The Golden Isles are Jeykll, St. Simon, Sea Island and Little St. Simon, although Sea Island is a resort enclave and only accessible to guests and little St. Simon is not easily accessible to land lubbers.

Jekyll has a $5 “parking fee” just to get on the island which seems to have been put to good use for tourism. For example, the historic properties are well maintained, and the paved bike trails are fantastic.

St. Simon is more commercial but still quaint and has a very pleasant downtown with fishing pier, waterfront walkways, beach and of course the lighthouse.

We would definitely look forward to returning to both in the future.

In regard to campgrounds, there are three that we know of.

– Blythe Island Regional where we are staying
– Jekyll Island Campground
– Golden Isles Campground

Based on its appearance and some negative reviews, we took Golden Isles Campground off our list.

Jekyll Island Campground can’t be beat for its location as it is directly adjacent to the most popular parts of the island. The fishing pier, driftwood beach and the bike trails are just “across the street”. The campsites are a bit cramped and the heavy tree cover makes it appear a bit gloomy. There are a lot of seasonal residents as evidenced by the many sites advertising name and state of residence on what appear to be campground provided signage.

Blythe is part of a county park, is situated central to most amenities and is only about 3 miles off of I-95. Jekyll and St. Simon islands are only about a 20 minute drive. The sites here are large and somewhat more private than the others. It is well treed but the sun still shines through. For us, this would be our favorite pick and is also a good stopping point for destinations further south. If you do stop here, stay a day or two so you have time to explore.

Costs are about the same for all three, around $36 for full hookups on a long pull thru site.