When it was time to start making the trek home from Florida after Thanksgiving, I spent some time researching places for us to stop along the way. I first came across the George Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island in Georgia. It seemed really neat, but a bit pricey for a family of five. While I was doing some google searches on the Center, though, a different option presented itself…
Driftwood Beach is on the northern end of Jekyll Island. The pictures I saw online were stunning! Due to the natural erosion of the beach, many trees had died when their roots were swamped with salt water. Now, their skeletons remain, creating an otherworldly scene. Even better, access to the beach is free, although one does need to pay a fee to cross the bridge over to Jekyll’s Island. A daily pass to the island is $8, and that fee is collected at a tollbooth shortly after you make the turn onto Jekyll Island Causeway.
My girls were super excited about the idea of visiting another beach. I knew they’d love climbing on the driftwood, and exploring, especially after a long morning of driving. As we followed the causeway closer to the island, we noticed that the fog had gotten heavier, making it hard to capture a glimpse of the marshes and the East River as we crossed the bridge. Once on the island, we went straight until we came to a traffic circle, where we then headed north along Beachview Drive North. The beach is accessible from a number of points along the coast here, but Driftwood Beach itself is further up the road. Shortly after we passed Villas By the Sea Resort and Conference Center, I parked in a small sandy lot along the side of the road.
There were no signs visible from the road that we had arrived at Driftwood Beach, but there were plenty of people and cars parked up and down the road here. There was also a sandy path leading down to the water, and a small sign giving the do’s and don’t’s of visiting Driftwood Beach. FYI, there were no facilities in sight along this stretch of beach, and the girls ended up using the portable. Once we loosed them from the car, the girls took off running down the short trail, excited to be out of the car. The fog was still heavy, and there was a limited view of the ocean past the beach. It was beautiful and creepy at the same time, with driftwood skeletons wreathed in mist.
Stormy happily clambered up and down the trees, while Pebble and Rainbow worked their way toward the water. The coastline was very rocky with the tide out, and tide pools were everywhere! You can balance on the rocks, and rock hop your way over to the water, but beware… seaweed leads to some very slippery footing! While my girls ran along the hard-packed sand at the water’s edge, I explored the tide pools. I hadn’t explored tide pools since I was a child on vacation in Maine. Thanks to another person exploring the tide pools, I spotted my first sea urchin, and then another! I had never seen a sea urchin outside of an aquarium before, so it was a cool find!
Further down the beach, the tide pools petered out, and the girls could access the water easily, no rock hopping needed. Despite the cool temps, and the fog, the girls were soaked from head to toe very quickly! They loved darting in and out of the waves, daring the waves to catch them. We didn’t stay here long, as Pebble’s lips turned blue and she started shivering. Driftwood Beach was my favorite stop, of all our stops on this vacation. I don’t think I can ever describe this beach to anyone who hasn’t visited it. Without the fog, it is a beautiful beach, but with the fog, well that added an aura of mystery… People were hidden from view until they approached you. You could walk out of a patch of heavy fog, and find a tree standing in front of you, skeletal limbs reaching skyward. Even sound was muffled. I would love to return to Jekyll Island again someday to fully explore the island, and to spend more time at this magical beach. Happy trails!
https://www.goldenisles.com/listing/driftwood-beach/148/
