Day 3 and 4 – Snowbird RV Trip Florida to Canada
Lake City, FL to Brunswick, GA 118 miles
5/3-5/4/2014 Saturday-Sunday
We arrived at the Golden Isles RV Park mid-afternoon on Day 3 after another smooth trip.
After setup we drove into town to see their “Historic District” and to find a good seafood restaurant since we were in a fishing community. We had asked the campground manager for her favorite seafood restaurant but her directions led us instead into some interesting parts of town that did have some older buildings but were really lacking in historical significance.
We ended up doing a big loop, coming back over one of those huge bridges on US-17 that ships go under. Since neither of us cares for high places we always seem to find that mountain or bridge to go over in any area we are in! We will never get really comfortable driving over those things but at least we weren’t towing this time!
After 20 some miles we ended up at Zachry’s Seafood Restaurant not more than a mile from the campground and from I-95 Exit 29. It was worth the trip to find it! Niki declared the
shrimp & oyster plate as good as it gets. The seafood was lightly breaded, juicy and cooked just right. A good helping, and with other Southern sides plus the hushpuppies she nearly swooned over, it was well worth the $17. Jack had the shrimp hoagie and said it was one of the best he has had in a long time.
On Sunday, Day 4, we drove out to Jekyll Island – about 7 miles from from the campground. To get to the Island the road leads through several miles of marshland. The day pass is $6 to enter the Island proper.
In 1886, Jekyll Island was purchased to become an exclusive winter retreat, known as the Jekyll Island Club. It soon became recognized as “the richest, most inaccessible club in the world.”
Club members included such notable figures as J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, William K. Vanderbilt, and Marshall Field. Members prized the island for its “sense of splendid isolation,” beautiful landscape, and moderate climate.
Jekyll Island, with its cottage colony and clubhouse, was viewed as a little paradise, where members and guests pursued “a life of elegant leisure.” Here, they enjoyed a variety of outdoor pursuits, such as hunting, horseback riding, skeet shooting, golf, tennis, biking, croquet, lawn bowling, picnics, and carriage rides.
The Club suffered some financial problems around the beginning of WWII. The State purchased the Island. Today, the former Club grounds comprise a 240-acre site with 34 historic structures. The Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District is one of the largest ongoing restoration projects in the southeastern United States.
Visitors can visit a museum, art gallery, bookstore and other venues in the restored cottages or take a tram or horse-drawn carriage ride around the settlement.
There are several large hotels along the ocean side of the Island and construction is well underway for more. There is free parking and beach access across the dunes. There is a small campground with water and a picnic area on the North end of the Island.
We had lunch at “The Rah Bar” on the wharf at the Jekyll Island Club. We both had the shrimp salad croissants which were very good ($11/ea). We ordered a slice of “homemade” key lime pie to share but returned it after deciding it had no relation whatsoever to any key lime pie that we know and love.
The rain had stopped overnight and it was a beautiful day, with the temp in the low 80’s. A perfect day to sit on the dock of the bay to enjoy the sea breezes, great views, a good lunch, and to decide that we were pretty happy with life in general.
Our next stop will be St. John, South Carolina
More info about:
Golden Isles RV Park PA/$18.90 1 Mi from I-95
7445 Blythe Island Hwy, Brunswick GA, 31523 (912) 261-1025
PT, 20/30/50Amp, FHU, Free WiFi with good reception, Free cable. 3 days max. Reservations require a credit card guarantee. Credit cards accepted. No weekend restrictions on Passport America.
Golden Isles RV Park website:
http://www.goldenislesrvpark.com/
Passport America Info on this campground:
http://www.passportamerica.com/campgrounds/ga/goldenislesvacationpark113
More about Jekyll Island:
http://www.jekyllisland.com/
