8 minute read
Sea Island
Little St. Simons Island
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
— Stacia Hendricks, Director of Special Projects, Little St. Simons Island
Return to the Earth’s primeval past on this 11,000-acre haven for wildlife. Amid seven miles of beaches, 8,000 acres of marshes, and 3,000 acres of forests and upland, teeming with birds, turtles, and alligators, you’ll find rustic elegance: an intimate eco-lodge deemed the South’s Best Resort by Travel + Leisure. Stay the night, or take a day trip to explore the island’s ecosystems hiking or biking, or on guided fishing, hiking, kayaking, and birding expeditions with naturalists. At day’s end, a sumptuous meal made from produce grown onsite or by local farmers celebrates nature’s bounty in this tiny corner of paradise.
LittleSSI.com 888-733-5774
99
95 17
303 St. Simons Island Little St. Simons Island
Sea Island
17 Brunswick
520 Jekyll Island
Atlantic Ocean
FLORA AND FAUNA
Experience the natural world during your overnight stay or day trip on Little St. Simons Island. Explore undisturbed forests of pines, magnolias, and oaks; paddle though golden marshes; and enjoy springtime’s wildflowers, the rare, prehistoric Marsh Mallow blooms in summer, flowering sweetgrasses in the fall. Through each season, these conserved landscapes provide unparalleled habitat for resident and migratory animals including birds, marsh rabbits, gators, butterflies, and diamondback terrapin turtles. Summer is loggerhead sea turtle nesting season, when mother loggerheads venture to the Island’s undeveloped beaches to lay eggs and hatchlings dash to the tideline to begin their lives. While exploring untouched beaches, you might find horseshoe crabs, uncover swaths of shells and may catch a glimpse of a Long-billed Curlew, a seldom-seen shorebird on the Atlantic Coast. Over the fall and winter, the Island hosts seasonal bird counts, which have tallied more than 300 species including nesting Bald Eagles, Roseate Spoonbills, Painted Buntings, flocks of Red Knots, and American Oystercatchers. Get ready to take off and explore this oasis of birdlife, wildlife, and natural richness.
A LOWCOUNTRY CLASSIC: LIFE ON THE HALF-SHELL
A coastal custom, oyster roasts are a classic way to experience the abundance of the lowcountry on Little St. Simons Island. Typically held on Friday evenings in the fall and winter, the setting sun, towering oaks, and Spanish moss serve as the backdrop for Island oyster roasts. Delight in regional fare as naturalists grill a fresh bushel of locally sourced oysters over an open fire. As much a social ritual as a dining experience, an oyster roast compels you to mingle and share stories as you shuck shellfish and enjoy drinks. Delectably salty and smoky, you can prep each oyster to your liking and indulge in the taste of the sea.
BURIED HISTORY
For centuries, people have ventured to the Georgia Coast to rejoice in its natural bounty. Like visitors today, the Guale were attracted to the mild climate and accessible waterways of the Golden Isles. An unwritten history, the shell middens they left behind tell the story of the Guale, their lifestyles, culture, and customs. In them, archaeologists have found scraps of cooking implements, animal bones, and pottery. And of course, the shells themselves speak to the Guale’s preferred culinary staple: the oyster.
Turtle: Phillip Murdaco
A World Away
Lose yourself in the wonders of the natural world on Little St. Simons Island — beaches, tidal marshes, maritime forests — where the only timekeepers are the ebb and flow of tides and the rising and setting of the sun.
mere 15-minute boat ride from St. Simons Island’s Hampton River Marina, another world awaits. First stop: one of the rustic-but-elegant accommodations, a pine-paneled room in the historic Lodge or a cozy cottage. Then, choose your adventure: Will it be a tour of this densely forested Eden from the flatbed of a pickup? A A guided paddle on one of the surrounding creeks where you have a chance of spotting dolphins just beneath the water’s surface? Fishing for red drum, or waiting patiently, binoculars in hand, in a bird blind? A pedal or hike to endless stretches of beach to hunt for shells – or help marine biologists conduct research during a wildlife workshop? Come evening, after a meal featuring regional produce and herbs from the Island garden, and fresh desserts made with fruits harvested from the Island, retire to a rocker or a swing. As the ribbons of gold and orange sunlight reflect on glassy creeks, ease into the rhythm of ambient chirping and buzzing (aka, nature’s lullaby).
