Georgia's Golden Isles

Georgia’s Golden Isles are made up of St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, and mainland Brunswick. I spent a long weekend exploring St. Simons, Jekyll, and Brunswick and thoroughly enjoyed it! I would also note that this area is incredibly dog-friendly.

I stayed at this Airbnb in Brunswick that was central to everywhere I wanted to go—10 minutes to St Simons, 15 minutes to Jekyll, and 5 minutes to downtown Brunswick. This stay really exceeded my expectations! It is super affordable, dog-friendly, spacious, and full of thoughtful touches.

St Simons Island

SSI is a cute and casual little island that I found to be full of welcoming people with a relaxed atmosphere.

St Simons Recommendations:

• The Half Shell: A fantastic spot in the heart of downtown—so great in fact that I went twice during my time on the island! Their oysters are delicious, the patio is ideal, and everything was reasonably priced and delicious. Would highly recommend their Bloody Mary if you’re visiting during brunch.

• Dulce Dough Donuts & Bakery: Tasty spot for donuts and biscuits! Expect a line, but I was impressed and felt it was worth the wait.

• Be sure to visit the St Simons Island Pier for sunset! The views are fantastic.

• Hit the beach—obviously! There are several to choose from, keeping in mind they do all connect since it is one island beach:

  • East Beach: Currently going through a renovation but central on the island with bathrooms and lots of parking.

  • Gould’s Inlet: On the end of the island is this little inlet with smaller waves for swimming. The parking lot is quite small as a heads up.

  • Massengale Park: Spacious parking lot and bathrooms are present—what more do you need?

• Barrier Island Brewing: A solid brewery with a tasty food menu and a nice patio. Would definitely recommend!

• Downtown Market: There is often a market downtown with a ton of local vendors, be sure to meander through it to find some goodies!

• Mullet Bay Restaurant: A fun spot for patio vibes with cheap drinks during Happy Hour!

• Bubba Garcia's Mexican Cantina: A tasty spot for Mexican eats. They have a nice upper patio as well!

• Sandy Bottom Bagels: I did not make it to this spot because they’re closed on Sundays, but it looks legit so I wanted to make sure to include it for your convenience!

Jekyll Island

Jekyll Island is just a few miles away from St Simons but home to a different vibe completely. Here the primary modes of transportation are bikes and golf carts, and much of the island is untouched nature.

I found Jekyll to be the perfect spot for a day trip because I like to bounce around to restaurants and breweries/bars when traveling, but if you’re looking to disconnect and either stay at a resort or have quiet nights in, this would be a great spot for a longer stay.

Heads up to enter the island there is a $10 daily parking fee you can pay ahead of time online or at the gate upon entrance.

Jekyll Island Recommendations:

• Wander Driftwood Beach: This is such a unique stretch of beach with (shocker here) DRIFTWOOD! It is really quite neat to explore. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for bald eagles as well!

• Tortuga Jack’s: A nice spot for Mexican eats and drinks! Essentially a Tiki Bar, so don’t set your bar too high for food but the views are nice, the prices are low, and the vibes are great.

• Oceanview Beach Park: Another great beach option for actually beaching, versus walking on Driftwood. They have a ton of parking here and bathrooms.

• The Pantry: This little cafe is located inside the Island Club Resort and is a good spot to grab breakfast, lunch or coffee!

Brunswick:

Brunswick is not necessarily somewhere I’d highly recommend visiting, but if you’re in the area you might as well pop by to explore! Downtown is a bit rundown but still has some nice spots.

Brunswick Recommendations:

• Silver Bluff Brewing Company: The vibes here exceed the beer quality, but keep in mind I am a bit of a snob. They have a lovely outdoor space and frequent food trucks.

• Skip—Driftwood Wine & Cocktails: I was thoroughly unimpressed unfortunately.

• Newcastle Wine Merchant: A cute little wine shop for onsite pours or to-go bottles.

• Indigo Coastal Shanty: A super chill restaurant with tasty eats and a nice patio space. They are also incredibly dog-friendly!

• Head to Mary Ross Waterfront Park for sunset!

Have you explored georgia’s golden isles? What was your favorite spot? let me know in the comments! cheers —alexis

Savannah, GA

Savannah is a gorgeous, quintessentially Southern city that is super fun to visit!

Savannah Tips: 

• It gets incredibly hot and humid in Savannah, be mindful when planning your trip—I would recommend spring or fall for the best experience, but if you visit in the summer be sure to stay hydrated!

• It’s a pretty small city overall, you can easily do it all in a weekend!

• Savannah is near the ocean, but not on the ocean—this isn’t a beach vacation, which some people misunderstand. You can easily do day trips to the surrounding beaches though!

• Drink on the streets! Savannah allows folks to walk around with beverages so most places offer to-go drinks. Just make sure you have a plastic cup!

• Not just based on the open drink law, but in general Savannah has very similar vibes to New Orleans. If you like Savannah I would recommend NOLA and vice-versa.

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations: ​

• Two Tides Brewing: I LOVE Two Tides. Every beer I have had there has been absolutely incredible, and trust me, I have drank a LOT of their beers. I highly recommend a visit! They are located in a super cute renovated house with a balcony, games, and snacks available.

