Growing Up Jekyll on an Island We Love
Always glad we took that first trip to Jekyll Island in Georgia, and now get to take the whole family back every year for beautiful and lifelong memories that we so deeply, love to make together.
Getting In
Our exciting first day began early in the morning with our travels and started once we reached St. Simon’s Island and popped in to grab some items from the Island Natural Market, where Claire and Peter had to do some delicious taste testing of honey sticks.
This led to a perfectly curated St. Simon’s Drug Co. that was filled with lovely keepsakes, home decor, exciting items for the little ones, snacks and Island goodies. It is such a great stop when you’ve just gotten into town and need to stretch your feet or get your wiggles out.
When traveling, our family loves to explore the town and find new places to try or sights to see. It is exciting to have new experiences in places that are special to us.
Can’t Skip the Food
We decided to try out the Golden Isles Olive Oil Gourmet Market & Culinary Center. The entire family loved it! Claire and Peter shared one of their top dishes, the Cauliflower Pizza, and it was delicious, while Mom and Dad had Tomato Pie with Greens and balsamic dressing, and Eggplant in Voltini. All of these meals were top items at Golden Isles and we thought they were exceptional. To top it off, the service staff was so lovely and dialed into what was going on and what our needs were.
We found that their prices were reasonable for how delicious their meals were, however, they do serve smaller portion sizes. Prepare for that ahead of time, and order heavy, or be prepared to snack again after eating. They sell homemade spices and balsamic dressings, and of course, we had to bring some goodies back with us to enjoy during our trip and take home!
Time to Settle In
Claire and Peter were excited to check in to our vacation home managed by Jekyll Realty, and explore their setups for the trip! We love booking directly through the management site to save on booking fees, to have the best experience and to support small, local companies. It was a nice arrangement, very well stocked, and cozy for everyone to enjoy.
Mom cooked some Squash and Pumpkin to mash for dinner, and it is one the easiest things to bake. It is a family favorite, and they also look really beautiful after baking.
Time for Jekyll Island Fun
There were quite a few highlights from the trip and one of them just so happened to be at brunch the following day! It was the perfect day for Tortuga Jacks and aside from it being very yummy, all of a sudden, Claire bit into her food and realized her tooth was definitely going to come out!! Sure enough, her little tooth came out, and she had the smallest tear of joy and nerves fall down her cheek. It is a moment that will be locked in forever in our favorite little town of Jekyll Island.
Peter is sprouting like a weed lately, and seeing him rocking with his little oat milk, vanilla steamer at the Jekyll Island Westin Café, was something that had to be captured. He is so full of spunk and energy, and also so full of sweetness and love. He also decided to strike his very first pose for the camera and is such a darling boy. Being a mama to that boy is such an honor.
Our vacation rental, “Cuddlefish,” had these two timeless swings that Claire and Peter both loved. They would jump on to swing when we were going to and from activities, and even I had a moment or two of fun of the swing.
While exploring the Jekyll Island Club, Claire saw one of the event rooms and declared that she wanted to “get married” there! I can just imagine a lovely Jekyll Island wedding with our beautiful girl.
A favorite place to go on Jekyll Island is a lovely restaurant called The Warf! We took the family there for Peter’s birthday, and Claire had the best time dancing on the deck and being her silly self. It’s such a nice option to enjoy the fresh air while having delicious food and the best company.
Our Jekyll Island adventures continued with more historic district explorations, finding a horse and buggy, admiring Faith Chapel, and enjoying our time together as a family. Our family took the most wonderful bike ride together through the historic town, and Jekyll Island is such a good place for this. Bringing or renting a bike, is such a great idea for the Island. It is a beautiful place to go on a ride and enjoy the breeze and fresh air. We passed many beautiful historic buildings, beautiful landscaping and scenery, and so much more.
Claire was able to show off her very new bike riding skills, as she has been working hard on her balance bike for many years and she recently earned her pedals! On her very first pedal ride, she rode an entire thirteen miles by herself!! Talk about being impressed by our sweet Claire. We rode our bikes to Fuse for frozen yogurt, and to Shark Tooth Beach to enjoy some quiet beach time. Peter loves to dig in the sand, looking for shells and other treasures. Such an adventurous and curious boy, he is.
Birthday Traditions
Being on Jekyll Island was, in huge part, due to Peter’s birthday! Every year for birthdays, Mom and Dad put the birthday babe to bed, take photos of them, and then stay up to decorate the house for them. This year was Claire’s second year participating in the birthday decoration fun, and Grandma was there to help, too! Together they were overjoyed and Claire helped take the birthday boy's photos, which turned out so sweet.
Claire was so, so excited to see the house come to life with decorations and then patiently (as patiently as possible, that is) awaited for the birthday boy to wake up the next morning to have a yummy breakfast and blow out candles! There was so much joy filling the air that morning for birthday celebrations.
After cake and presents for Peter, we had a lovely family bike ride and had a nice cookout on the beach, spending time together and enjoying the nice weather in the sand.
Until Next Time, Jekyll.
Our adventures in Jekyll Island are some that we cherish every year. We never thought we would be the ones who traveled to the same location every year for vacation, but there’s just something special about Jekyll and all it has to offer. So much to show Claire and Peter as they are growing up, so much to explore with them and so much to enjoy with them on this beautiful Island.
Until our next one.
Mom