Writer’s Update | In eight years, Jekyll Island has transformed it’s footprint into one of the most welcoming islands along Georgia’s Golden Isles. The Jekyll Island Shrimp and Grits Festival has moved from the heat of summer to the cool of fall. Dates for 2023 are November 3-4, held in the historic district of the island. Experience live music, an artisan market, fireworks and the best shrimp and grits on the planet. You might think you know this dish; you don’t know nothing yet! Mark your calendars.

Original Post| September 2015

It's going full blast, 10 years later. Jekyll Island (come see its new facelift) entertains the world with its annual Shrimp & Grits Festival September 18-20. Sponsored by Southern Living and hosted near the grounds of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, the festival never disappoints. This year, it will feature a new Jekyll Island Experience and more Southern Living (all you have to say is MORE Southern Living ). There's craft brew vendors, climbing walls and pony rides for the kids, artisan booths and live music; and did I mention shrimp and grits? Food vendors line up to see who can create the most authentic, mouth watering version of this southern coastal specialty, and it's all for you. There's amateur and professional food competitions involving shrimp and grits and your head will spin at the speed in which the chef's move. At the Southern Living pavilion, their own chef demonstrates just how they come up with such amazing recipes, month after month.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel has now expanded its offerings to include Jekyll Island Club, Island Cottages, and Jekyll Ocean Club.

There's tons to do right on the festival grounds. Meander toward the Jekyll Island Club Resort and experience a history that began years ago. Once described as "the richest, the most exclusive, the most inaccessible club in the world," the club hosted members such as J.P. Morgan, William Rockfeller, Joseph Pulitzer, and others who discovered the unspoiled riches of the Georgia coast. They built winter homes or "cottages" as they called them, designed for the entire family to escape the harsh northern winters. Much of this playground has been restored, and you can play, sleep and dine where notables did at the turn of the twentieth century.

Take time during your stay to visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. If you get really lucky, you'll get to be on hand for a turtle release back into the sea. They also have Sunrise Beach Ecology Walks but must be booked in advance for no more than 25 people. These walks begin in August (hatching season), and there's no guarantee what you'll see, but for sure, you will be amazed.