We chose to stop at two small islands as we traveled the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) through Georgia.
As we turned the bend to our marina on Amelia island, we were greeted with a huge factory, billowing smoke into the air. Our marina was just next door, and then on the other side of the marina a second, huge factory. Oh well, every stop can’t be perfect and we’re only here for one night, so we’ll make the best of it.
We dock the boat, and walk up to the town, looking for lunch. Oh my goodness, Amelia Island is beautiful!
There are art galleries, antique stores (with towels from Nice, France), a house with carousel horses around its porch, and an old school turned into a restaurant, including a bar named “The Principal’s Office.” It was so charming, we walked the town three times: for lunch (excellent Mexican restaurant with outrageous margaritas), dinner (fun outdoor Brew Pub with Reuben spring rolls – what!?!) and once more in the morning before we left, to take more photos. Between the factories, Amelia Island was a beautifully pleasant surprise!
We then cruised a few hours north on the ICW to Jekyll Island.
This marina was surrounded by fresh air and sunshine. Yay!
The marina allowed us to use one of their golf carts for an hour – enough time to make one loop of the island. At one end of Jekyll, there was a wide beach. Young men in three wheeled vehicles attached to kites or sails were driving up and down the hard-packed sand.
We also stopped at a historic area with some old buildings that had been turned into small shops. Cute, but I still wasn’t feeling much charm. Another tiny shopping area was surrounded by hotels. But why would so many people visit or vacation on this small, quiet island? It was okay, but I just wasn’t getting it.
Although the sunset was beautiful from the boat.
In the morning we took an early bike ride on one of the many bike paths around the island. That’s when I finally got it. The beautiful views and paths were amazing. What a stunning island!
Some of the historical buildings were vacation homes of the rich and famous (Goodyear, Rockefeller) that have been preserved and the homes and their manicured grounds were lovely to see. Had we stayed another day, we’d have biked the other side of the island, as well.
So good things do come in small packages – if you just have the patience to take some time to open them and see for yourself!