Jekyll Island Campground
The School for  Y.
Reviewed Jun. 9, 2020

Nice spot on a great island

Jekyll Island is a must stop if you can access the Georgia Coast. The Island is a darling place full of great beaches, a sea turtle rescue center, a water park (which wasn’t open yet when we visited in June), and decent restaurants.

The only place to camp on the island is the Island-run campground. It’s a perfectly fine campground — clean, well-kept, well-run. There are full hookups, the bath house and laundry facility are open (post-Covid), and people were friendly and respectful (although our neighbor burning his styrofoam cup and plastic water bottle in his campfire didn’t seem to be totally clear on the concept of how to use a campfire).

But we didn’t come for the campground, we came for the island. A short walk from the campground is a gorgeous beach with the skeletons of trees scattered across the shore. You have to go at low tide, or there is not much beach to be found. There is also a nice walking path from the campground out to the pier (where you can fish) and through the wetlands where we saw gorgeous birds (bright pink roseate spoonbills!) and little crabs scurrying around.

You will definitely want another form of transportation if you want to see more of the island. There are tons of great bike paths that take you through beautiful, moss dripping forests. But, it’s three miles into the town center, so that can make for a lot of riding if you’re wanting to bike to restaurants/grocery. Electric bikes would be amazing!

We rented a four-seater “golf cart” from the airport. This was a great way to see, feel, and smell the island.

There were several restaurants for safer post-Covid outdoor seating. We tried the Irish Pub (great fish and chips), and the restaurant at the Wharf (call ahead for outdoor reservations).

+++++++

As a ranger for the Dyrt, we sometimes get the chance to review gear. We recently received the ZunZun travel hammock chair by La Siesta. I can’t over empathize how excited my husband was to get this, as he loves hammocks, but loves “air chairs” even more, as he can sit and work without straining his neck. I didn’t think we could travel with one because they’re too large and require too much equipment to set up...

Enter ZunZun by La Siesta - it packs down to the size of a thermos and only requires one overhead branch or bar to hang it. The tree skeletons at the beach on Jekyll Island were the perfect place to test it out. https://www.lasiesta.com/us/en/collection/la-siesta-zunzun-sunrise-travel-hammock-chair-with-suspension-zzv14-22

We are always on the lookout for small gear that we will use often, as we live full-time in our van, and space is at a premium. While we have multiple hammocks and love to use them, this was the first time we’ve seen a small, collapsible hammock chair like this and we’re sold!

The kids helped us set up the chair at the beach. Other than needing our help threading the strap through so it would wrap around the branch (which was a bit too high for them to reach), they were able to do the whole thing — it’s that easy.

We all took turns. I love the pivot mechanism that allows you to turn in complete circles without getting tangled. The chair was comfy and a great way to stay off the wet sand. I can see a lot of places where we will use this chair, where a traditional hammock wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

The only downside I could see (other than many campgrounds banning hammocks), is that when no one is sitting in the chair, even the slightest breeze turns the chair into a sail, blowing it all over the place. However, this was easily solved by wrapping the fabric around the bar several times. That allowed it to hang there calmly.

My kids are old enough, but I could foresee it being a problem that kids (or forgetful adults) who might want to use the spreader bar as a thing to hang on, especially when trying to stand up from a seated position. I imagine a lot of pressure could bend the bar, making it unusable. We’ll just do our best to avoid doing that!

Great chair! We might have to get a couple more so we can all have one, but you’ll probably see it in a lot of our reviews going forward! Good thing they pack down so small!

  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
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  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020
  • Review photo of Jekyll Island Campground by The School for  Y., June 9, 2020