Blythe And Beyond – Jekyll & St. Simons Island
Most of the pull-thrus here are well spaced with good privacy. This time, however, we were initially assigned site #57 which was not appropriate for our 65′ long rig (including the toad), mainly due to the utility placement, so we requested a different site and moved to site #60 which was better suited for our rig. Fortunately the bugs weren’t bad this time of year so we enjoyed a campfire every night during our stay.
Overall, a really great place to enjoy nature – unless – the wind is blowing the wrong way! There is a paper mill less then two miles away as the crow flies, and boy if the wind is from the northeast, you will know it! More info about that on our 2013 blog post Peuwee What’s That Awful Stench??? Luckily the wind was favorable during this visit! FYI there is another campground on Jekyll Island, but we find it unappealing.
Although we have explored this area many times before, it was once again fun to play tourist even to revisit familiar places. The town of Brunswick is historical (see our Brunswick Bound post), and nearby Jekyll and Saint Simons islands are perennial favorites, definitely well worth visiting if you are in the area (see Touring The Golden Isles – Jekyll Island and Touring the Golden Isles Again – St. Simons Island).
A revisit to Jekyll Island ($10 fee) was first on our agenda. Jekyll Island has a rich and layered history from Native American use to early colonial diplomacy to becoming one of the most exclusive clubs of America’s wealthy elite. In 1886, a group of wealthy businessmen (Rockefeller, William Vanderbilt, J. P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field, etc.) purchased Jekyll Island and formed the Jekyll Island Club quickly turning it into one of the country’s most exclusive private retreats.
While their “cottages” are not on as grand a scale as their summertime mansions in Newport, RI, the historical details are highly interesting and entertaining. Visit this website for descriptions and photos of each of the cottages. The grounds are just beautiful and surrounded by ancient live oak trees and towering pines.
In March, 2025, we took a fascinating Jekyll Island Landmark Tour to learn about the history of the island. During this tram tour we visited Indian Mound Cottage, the winter residence of William Rockefeller. These tours (adults $20; ages 4 to 12 $15; under 4 free) are offered seven times a day from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cottage visited during each tour is listed on their website.
When we discovered that the 11:30 a.m. tour would visit Mistletoe Cottage, we quickly made a repeat reservation.
Why was that cottage of interest to us? Because it was designed by Architect Charles Alling Gifford who was best known as a designer of resort hotels, including Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire (which was owned by Club member, Joseph Stickney). Since we once owned a condo in Bretton Woods located very close to the Mount Washington Hotel, we were curious to learn more about him and see another fine example of his style of architecture.
Mistletoe Cottage is a large late–Victorian/Colonial-Revival-inspired “cottage.” It originally contained 15 rooms and five bathrooms during the Jekyll Island Club era. Here are a few photos of the interior of the cottage:
Below is a picture of the sunroom which went through an extensive renovation and reopened in 2020. Read about what was done here.
No visit to Jekyll would be complete without a visit to the Driftwood Beach, often described as “otherworldly” due to its unique landscape. Weathered tree trunks, gnarled roots and bleached driftwood strewn in the sand are remnants of a once-standing maritime forest slowly reshaped by decades of coastal erosion, tidal forces, and storms.
But wait, although that day was over, we weren’t done with sightseeing yet! The next day we headed to St. Simons Island, which we had visited several times before (see Exploring St. Simons Island, St. Simon Sightseeing, and Touring The Golden Isles (Again). Once parked, we did our usual trek to the end of the pier. 
Having been there before, we didn’t bother stopping at the Visitor’s Center where we originally learned about the Tree Spirits.
Although we have several favorite restaurants in the area (Palmer’s Village Cafe and Indigo Shanty), this time we decided to try a new place, Mr. Shucks Seafood. Lunch consisted of a Shucketizer of fried green tomatoes ($9.95) and fried shrimp baskets served with battered potatoes ($13.95). Delicious!
After lunch, we headed back to Blythe to enjoy another relaxing evening and prepare for our departure the next day.
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