Pack up for a trip to Jekyll Island, Ga., and don't forget to take the bikes.
There are about 20 miles of bike trails across the island, and the 10 miles of beach are wide and hard packed. Best of all, there's enough beach so that even the busiest time of year (now) there's plenty of room so bikers can coexist peacefully with beachcombers and surf fishers.
Just leave time for swimming, shopping, golfing, a candlelight horse-drawn carriage tour through the historic district, turtle walks, sea kayaking, fishing and an outdoor musical theater production or two.
Whew.
The island
A onetime winter retreat for industrialists and financiers (let's drop some names here, including Morgan, Firestone and Pulitzer), Jekyll Island was bought by the state of Georgia in the 1940s and opened to everyone. There are several hotels and motels along the north and central beaches, and rental cottages and year-round residences are concentrated in the central island, with a handful on the south end.
Beaches
You go to the beach to go to the beach, right? The most crowded beaches are in the center of the island at the motels, the convention center and picnic area.
Don't like crowds? Get away at Glory beach, so named because a portion of the 1989 Civil War movie of the same name was filmed there. It's unmarked from the road. Look for the sign for the soccer complex off South Beachview Drive and park in the back, then take the boardwalk over the dunes. Watch for deer along the way and look for dolphins swimming close to shore.
Caveats: The state is monitoring water quality on the beach, and there's a sign to the right of the boardwalk that shows the date of the last test and the results.
There are no lifeguards on duty at Jekyll beaches. Take special care at the sand bar exposed at low tide on the north beach: Beachcombers like to walk out on the sandbar, but the tide comes in quickly and there have been several drownings there.
Biking
It sounds as though you're riding over an endless roll of bubble wrap as old shells crackle under your wheels on the beach at low tide. You can't take rental bikes on the beach, so bring your own.
Elsewhere, bike trails are paved and will carry you most anywhere on the island. There is no trail on the southeast side near Summer Waves Water Park, but the road is lightly traveled. Bring a bike with good shocks because most of the paths are old and rough.
Try this 14-mile loop: Start at the convention center parking lot in the center of the island, travel north to the Clam Creek Picnic Area and fishing pier (watch for the sign for the right turn through the marsh) at the north end of the island. Travel southbound on the marsh side, then cut through the historic district on Riverview Drive. Take a left on Fortson Parkway at the toll station, then a right on South Riverview Drive. Pick up the bike path again at the St. Andrew picnic area at the south end of the island, or take a right into the soccer complex and cut over to Glory to ride the beach back to the convention center. Time your trip to take you along the marsh at sunset for a great view.
Food, adult beverages
Blackbeard's Seafood Res-taurant and Lounge is right on the beach at the center of the island. Expect to pay $12-$14 for lunch. Get your seafood grilled with a baked potato, but if grease and carbs are no problem, the hush puppies are sublime. (912) 635-3522.
Other casual dining options: Latitude 31 restaurant, marsh side in the historic district on the wharf ((912) 635-3800); Seajay's Waterfront Cafe and Pub, Jekyll Harbor Marina off South Riverview Drive ((912) 635-3200); and Zachry's Seafood Restaurant in the shopping center on Beachview Drive ((912) 635-3128). There also are several restaurants, ranging from casual to more formal, in the Jekyll Island Club Hotel ((912) 635-2600) in the historic district, and restaurants in several beach front hotels. Off island, try Spanky's Marshside in Brunswick, 1200 Glynn Ave. ((912) 267-6100). Call to check on live entertainment.
There's also a package store and grocery in the shopping center.
Fishing
Get your license and a tide chart at the campground on the north side, then try your luck at the covered concrete pier at the Clam Creek picnic area, or indulge in some surf fishing from the beach. You can also fish off the remnants of the old bridge at the causeway or wade out with a net at the St. Andrew picnic area on the south side.
Golf and tennis
Bring your clubs, or you can rent some for the day and try out the three 18-hole courses, a nine-hole course and a driving range in the island's center. For tee times, call (912) 635-3464.
The tennis center off Captain Wylly Road at the golf complex features 13 clay courts. Call (912) 635-3154.
Historic district
A twilight stroll through the district's "cottages" (more like estates on The Hill) is romantic and fun. Guided tours are available, or there are interpretive signs throughout the district for a self-guided excursion.
There are some cool shops in some of the cottages and out buildings and in the Jekyll Club.
More stuff
The Jekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival presents productions nightly through July 25 in the amphitheater off Stable Road at the historic district. Productions this year include Brigadoon, Forever Plaid and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Call (912) 635-4060.
Summer Waves Water Park off South Riverview Drive offers a cool way to spend the day, and is open daily through Aug. 22 ((912) 635-2074).
Tidelands Nature Center off South Riverview Drive has exhibits on beach ecology and wildlife and offers nature walks and kayaking ((912) 635-5032).
Side trip
Funky is an overused but appropriate adjective in describing the village at the St. Simons pier, sort of a throwback to a 1950s Southern beach front community but with piercings. Climb up the lighthouse to work off any over-indulgences at the village's bars and bistros.
Getting there
From Augusta, take U.S. Highway 25 south to Ludowici, Ga., then Georgia Highway 57 through the swamplands and pine woods to Interstate 95 at the Eulonia exit. Take I-95 south to Brunswick, Ga., and take the Georgia Highway 520 exit east to the Island. The 185-mile drive takes a bit less than four hours at a leisurely pace. There's a toll booth at the end of the causeway. A daily parking pass costs $3.
Information
Jekyll Island Welcome Cen-ter (toll-free at (877) 453-5955), or see the Web site for the Brunswick-Gold Isles Visitors Bureau, www.bgicvb.com, or www.jekyllisland.com.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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