(The Weekender is a travelogue of destinations within four hours of Augusta and contains opinions)
JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. — The sign pointed to the Jekyll Island soccer park.
We took the turn so my husband could show me where he played tournaments as a teen, and then he parked the car. It was strange because he’d promised to take me to the beach, but beyond the soccer field parking lot, there was nothing but towering trees.
Or so it seemed.
A canopy of trees covered a wooden boardwalk hiding the pristine beach that lay beyond it.
Even on a Sunday morning in June, the beach was practically deserted. Most of the traffic we’d seen coming in had been clustered near the water park.
A fisherman set up his lines while a family played on the shoreline yards away.
It was peaceful, idyllic with lots of fresh air and sunshine. (Yes, I did wear an oversized hat and applied my sunscreen, SPF “no sun” according to my daughter.)
While my husband set up his beach chair to read, I strolled the beach taking photographs along the way – waves, birds, a coral-like coil that an eagle-eyed Facebook friend said was a “whelk egg case – full of snail babies.” I don’t know. I just take photos.
A gentle breeze blew, and the only sounds were the soft kisses of the water upon the shore and the squawking of the gulls.
My idea of heaven on earth.
We’d taken the trip to Jekyll Island so that I could attend the Georgia Press Association conference, where I sat in on a few seminars and brought home nine awards for our journalistic efforts.
I knew we’d be seeing beaches at some point during the trip, but I’m a sucker for oak trees laden with Spanish moss as well as historical sites. I felt like I hit the jackpot with Jekyll Island which had them all.
I did some preliminary research online before the trip and thought we could spend time in several spots in the Golden Isles, but once I saw Jekyll, I decided to take more time to enjoy it and come back for the rest another time.
Since my husband didn’t go to the seminars with me, he scouted the island to find spots he thought I’d like including the hidden gem near the soccer park. We also explored the renowned Driftwood Beach, with the remains of the beautiful trees.
The history of Jekyll Island is intriguing.
In 1733, Gen. James Oglethorpe, who founded the colony of Georgia, named the island in honor of his friend and financier Sir Joseph Jekyll.
In the late 1800s, it became an exclusive club for families with names such as Rockefeller, Morgan, Vanderbilt and Pulitzer.
Our GPA meetings were held inside The Jekyll Island Club Resort, their once private retreat. When we first drove up to the club, I felt like I’d stepped back into another era as people played croquet on the front lawn.
We ventured across the grounds with its gorgeous wide-branched oaks that kept the June temperatures bearable and visited the buildings that once were part of the club; many have been turned into shops and one is an art gallery.
At one time, the only way to the island was via ferry as it was cut off from the mainland, making it the perfect place for a secret gathering more than a century ago.
“In November 1910, six men – Nelson Aldrich, A. Piatt Andrew, Henry Davison, Arthur Shelton, Frank Vanderlip and Paul Warburg – met at the Jekyll Island Club, off the coast of Georgia, to write a plan to reform the nation’s banking system. The meeting and its purpose were closely guarded secrets, and participants did not admit that the meeting occurred until the 1930s. But the plan written on Jekyll Island laid a foundation for what would eventually be the Federal Reserve System,” according to the Federal Reserve History website.
They came to the island under the guise of a duck hunt and all the members of the group only used their first names on the trip down.
More related to that part of history is contained inside the small history museum, the doors of which open to a large Monopoly board and portraits of J.P. Morgan Sr. and J.P. Morgan Jr.
At the museum, visitors can embark on tours around the island, which was designated as a state park in 1947.
Exhibits focus of the island from the time it was inhabited by the indigenous people.
A few other historical sites drew our attention – one is the Faith Chapel where the wealthy club members would worship on Sundays.
Of note in the chapel built in 1904 is a Tiffany-window “David Set Singers Before the Lord,” which was installed in 1921. The docent quoted the New York Times which said of the 25,000 Tiffany windows made, Faith Chapel’s was the most “colorful and vibrant.”
When the sun is low, it sparkles through the majestic window, he added.
It was placed in the chapel in honor of Frederick Gilbert Bourne, the president of the Singer Sewing Machine Co. who died in 1919.
Services are no longer held in the chapel, but it is the site of many weddings.
We also visited the remains of the tabby home of Maj. William Horton, who died in 1748.
Another highlight of the trip was a visit to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.
We didn’t opt for a more in-depth tour. Patrons can go on walks or ride with the dawn or sunset patrols. Or they can visit the center and hospital, where they can learn more about sea turtles and efforts to help that population as well as other animals.
“We do take care of a bunch of different types of animals because we are able to rehab any native reptile to Georgia,” said one of the staff in explaining the work done at the center.
Several pools contained turtles in need of medical care. Many times, female turtles will attempt to cross the road to search for a place to lay their eggs. Some end up getting struck by vehicles.
For those animals that don’t make it, their eggs are incubated. With turtles, temperature plays an important role in determining the sex of the turtles, so the eggs are kept at a warmer temperature to produce more females, the staff member said.
As I said earlier, I’m a sucker for stately oaks dripping in Spanish moss and we did meander into Brunswick to see two oaks of renown.
Lanier’s Oak, in the middle of Highway 17, has its own historical marker. The tree inspired poet Sidney Lanier to write “The Marshes of the Glynn” after sitting beneath it.
Also, the Lover’s Oak is one of the oldest live oak trees in Georgia. Estimates are that the tree, with a trunk measuring 13 feet in diameter, is more than 900 years old.
Next time, I’d like to explore more of Brunswick, but I have a feeling that I’d end up spending most of the visit at Jekyll Island.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
