Knoxville News-Sentinel

Knoxville News-Sentinel, The (TN)

December 4, 2005 Pleasure islands When it comes to attractions, 's Golden Isles run the gamut Author: LINDA LANGE, [email protected] Edition: Five-star Section: Go Page: F1 Dateline: ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Index Terms: recreation travel Estimated printed pages: 6 Article Text: ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- The islands off Georgia's southern coast fit everyone's definition of beach vacation. Jekyll Island offers a marina, golf course, water park, historic village and family-friendly hotels and restaurants. St. Simons Island features a spirited downtown dining and shopping scene, waterfront park with fishing pier and a slew of condominiums and quaint hotels. Sea Island's golf course and tennis courts serve as bookends to upper-crust cottages and a luxury resort with world-class spa. Little St. Simons Island, a tranquil wildlife preserve, has an elegantly rustic lodge limited to 30 guests. These islands, known collectively as the Golden Isles, are sure to please any vacationers -- whether they seek a quiet refuge for relaxation or a lively destination for recreation. The islands differ in temperament but have one common feature: the pristine beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. With a semi-tropical location, the Golden Isles are welcoming year-round. Mild temperatures grace the late fall and winter months, an enticing factor for golfers and tennis players. History plays a big role in the region's appeal. Guuale Indians harvested the oyster beds for hundreds of years before Spaniards arrived in their quest for gold. In 1736 Gen. established Georgia's first military outpost at Fort Frederica, now a national monument. Four years later, he led soldiers into the Battle of Bloody Marsh. The victory over Spanish forces determined English sovereignty over the islands. In the 19th century, rice, indigo and cotton plantations flourished along the marshy coastlands. Few survived the Civil War. Many former slaves remained and earned their livelihoods by fishing and farming. Vast tracts of plantation land fell into the hands of Northern industrialists who turned the acreage into private hunting reserves. Jekyll Island holiday On Jekyll Island, a group of wealthy businessmen established a private club and built mansions for their leisure. The historic district contains 33 of the original buildings, including the turreted clubhouse, now the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Visitors sink into the lifestyles of the rich by riding in carriage, playing croquet on emerald lawns and supping on Low Country cuisine in posh salons. The state of Georgia now owns Jekyll Island almost two-thirds of the land is protected from development. Twenty miles of paved bike paths connect salt marshes, maritime forest and beaches. Nature lovers comb the beaches during the summer to see nesting loggerhead sea turtles and during the winter to search for prized shells. South End Beach is a prime location for viewing bottle-nosed dolphins and brown pelicans. In fall and spring, birds make a stop here during their migration on the Atlantic Flyway. The Tidelands Nature Center gives an overview of wildlife habitats. Visitors are attracted to the island's 10 miles of beaches, championship golf course, fishing pier, marinas, water park, soccer complex, historic sites dating to the colonial era and moderately priced hotels and restaurants. Village life on St. Simons Island With 18,000 residents, St. Simons Island boasts a town center that stays busy during daylight hours and in the evenings. Dressner's Village Café offers a good Southern-style breakfast, tasty sandwiches and "meat and three" meals. Brogen's is a top choice for burgers and beer. Shoppers breeze into charming gift, clothing and toy shops. A bookstore sells beach reading material, including the novels of former island resident Eugenia Price. A flood of people traipses through adjoining Neptune Park to have picnics and frolic on a playground. Some dawdle on the pier where anglers pull sharks and other creatures from the ocean. Vacationers climb up the steps of the St. Simons Lighthouse for a panoramic view of the coastline. It is a working beacon, still sending light signals after 133 years of operation. The Victorian-era keeper's dwelling is furnished with period antiques. We stay on the eastern edge of the island at The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort. Here the surf is gentle and the sand is a soft, white-gray color. With lovely Spanish colonial architecture, the yellow-hued resort ranks as one of the most attractive in Georgia. It was built in 1936 as a private club, but turned into hotel in 1941. It has undergone many renovations, but retained its splendor. It is a member of the prestigious Historic Hotels of America. The oceanfront Delegal Dining Room, the historical centerpiece of the hotel, features 11 stained glass window murals depicting coastal scenes. The seafood and steaks are superb, and the service is gracious and attentive. When not in a beach swing, I spend time relaxing in the elegantly furnished solarium. Guest rooms are cheerfully decorated with warm-colored textiles, handsome wood furnishings, nature prints and interesting knickknacks. The hotel has 57 spacious guestrooms, many with wonderful ocean views. The coveted cabana rooms have parlors, private patios and a direct oceanfront location. The resort has five oceanfront pools, two clay tennis courts and the championship Hampton Club golf course. (800-342-0212, www.kingandprince.com) Though the temptation is great to keep a simple beach-pool-beach routine, several historic attractions warrant attention. Fort Frederica National Monument contains the tabby ruins of the 1736 village built by