Hi friends! Hope you had a wonderful Easter! I am back today after taking a mini break to enjoy spring break. We also have some really exciting news that we have been working on and I will be back soon with all of the details. But today I can’t wait to share all about our recent trip to Jekyll.
I recently read an article about how family vacations are “happiness anchors” or memories that will carry throughout your children’s life. It also went on to say how spending money on vacations is much more valuable than spending money on new toys. Of course, neither of these came as a surprise to me but it really was a great reminder of the importance of family vacations. I am so excited that our kids are at an age that we can truly enjoy traveling as a family and today I am sharing a recap of our recent family trip to Jekyll Island. 
There have been many firsts for our family over the past couple years. First family bike ride. First family swim in the ocean. First family outing for ice cream. This spring, we were able to add another one to the list. First family trip to the beach. Oh, don’t get my wrong, we have done lots of beach trips with the boys- but it has always been with family or friends. This time, we made a trip with just the four of us. And we ended up at the perfect family spot in Jekyll Island.
If you aren’t familiar with Jekyll Island, it is down off the coast of Georgia in the Golden Isles, which is around 5 hours from Atlanta. It had been years since we had been, I was there for a school trip back in middle school and the Big Sweet was there in high school for a golf tournament. We were so pumped to explore Jekyll as adults with our family!
Here are the top five things I loved about Jekyll Island:
- Once you are on the island, everything is so convenient. The beach, pool, restaurants, shopping- you name it. Nothing is more than 10 minutes away! Being from Atlanta, this was SUCH a nice break from the traffic and stress of the city.
- I was blown away by how even though the island is small (only 10 miles big), there is still plenty to keep busy. It truly does have everything you need, and none of the things you don’t.
- The history is incredible and it made me so happy to see how such care has been taken to preserve the historic buildings on the island.
- If you’ve been around here long, you know we love to bike. There were so many great bike trails and sidewalks – over 22 miles of paths to explore!
- If you’ve been around here long, you also know I am a crazy Turtle Lady. We absolutely loved the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.
{WHAT WE DID}
As we scooted out of Atlanta on Friday afternoon, I immediately felt more relaxed! We arrived right in time to drop our bags and enjoy the sunset. (and let the boys run around to burn off some energy.) For dinner we went to Tortuga Jacks- beach views, live music and Mexican. #yesplease The band was great and it was the perfect family spot with kids dancing around!
Saturday morning we got our bikes and started exploring the island. Sweet B was in the bucket on my bike and Sweet P did a tagalong bike- they were in heaven. So was I!
The trails are well marked and we cruised around to really get a feel for the Island. I mean, have you ever seen such a beautiful canopy of live oaks and Spanish moss?
The bike tour included exploring the historic district which includes the beautiful Jekyll Island Club Hotel as well it’s surrounding grounds comprised of a 240-acres with 34 historic structures. The Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark is one of the largest ongoing restoration projects in the southeastern United States, and truly made this Georgia girl swell with state pride.
What IS it about Spanish moss that makes everything so pretty?!
It was getting time for lunch so we decided to wind our way back to the hotel, where we stumbled upon this real show stopper hanging around.
Yep we spotted a gator in the wetlands which was SUCH a thrill for my boy crew.
Lunch time meant pool time so we cruised back to the hotel to enjoy the heated pool. The hotel pool is just a boardwalk scoot away from the beach so we spent the afternoon waterlogged.
For dinner on Saturday we decided we needed some more chips and salsa in our lives so we went back to Tortuga Jacks. #cantstopwontstop
I have given up on trying to get a normal family picture. Five and two year boys are not capable! 🙂
The Carolina basketball game was Saturday night so after playing some bean bag toss at the hotel we got the boys settled into their beds and the Big Sweet and I sat on the balcony of our hotel room and watched the game. Watching the game under the stars with the ocean breeze with the boys tucked in asleep made for a pretty Saturday relaxing night!
Sunday morning we went straight to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and arrived right as they opened. We practically had the place to ourselves and really enjoyed seeing all of the turtles. They did some great demonstrations and I will be back with a separate post with more details.
From there it was time to drift on over to Driftwood Beach. This. Place. Was. COOL. Located on the North End of the island, this was a fun spot to explore and Sweet P truly was in heaven.
Driftwood Beach is so unique, eerily beautiful, and perfect for our little explorers.
The views on Driftwood beach were just so serene. I think these birds agree!
No family vacation would be complete without an ice cream stop. The village was right next to our hotel and there was a really cool market complete with an ice cream shop. (and a deli, great wines, and all of the essentials you would need, and lots more things you didn’t even know you needed!) I could have spent an afternoon just checking this fun store out.
Sunday afternoon meant more beach and pool time- we even flew a kite on the beach!
After the boys were officially water logged and our kite and hair were sufficiently tangled, we went back to the hotel to get cleaned up. Dinner Sunday night was at Red Bug Pizza… which happened to be right next to a park, bike rental shop and mini golf. This place was made for families!
{WHERE WE STAYED}
The Westin at Jekyll was the perfect place to get away as a family looking for some respite from the grind. When we arrived, the boys were immediately jazzed about the hotel and it was very family focused while still feeling “posh”.
Westin at Jekyll Island is located right on the beach and next to the village and convention center. From the moment we rolled up, everyone was so nice and the amenities were fantastic.
For breakfast, we enjoyed the convenience of the on-site restaurant (kids under 5 eat free!). The pool has food service which made for a really convenient lunch spot. Also, between our rental bikes and the hotel shuttle, we never even had to drive our car. Stress, gone.
Oh, and we didn’t mind the views…
Sadly, all good things must come to an end and we are back to the grind. But these memories I will hold in my heart forever and I look forward to adding many more “happiness anchors” to our family album.
xoxo-
Heather
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Jekyll Island Authority. The opinions and text are all mine.
Jekyll Island is so picturesque! Looks like you and your cuties had a great time!
Yes, it really is so peaceful and pretty. We had a great time! So fun to FINALLY be able to travel with the littles and really enjoy it without naps, bottles, pack n plays… I know you know the drill! 🙂
What a great place to get away and so close to Atlanta!
I really enjoyed reading your blog about Jekyll Island! What gorgeous photos you added. Makes me want to jump in the car and go stay at the Westin on the beach and eat have chips and salsa! Love that the boys looked liked they were really enjoying this short trip and having a ball. Keep writing these travel posts, I love them.