Jekyll IslandTIME, TIDE & TRADITION
—Sherri Zacher, longtime resident
t the end of the causeway, you’ll step into another world, one that has reju-A venated visitors for generations. With its wide secluded beaches, stretches of green, and graceful remnants of an illustrious past, Jekyll Island casts a gentle spell on all who visit. Play a round on one of Jekyll Island Golf Club’s pristine courses or take a gander at the state’s only rehabilitation center for injured sea turtles. Not to be missed: a leisurely trolley tour of the island’s National Historic Landmark District, once the enclave of Gilded Age denizens. Regardless of your preference for nature or culture, your interest will be piqued, your soul nourished, your escape complete.
jekyllisland.com. 912-635-3636
99
95 17
303 St. Simons Island Little St. Simons Island
Sea Island
17 Brunswick
520 Jekyll Island
Atlantic Ocean
Nature’s Sculpture Garden
Nature’s artistic hand reveals itself among the fallen trunks and twisted branches that line Driftwood Beach, one of many intriguing haunts on Jekyll Island.
On the northern tip of Jekyll Island you’ll discover gnarled ghostly shapes: tree trunks, some bleached by the wind and sun, most lying prone, their twisted branches outstretched toward the sky. Once a lush maritime forest that protected the shore, the sands of Driftwood Beach are now covered with the upended trees due to decades of erosion. Enjoy a picnic under one of these weathered sculptures, string a hammock, or pose for a selfie on one of the massive old limbs. Bring your dog along for a stroll. Low tide is the best time to explore. For the romantically inclined, the beach is an ideal spot for stargazing and exchanging wedding vows, an auspicious location made beautiful by the sands of time.
JEKYLL ISLAND’S HIDDEN GEMS
Apart from the standouts — historic landmarks and natural wonders — the island is a trove of simple pleasures.
1IMITATION OF LIFE A turquoise sky, rosy clouds, and a wide beach hugged by frothy waves . . . muralist Wylie Caudill commemorated Jekyll Island’s 75th anniversary at Beach Village, by depicting the Island as a “beautiful, relaxing, really unique place.”
2WICKET, WICKET WAYS Guests of Jekyll Island Club Resort can test their skill on the resort’s croquet lawn or sit courtside while pros clad in white best one another at this genteel sport enjoyed by the leisure class for 170 years.
3A PEACEFUL POND Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature — turtles, alligators, nesting birds — from the wheelchair-accessible observation deck of Horton Pond. Feeling adventurous? Learn about native flora, such as the tupelo trees on the surrounding .07-mile Tupelo Trail.
4ALL WHO WANDER Walk along the Wanderer Memory Trail to learn the history of one of America's last known slave ships, Wanderer, and its enslaved passengers. Follow their harrowing journey to freedom and learn of the black heritage that lives on through their descendants.
5LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! Venture south to Glory Beach, a shooting location for the 1989 film Glory. Situated next to Jekyll Island Soccer Complex, a vestige of the movie’s production, Glory Boardwalk, allows you to traverse untouched dunes and freshwater pools, and on clear days, catch sight of Cumberland Island in the distance. The only facility of its kind in the state, Georgia Sea Turtle Center serves as a convalescent home for injured sea turtles, as well as an education center for the public.
REPTILE REHAB
Last spring, a junior loggerhead sea turtle, weak from anemia and organisms living on its shell, was brought to Jekyll Island’s Georgia Sea Turtle Center — the 1,000th sea turtle patient among many, including loggerheads, greens (pictured above), and diamondback terrapins, as well as freshwater turtles, and other wildlife, such as birds of prey — that the center has nursed back to health since its 2007 opening. In a nod to the center’s 15th year of service in 2022, the junior loggerhead was named Anni (short for Anniversary) and made a full recovery with release off Jekyll Island in the early fall. More than a hospital, the center also educates the public about these creatures that are easy targets for disease, hypothermia, pollution, and boat strikes. See healing in action, join a sunrise walk, ride with the night patrol, adopt an ailing turtle, or become a member to support the ongoing rehabilitation, research, and outreach programs dedicated to these wondrous animals so crucial to the marine ecosystems of the Golden Isles. jekyllisland.com/gstc