Gen. Oglethorpe. Christ Church, built in 1884, marks the place where John and Charles Wesley held services for colonists. John returned to England to found the Methodist Church his brother penned hundreds of hymns. At Gascoigne Point, the ruins of slave cabins are open to the public. Sea Island style We continue our northward migration and follow the causeway across the Black Banks River to Sea Island. The five-mile-long island is primarily a residential enclave with manicured gardens, towering palms and mansions coyly called "cottages" in the $1.5-$20 million range. Howard Coffin, founder of the Hudson Motor Company, purchased marshy Sea Island and sparked its development by building The Cloister, a hotel designed by architect Addison Mizner. It opened in 1928. Mizner chose the Spanish-Mediterranean style of stucco building with red terra-cotta roof tile and round turrets. The hotel attracted Hollywood stars, political leaders and celebrity writers. George and Barbara Bush honeymooned here in 1945 and have returned many times. Over the decades, the resort grew to include beach villas, pools, restaurants, golf course, tennis complex, specialty shops, horse stables, shooting school and spa. In 2004, the resort was the setting for Group of 8 Summit hosted by President George W. Bush. The original hotel was torn down last year and a new 100-room hotel will open in March. "Everything in the new Cloister will have the look of the original Mizner design -- even going so far as to taking our renowned Spanish Lounge and salvaging the specialty woods, fixtures, stained glass and fireplace mantles and completely rebuilding it in the new Cloister," says Bill Jones III, fourth-generation chairman and chief executive officer of the Sea Island Company. The resort will have a new 55,000-square-foot spa. We stay in one of the Ocean Houses, light and airy villas nestled in the dunes. The architecture mirrors the Mizner style characterized by arched doorways, wrought-iron fixtures, tile floor and open floor plan. Beds and other furnishings are very comfortable, and the décor captures the beauty of the coast. We spend time swimming in the warm ocean waters and the Beach Club's palm-shaded pools, and indulge in a scrumptious luncheon buffet at the Beach Club restaurant. (800-SEA ISLAND, 912-638-3611, www.seaisland.com) Little St. Simons Island Maritime forest, saltwater marsh and white-sand beaches stretch across this barrier island's 10,000 acres. Guests to this private property stay in a rustic lodge where the emphasis is on enjoyment of the natural surroundings. They may wander about on the 20 miles of hiking trails, explore old rice levees and shell middens and lounge on seven miles of open beach. Meals are served family-style. Pecan-crusted pork loin with pear sauce and flounder with Georgia peaches are specialties. To reach The Lodge on Little St. Simons Island, guests take a boat, a calming transition from the touristy area to an isle of tranquility. Busy port of Brunswick The islands nuzzle Brunswick, a major port for freighters from all over the world. Visitors go along Bay Street to watch shrimp boats moving in and out of the harbor. Mary Ross Waterfront Park is a key spot for watching the sunsets glow across the marshes. The Old Town, replete with leafy streets and picturesque squares, has fine Victorian architecture and a decidedly English ambience. Restaurants serve Low Country fare and the local specialty, Brunswick Stew. A steaming bowl holds shredded chicken, ground pork, corn and okra. The Lanier Oak is a significant attraction of this tidewater region. The tree inspired Georgian Sidney Lanier to write "The Marshes of Glynn," considered his finest poem. At Overlook Park, visitors can -- in the words of the poet -- "looked out over a world of marsh that borders a world of sea." Vast tracts of marsh and cypress swamp were converted into rice fields during the antebellum era. Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation, located 14 miles north of Brunswick, is a prime example of this labor- intensive enterprise. Built in 1807, this plantation grew to 7,300 acres. More than 350 slaves labored in the rice fields. The rice empire collapsed after the Civil War and subsequent owners established a dairy. Visitors to this state historic site glimpse into the past by touring the plain-style residence built in 1850 and gazing across old rice levees where long-stemmed marsh grasses change color each season. Linda Lange may be reached at 865-342-6433. She is travel editor of the News Sentinel. THE GOLDEN ISLES * Contact: Brunswick and The Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-933-2627, www.bgicvb.com. Caption: (Color) Crowned in terra-cotta and bathed in sea breezes, The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort commands an enviable location on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean on St. Simons Island, Ga. THE KING AND PRINCE (Color) Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island played a pivotal role in Colonial history. It is now a national monument. GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (Color) Sailboats bob in calm waters at St. Simons Island marina. GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (Color) Visitors take leisurely carriage rides in Jekyll Island's historic district. GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (Color) The St. Simons Lighthouse towers over a keeper's cottage. It is one of the oldest beacons still in use on the East Coast. GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (Color) Coastal Georgia's marshes and the creeks that flow through them teem with fish, birds and mammals. GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Copyright (c) 2005 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Record Number: 417088948