Nature abounds on Jekyll

Downing Musgrove Causeway - Jekyll's Nature Boulevard

Jekyll's entrance causeway is a great place to view the area's salt water marshes, with shore birds feeding on either side. During May and June keep an eye out for Diamondback Terrapins. Morning and evenings provide sightings of rabbits and mink.

Alligators, Rattlesnakes and Bobcats - Top Predators

Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) employs people to monitor the island's ecosystems. Our naturalists tell us the top predators are important for keeping the balance. Jekyll Sandpiper visitors may never see these animals as they tend to remain hidden. Although you can often catch a glimpse of an alligator at the Horton Pond viewing platform.

Alligator Viewing Stand at Horton Pond - Tupelo Trailhead

This is a hidden place on Jekyll Island, GA. No signage points in this direction. Jekyll Sandpiper visitors should head north on Beachview Dr you will see the entrance to Villas by the Sea on your right and an unmarked street on the left. Turn left. A short distance down the path is a small parking area. The Horton Pond viewing platform is just steps away. If you are looking for a walk through a maritime forest then try the Tupelo Trail.

The Willet - Sandpiper that visits our Beach

Jekyll Sandpiper visitors will find artwork in our home that depicts our namesake; paintings and sculptures. A short walk to our beach, we like to call it Sandpiper Beach, will likely present our visitors with these live examples of birds from the Sandpiper family. The Willet feeds along the shore line often in groups, but sometimes singlely. This sandpiper has a brown appearance while feeding, but when it takes to the air its wings are stripped and it makes a cute pep pep pep sound.

Tsunami - Sea Turtle Rehabbing on Jekyll Island

Meet Tsunami, a loggerhead sea turtle that is recuperating at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island. Our Jekyll Sandpiper visitors have only a short drive to visit the center, which is a working sea turtle hospital as well as a museum. Once Tsunami is well she can participant in a Jekyll Sea Turtle Release and perhaps you could be there to wave her farewell.

GSTC - Georgia Sea Turtle Center - Working Veterinary Hospital

A favorite attraction of many Jekyll Sandpiper Vacation guests. The center is a museum and a working sea turtle hospital. A place where visitors can learn about turtles and see them as they heal before being released back into Jekyll's waters.

Fishing Pier on Jekyll's Northern End - Fish, Nature and Sunsets

The fisherman from around the area visit Jekyll's pier daily. They find friendly folks, a convenience store for fisherman and hopefully a fish on the end of their pole. The pier also makes an excellent nature viewing platform, with views of St. Simon's sound and dolphins playing in the water. Sunsets from the pier are gorgeous sights and should not be missed by our Jekyll Sandpiper guests.

Georgia's State Seashell - the Knobbed Whelk

Sand Dollars - Dead or Alive? - Beachcoming Jekyll Island

Sometimes we walk Jekyll's beaches, but there are days where little things on the beach capture our attention. Making our stroll more leisurely, as we study and perhaps collect a sand dollar from the beach. Here you will learn to tell if the sand dollar is alive, if so please feel free to look but do not take from our beach. Jekyll Sandpiper visitors will soon learn that dead specimens make far better treasures.

Hike Jekyll's Remote Southern Beach

It is hard to categorize this article. This walk will give you the chance to hunt for a sunken boat, view sea turtle nests or see flocks of local and migrating birds. Jekyll Sandpiper visitors will be surrounded and immersed in Jekyll's natural beauty.

Boris and Natasha - Rocky and Bullwinkle - Bobcats on Jekyll Island

Jekyll Island is home to four bobcats, though most Jekyll Sandpiper renters will never catch a glimpse of these shy creatures. Read the story of how one bobcat was injured and then saved by local wildlife experts on the island.

Nature sites on Jekyll Island - An Interactive Google Map

Tidelands Nature Center - Georgia 4-H Programs on Jekyll

Jekyll's nature center is run by the Georgia 4-H program. Their programs offer locals and visitors many education and fun programs, focused on coastal ecology. Learn about tide creeks, shore birds, and local fish as you take a kayak tour, go for a nature walk or enjoy the center's exhibits. Jekyll Sandpiper renters might also be interested in Tideland's day camps.

Turtle Waves Goodbye - Sea Turtle Release Jekyll Island

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center takes injured turtles into their facility on Jekyll Island. After nursing the turtles back to health they are released backed into the ocean. Jekyll Sandpiper renters who are lucky enough to be on the island for one of these events will have a great time! Sort of a party as the humans say goodbye and sometimes a turtle may find a way to say goodbye as well.

Color Under the Oaks - Azaleas and the Cherokee Rose