Day 5 - GA to DC Spring Trip 2026

March 31, 2026 - We decided to come to Jekyll Island because we’d heard it had great bilking trails. We were not disappointed! We headed out after breakfast toward the historic district. The paved, well maintained trail took us through stands of huge old live oaks. Spanish moss decorated the sprawling branches. We passed coastal flats and rode among palms and pines. It passes the ruins of early settlers homes and plantations.

The historic district consists of beautiful restored old cottages, old hotels, a few shops and restaurants. The campground is at the north end of the island and the historic district close to the center. It is about 4 miles to the center of the historic district from the campground. After exploring and seeing some gators on a forested part of the trail, we headed back to the camper for lunch and a rest. Andy napped and I painted with my watercolors.

In the afternoon we rode to the fishing pier at the  northern tip of the island then to Driftwood Beach. The beach is covered with the remains of old trees that are bleached white from the sun, sand and salt. The bases are covered with barnacles from when the sea covers them at high tide. What was once a forest of live oak is being taken over by the sea as the shape of the island changes. We explored before returning to the camper.

We took the truck over to Beach Village. It is a new beach development of shops, hotels and restaurants. We looked for someplace to eat dinner but decided on Founder’s Social, a place we had seen earlier in the historic district. We ate on the porch and enjoyed views of the old cottages - a horse and carriage even sauntered past.

After dinner we headed out on our bikes again for a sunset ride. We rode the same trail to the historic district because it follows the inter coastal and provides views of the setting sun.