  • Crispi is their onsite food truck serving up delicious smash burgers and other tasty eats

  • Smol Bar: They also have a tiny taproom on the side of their building with beer, cocktails, and snacks.

• Starland Yard: A food truck park directly next to Two Tides. The food trucks rotate, but Vittoria Pizza and the Yard Bar are always there. The pizza is outrageously delicious and overall it is a cool spot!

• Electric Moon: A fun rooftop bar on top of the JW Marriott with a slide and other fun games plus stellar river views. It’s a great place to catch the sunset and I highly recommend the boozy cakepops!

• The Laundry Diner: Delicious all-day eats with a killer diner vibe. They’ve got a great food + drink Happy Hour from Tuesday to Friday that’s worth going out of your way for. Also owned by the Two Tides folks so you can find some of their tasty brews available as well!

• Service Brewing: A Veteran-owned brewery with tons of games and a fun space

Two Tides Brewing Company

• Stay at The Alida Hotel: The Alida is a luxurious hotel with adorable rooms and thoughtful touches everywhere you turn. They have a gorgeous pool, fire pits, and even a daily wine happy hour that I highly recommend taking advantage of! It is conveniently located in the heart of the city and easily one of the nicest places I’ve had the pleasure of staying at.

  • The Lost Square is their rooftop bar with nice views of Savannah and the river. They also have a small food menu up here if you’re hungry!

  • Rhett is their full-service restaurant located on the ground floor. It is a super cute spot offering brunch, dinner and a bar. The brunch was incredibly delicious! If you’re going for dinner I would recommend a reservation.

• Bull Street Taco: Great tacos, a few local beers on tap, and outside seating options.

• Perc Coffee: A coffee production facility/coffee shop combo. The staff is super nice, coffee is amazing, and breakfast snacks will make you drool! The everything croissant was SO good.

• The Grove: A fun restaurant and rooftop bar near the City Market. The rooftop food menu is slightly smaller than the downstairs menu but it is worth it for the views and vibes.

• Alley Cat: A speakeasy style bar in an actual alley. It is super cute and the drinks are delicious. They also have a small food menu.

• Big Bon Bodega: Bagels and hot or iced coffee in a super cute space with really nice staff! They also have pizza at night.

• Garden Square: A fun restaurant and bar with a stellar patio space. Unique and delicious cocktails, full food menu, daily happy hour, weekend brunch.

Electric Moon

touristy things in savannah worth doing:

• Forsyth Park: A gorgeous park in the center of the city, definitely worth walking through at some point during your stay!

• Wander the Squares: Savannah has 22 historic square parks throughout the city that are charming and make for a perfect stroll through the city. Some have fountains, some have statues, some are full of locals picnicking—find your favorite!

• Savannah Botanical Garden: A nice, albeit small, garden to walk around that is free and dog-friendly

• The City Market: This is not exactly a market anymore but more of a street with restaurants and bars. It is a fun spot to hang out and people watch.

  • Georgia Tasting Room is a good spot in the Market with extremely cheap wine tastings and a variety of beers, mixed drinks, and frozen drinks as well!

Tybee Island

other savannah things to do:

• Hop Atomica: A solid brewery that offers food as well. They have a nice patio space and make their own liquor for cocktails too!

• Tacos + Tequila: A fun spot for you guessed it—tacos and tequila! They have a variety of Latin-style food items and the queso is delicious! They also have a nice outdoor space.

• Moon River Brewing: You’re at Moon River for the atmosphere more than for the beer. It is located right in the heart of the Historic District with a huge outdoor patio

• Coastal Empire Beer Co.: Another brewery you can check out, this one has a pretty small beer selection

• Foxy Loxy: A cute cafe with Tex Mex, wine and beer, cheese plates, kolaches, and a nice outdoor space!

  • They also have another location named The Coffee Fox downtown that is strictly coffee and pastries.

• Southbound Brewing: Another solid brewery a little off the beaten path with a warehouse style taproom

• White Whale Craft Ales: A craft beer market and taproom with ten beers on tap

• Starland Strange and Bazaar: An eclectic shop and ice cream parlor directly across the street from Two Tides Brewing.

• Paris Market and Café: An adorable shop and coffee stop!

• Peregrin Rooftop Bar: Located inside the Perry Lane Hotel, this rooftop has nice views, small plates, a few beers on tap, full bar, and in the summer frose! You’re paying for the view, so if you’re budget conscious don’t plan to spend a lot of time here.

• Rise Biscuit Co.: A Southern chain offering delicious breakfast biscuits in the heart of downtown.

• Riverside Biergarten: A cute spot along the river for some beers! They have limited hours so be sure to check before heading over.

  • Graffito Pizza is right next door if you’re hungry but I will forewarn that my experience there was not great.

• Urban Poppy: An adorable shop with a variety of flower arrangements and fun accessories.

• Element by Marriott in Midtown is a clean, new, affordable hotel stay

• Take a day trip to Tybee Island—it wasn’t my favorite beach but if you don’t live close to the ocean you might want to go get your beach fix! Heads up, it can get really crowded and the parking is quite expensive. The tide can come up really high so watch your stuff if you’re in the water!

  • I ate at Fannie’s on the Beach and wasn’t super impressed but they do have a cool balcony upstairs with beach views (open Wednesday-Sunday during the summer only)