If I had a dollar for every time people questioned whether Georgia had beaches, I'd have enough to buy a decent meal at a sit down restaurant. Yes, Georgia has beaches! Plenty of them; it is, after, all a coastal state.
My husband, sister and brother in law and I traveled recently to the Golden Isles of Georgia, particularly St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. Although these destinations are super rich in history they are not very well known, I've come to discover. That may be why the slogan for the Golden Isles is "Discover the Golden Isles"; so many people have yet to discover them.
Well I discovered them and I went.. twice in a years time! I have a bad
habit of going back to places I love! It is kinda like wanting another bite of someone's cake after that first taste was better than expected.
St. Simons Island doesn't have many hotels. There are a few resorts there to choose from such as the King and Prince but we opted to get a private condo. The condo was just over the bridge from Brunswick, GA at the marina located about 7 minutes drive from the Pier Village where many of the island's restaurants and shops are located. I found it on VRBO and it was beautifully appointed and perfect for 3 sets of couples; I call it my dream condo. You can take a look at the condo here.
St. Simons Island isn't a very active place; it is, however, rather interesting. They have spooky trees, an amazing food scene and a rich history if you are in to that sort of thing. Both weekends I was lucky enough to attend the Art in the Park festival which featured several local artists and vendors. This is an event I particularly enjoyed and even ensured that my second visit would grant me the same opportunity to shop with my favorite artists and vendors (who did remember me). Aside from the beach and any festivals that are in town, St. Simons Island is a slow paced destination but can offer lots of romance. I don't see it as a family destination, I'd refer you to Tybee Island for that.
What St. Simons lacks in action, they make up for in cuisine. It is impossible not to eat breakfast every single day at the famous Palmers Village Cafe or have every single lunch at the The Half Shell where the wait staff and owner remembered us from a year prior! If you tire from seafood easily, Southern Soul BBQ is good enough to smack yo momma!
St. Simons Island has the spookiest trees; maybe even more spooky than Savannah. A gazillion years ago, St. Simons Oak trees were used to make boats. Several oak trees in St. Simons island now have "spirits" carved in them to immortalize the sailors that died upon those boats made from St. Simon oak trees. St. Simons Island is famous for their tree spirits and you can easily spend a half day scouring the island with outdated maps to find them. My sister and I along with help from the friendly community found several tree spirits; it made for super fun sister time too!
No visit to the Golden Isle is complete without a short drive over to Jekyll Island. There is a small fee to enter the island but the history of Jekyll Island is super interesting. Once the vacation home to J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, William K. Vanderbilt, and William Rockefeller, it's easy to feel like you are among the wealthy that used to call Jekyll Island home. If you are into photography and you can tolerate a couple gnats, a photo session at the mysterious driftwood beach on Jekyll Island offers such a unique photo op. We couldn't pass it up and we ended up getting amazing photos with the driftwood. They also have the Georgia Sea Turtle Center that is good for kids and adults alike.
The Golden Isles has a lot to discover. Whether you want to discover the rich history, the beaches or amazing coastal cuisine with a little low country influence, St. Simons Island has got it!
What are you waiting for?
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