942 the U.S. Maritime Commission chose 16 sites around the nation to build what would be termed "Liberty Ships." Brunswick was one of the towns chosen. During World War II, the J.A. Jones Construction Company operated a plant approximately 1 mile south of this point on Brunswick's waterfront. Between 1942 and 1944, a skilled labor force of over 16,000 men and women worked in service to the Allied war effort, producing 99 steel vessels for the U.S. Merchant Marines. These vessels served as both cargo and troop carriers, and their reputation for keeping vital supply lines open earned them the name of "Liberty Ships." Each month, dedicated shipyard workers produced four of these 447-foot, 3500-ton steel vessels. During December 1944, with the "Battle of the Bulge" raging in Europe, the Navy requested six ships. In response, these determined patriots build an astounding seven "Liberty Ships." The J.A. Jones Construction Company and the people they employed in Brunswick's shipyards came to symbolize the patriotic duty and tireless efforts of America's wartime home front. Upon war's end in 1945, the J.A. Jones Construction Company closed the shipyards, on their way out, they donated a model of one of the Liberty Ships that was used in training the employees. For many years this model sat at the foot of the St. Simons Island Causeway, eventually though, the model fell to ruins and had to be scrapped. Around 1987 the local Navy League started raising funds to build a new model. On 23 August 1991 a brand new 23 foot vessel was completed, making it the "100th Liberty Ship" build by Brunswick. And, like all vessels before it, this ship was christened with a bottle of champagne and the name "City of Brunswick". [Review 16824 overall - 497 in Georgia - 337 of 2022.]

This roadside marker is located not far from the traffic circle where Kings Way meets Frederica…read moreRoad. There is no good spot for a car to stop with a soft shoulder, but the pedestrian path nearby is close enough. The marker was erected by the Georgia Historical Society in 2007 and is still in excellent condition. You'll need to stop to read the small print, "In 1804 William Page purchased land on St. Simons Sound and named it Retreat. With later purchases, Retreat became one of the preeminent plantations on St. Simons Island for the production of long-staple cotton. In 1827 the Pages' only child, Anna Matilda, who had married Thomas Butler King of Massachusetts, inherited Retreat. She was active in the management of the plantation and its slave population. Mr. King became a Georgia state senator and U. S. Congressman, where he led efforts to strengthen the U.S. Navy. Retreat land stretched from the Frederica River to the Lighthouse. Part of Retreat, including the Avenue of Oaks, is now home to Sea Island Golf Club, and other portions are residential and commercial areas and public parks." Retreat Plantation was one of the most prosperous plantations and was located on the southern tip of St. Simons Island. Anna Page King, who inherited the land in 1826, planted the famous Avenue of the Oaks. It is said that Anna grew such an abundance of flowers at Retreat Plantation that sailors nearing St. Simons Island could smell the flowers' fragrance before they saw the Island shores. Once the entrance to Retreat Plantation, the Avenue of the Oaks is now the entrance to the Sea Island Golf Club. There is a drive around the double row of live oak trees which create the Avenue of the Oaks, most dating to around 1830. [Review 15743 overall - 425 in Georgia - 1247 of 2021.]

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.

Great place to visit. All free. Beautiful grounds. The deer were not scared of us. The information…read moreshared was very informative and educational.

This afternoon, my mom and I went to go tour the Fort Federica national Monument on Saint Simons…read moreIsland. It is a free fort so you don't pay a parking fee or an entrance fee. They have a museum inside along with a small gift shop as well as the fort grounds that you can walk around and read the Historical information. To get on Saint Simons Island you don't have to pay an island fee. The lady at the desk, her name is Barbara. She was very nice and assisted me with purchasing my passport guide. A passport to the national parks has little areas where you can take the stamps from the different national parks and stamp in your booklet. The passport books includes national parks all over the country. In the gift shop, they have a regular passport, an expert passport and a junior guide for a junior Rangers. 10/10

I've seen this bridge dozens of times as I drive I-95 but it isn't the I-95 bridge. The Sidney…read moreLanier Bridge carries four lanes of US-17 over the Brunswick River. It is a cable-stayed bridge that is the longest spanning bridge in Georgia and is 480 feet tall. It is named for poet Sidney Lanier (1842-1881) who was hailed in the South as "the poet of the Confederacy." The bridge was completed in 2003 and features a span of 1250 feet that has 185 feet of clearance over the water. It has four lanes of traffic. The original Sidney Lanier Bridge was opened June 22, 1956, and was built by Sverdrup & Parcel, the same firm that designed the I-35W Mississippi River bridge which collapsed in 2007. On November 7, 1972 the ship African Neptune struck the bridge, causing parts of the bridge to collapse and causing several cars to fall into the water. Ten deaths were caused by the accident. On May 3, 1987 the bridge was again struck by a ship, this time by the Polish freighter Ziemia Bialostocka. If you squint your eyes, you could see this bridge being compared to Charleston's Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge https://www.yelp.com/biz/arthur-ravenel-jr-bridge-mount-pleasant-2?hrid=adycp2YtNWJNWD6GJRhgFA though this one has straight pilings where the Charleston bridge is diamond shaped. [Review 15746 overall - 428 in Georgia - 1250 of 2021.]

Spectacular views of the coastal Georgia area from the bridge. From his bridge you can see Jekyll…read moreand Saint Simons Island and downtown Brunswick Georgia. I won't add to or reiterate what other reviewer's have done here so well. All I'll say here is this: see the photo below. This is what a view from the bridge looks like during a hunters moon. It's a view few will ever see unless they live in the areA. A trip to this bridge is worth it with you stop at Saint Simons, Jekyll, or Brunswick or not. It's about 8 miles off of I 95

A window into the old south awaits anyone stepping onto the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation. Don't…read moreexpect a Tara version of a plantation but rather an old farm house with several outbuildings. While it's history goes far back to the civil war era, it's current state reflects updates from the 1920-30s. The well informed docents love to tell stories about ghosts living on the grounds. Old family photos and memorabilia certainly makes one feel like you're peering into a home of a real family with a meaningful impact on coastal Georgia. The slave cabins bring less than appealing historical facts to light. The plantation manager and many volunteers do an exemplary job educating visitors about days gone by and how those days impact today.

Wonderful historic site that was a former rice plantation. The same family lived in the home for…read moremultiple generations and the last heir left the estate to the state of Georgia. Beautiful antiques, cool grounds, and amazing landscape. All left in It's original state. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and shared many interesting facts. Definitely worth visiting!