Thanks to the Jekyll Island Authority for providing passes for our tour of the historic district. I was not otherwise compensated, and all opinions are my own!

Today Jekyll Island–a small barrier island off the coast of Georgia–is a state park where anyone with $6 for the entrance fee can enjoy pristine beaches, maritime forests, and proletariat favorites like miniature golf and water slides.

But for a few glittery decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was a winter playground for many of the world’s richest people. People with last names like Vanderbilt, Pulitzer, and Rockefeller spent their time at the exclusive club on the then privately owned Jekyll playing golf, hunting, throwing big parties, and creating the US Federal Reserve. One can imagine when Nick Carraway tells us in The Great Gatsby that Tom and Daisy Buchanan had “drifted here and there….wherever people played polo and were rich together,” that they probably spent some time on Jekyll Island.

We also spent some time on Jekyll Island over spring break. You can read all about the kid-friendly stuff we found to do there over at Boxy Colonial on the Road, but here I’m going to go into more detail about our time exploring the historic district, the 240 acre site where much of the history of the Jekyll Island Club is preserved.

The best way to get an overview of the Historic District (and of Jekyll Island history generally) is to take the Passport to the Century tram tour.

The 90 minute tour costs $16 for adults, $7 for kids 7-15, and is free for kids under 7. Our funny and informative tour guide told us tons of fascinating stories about millionaire days on Jekyll and took us inside two of the historic homes. I was surprised at how much we all enjoyed this tour–the older kids all speak highly of it, and even the five year old amongst us remained tolerant and content the whole time (he’s a big fan of trams, not quite so much of a fan of Gilded Age history).

The tour leaves from the old infirmary building:

The first stop is the duBignon Cottage. The duBignons owned the island and operated it as a plantation for most of the 19th century, before getting the idea of selling the whole thing off to rich folks. The cottage is where the deal took place and during the Jekyll Island Club days it was used as a caretaker’s house and later as overflow accommodations for club members when the hotel was full. The house has been restored to look like it did back then (no photos allowed inside, so you’ll have to go see it yourself to check out 20th century faux finish walls and a really old fuse box….plus a portrait of Sir Joseph Jekyll, the guy James Oglethorpe named the island after).

Moss Cottage is the second stop. This is one of the “rustic” private homes built by club members. This particular “cottage” features a parlor, game room, butler’s pantry, five family bedrooms, plus a seven room, third floor servants’ quarters.

The rest of the tour keeps you on the tram and takes you around the historic district to see more of the cottages and hear a lot of interesting facts about them and about life on Jekyll back in old times. The variety of architectural styles is impressive:

And you go by the grand old Jekyll Island Club Hotel itself. You can still stay here; it’s operated today by a concessionaire, and there are still people playing croquet on the front lawn.

The Passport to the Century tour also includes admission to Faith Chapel, the non-denominational chapel where club members worshipped during their Jekyll winters. We came back to see it a couple of days after our tour and found it all decked out for a wedding. They have people working inside to tell you about the chapel and its stained glass Tiffany windows:

Aside from the official tours (there are a couple more offered besides the Passport to the Century tour), the historic district is a great place to just walk around. There are interpretive signs here and there to tell you what you’re looking at. Many of the service buildings have been turned into shops. Some of them sell ice cream and fudge, so that’s always a good thing:

If you’re looking for a great family beach destination that comes with the bonus of lots of amazing history and gorgeous architecture, Jekyll is your place. We had an amazing time there and can’t wait to make a return trip.

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