Jekyll Island Club

Jekyll Island Club

Hotel History

Early Hotel Renovation 1986The Jekyll Island Club flourished into the 1930s, but world events took their toll. With the advent of World War I, several members offered their personal yachts to the war effort as well as financial assistance. The Great Depression began to change people's priorities, and in two year's time, half the Club's membership dropped away. The final blow to the life of the Club, however, was World War II and the threat of enemy submarines just off the coast, inducing the U.S. government's order to evacuate the island. The Club's president hoped to reopen after the war, but in 1947 the state of Georgia entered the picture, buying the entire island for $675,000 in order to turn the once prestigious and influential island retreat into a public state park. Several Club properties, leased from the state of Georgia by an investment firm, have been restored and transformed into one of the finest luxury getaway hotels in America, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

Restored to its Former GrandeurRestored to its Former Grandeur
Guests visiting the Jekyll Island Club Hotel today may have dinner in the Grand Dining Room where former members enjoyed each other's company and exquisitely prepared meals. Over delicate entrée and the perfect wine, they made significant decisions, admired the room's beautiful leaded art glass and classical details, and vied for social position. The room suggests a visit to the Club for the “season” in the early 1900's.

Whether guests' primary interest is architecture, history or leisure, they find rewarding their visit to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, a Victorian treasure. More than fifty activities are available to immerse oneself in the former glory of the Club and island: historic tours, croquet, carriage rides, tennis, golf, airplane fly-ins, yacht docking, private beachfront (chairs and umbrellas), sea shell and bird walks on deserted beaches, children's programs, horseback riding, and walks in the live oak forests.