We changed up our typical spring break/anniversary trip and instead of going to Charleston we went a bit south and stayed on Jekyll Island.

When I was a kid in the 80s this was our annual family vacation spot - my mom and dad and I would go with their best friends and their kids, rent a house and just spend the week down there. My dad's been gone over 30 years, but losing my mom not quite 2 years ago and then losing both of their best friends in about a 3 month span last year had me feeling nostalgic so we went south for our trip this year. It was my wife and I, our two kids (4 & 2), my wife's best friend and my MIL.

We stayed in a condo/townhouse in The Cottages, which is on the north end of the island. Amazing accommodations. Open floor plan kitchen/eating area/living room with a screened porch overlooking the water and a beautiful view of the St. Simons lighthouse, and a half bath. Master on the main level with access to the porch. Two bedrooms with their own full baths upstairs, each with access to a full length porch. This particular unit also had a six person electric golf cart that came with the rental. The only downside to staying that far up the island is you only get beach at low tide.

We drove down from Atlanta the Saturday of Easter weekend. Traffic on 75 and 95 was typical; I-16 wasn't bad. I can remember when there was not much of nothing on 16. Still several stretches of nothing but much more built up. Stopped in Brunswick for groceries and supplies before heading over to the island. Sadly the weather didn't cooperate as much as we would have liked. It was very wind and cold/rainy for about half the week, but we still had a great time just sitting and watching the water.

Foodwise we did most meals in, but we did go out twice and did takeout twice.

Our first night there we did takeout from Corridor Z Kitchen. Blacked local shrimp and hush puppies were really good, as were the crab cakes and remoulade sauce.

Monday night we tried Tortuga Jacks. Food was ok but somewhat bland; not sure what we expected from a beach side Mexican restaurant. They forgot our queso and guac so we had to make the short drive back to get those.

On Tuesday we drove over to St. Simons for lunch at Southern Soul Barbecue. If you go, be warned that inside seating is very limited. We were lucky to get a table inside, but most folks were outside either in the open or under a couple of large tents on a very windy day that was spitting cold rain. The food was really good. Ribs were literally fall off the bone. Brunswick stew was amazing. The brisket was good, but not the top level like you get at Texas style places. Pulled pork was good.

Thursday we drove back to St. Simons and had seafood at Fiddlers. The restaurant is nice, with a view off the back patio of some marsh. They have an astroturf area down below for kids to run around and play on if you are waiting for a table. I got the fried seafood platter (fish, shrimp, oysters) and it was alright. The fish felt like it had been in the oil a bit too long and was greasy, but the shrimp and oysters (both local caught) were great. Hushpuppies were the best I've had in a long time. Others in the group got what they called Fiddler bowls which was rice cooked in coconut milk, slaw and topped with your protein of choice. Wife got scallops. They were really good but a little saltier than we are used to. Our friend got it with redfish and said it was delicious. The out the door price was high (also had two kids meals of chicken fingers) I think $172 including tax and tip. The redfish bowl and my platter were market price, and they also have a 3% credit card transaction fee.

We got to the beach twice - once on Sunday afternoon after the tide was down right out in front of where we were staying and then on Friday we loaded up the golf cart and drove it down to the public beach. Had a lot of fun there. Also on Thursday we took our 4 year old to play putt putt. The course has been modernized a little but it is still a lot like I remember from playing there as a kid.

Of course the best day of the whole week, weather-wise, was Saturday when we left. Just a slight breeze and calm waves.

I don't think it will replace Charleston/Isle of Palms, but we may put it into a rotation. A lot of good memories and a lot of emotions tied up in the trip. But it's amazing how some parts of the island have really changed and other parts still look a lot like I remember.

This post was edited on 4/25/26 at 9:29 am