Road trip

Submitted by Evelyn C. McDonald

Arts & Culture Reporter

October 14, 2015 12:00 p.m.

Jekyll Island

Don’t you sometimes feel you want to “get out of Dodge.” You’re restless. That feeling you had as a teenager kicks in and you just want to get in a car and drive. The trick with these escapist feelings is deciding where to go. A leisurely drive along A1A is an oxymoron. Orlando is too far. The ideal road trip is to a destination less than 2 hours away (trust me on this). It should have something of interest to see and a good place to eat. And if you’re female, places to shop.

I can suggest a destination that meets these criteria – Jekyll Island, Georgia, just under 1 ½ hours away. You cross huge coastal marshes heading to the sea from I-95. Here and there in the marshes, there are islands of trees making you wonder how they survive the brackish water. A causeway leads to the island and there’s a $6 fee to enter.

For eating, there’s the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, a lovely old structure with a vintage hotel dining room. Immaculate white table cloths, flowers, and knock out food at reasonable prices await you. In the area around the hotel, there are a number of small buildings that house gift shops, art galleries, and food stores. The welcome center also has a nice collection of items besides maps and kitchen magnets.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Rescue Center is a great place to take grandchildren. In addition to information on turtles and their habitats, you can see live turtles that have been rescued and are being rehabilitated. And there is a gift shop. My grandson is particularly excited by gift shops. I could be taking him to see the Great Wall of China and on the way in, he’d spot the gift shop.

Check out the Jekyll “cottages.” The wealthy built cottages that are huge by our standards. These were vacation homes as defined by someone who lived in a 100 room mansion the rest of the year. Crane Cottage, open for Thanksgiving dinners, is quite spectacular.

At the north end of the island, there is a large T-shaped concrete fishing pier and beach. The pier is shaded in places so it’s a nice place to watch boats on the Intercoastal Waterway. When I took my grandchildren there, we saw dolphins playing in the shallows by the pier.

There you have it – a destination not far away with good food, shopping, and things to see. The perfect road trip.