Did you know that Jekyll Island is a state park?  In 1950, the Jekyll Island-State Park Authority was established by the State of Georgia to govern and manage the island. The Jekyll Island Authority serves as steward of the island, overseeing all natural areas and commercial operations of the island.

When you cross the bridge onto the island you will pay a $10 entry fee.  The receipt shows it’s a “1 Day Pass.”  The truth is, as long as you remain on the island all you will pay is $10.  Whether you stay one night or ten nights, you will only pay if you leave the island to visit a nearby attraction away from Jekyll and then return. 

Here’s more information about Jekyll Island - Jekyll Island is a barrier island off the southeastern coast of Georgia. In 1886, Jekyll Island was purchased by a group of millionaires for use as an exclusive, private retreat known as "The Jekyll Island Club." Jekyll Island was purchased by the State of Georgia in 1947 from the Jekyll Island Club. This part of Jekyll is now the Historic District.

The Authority oversees the operation, maintenance and promotion of the island's amenities and Historic District, and the provision of municipal services for the island's residential community, 10 hotels, rental cottages and businesses.

Various amenities are operated by the Authority, which include the Historic District, 63 holes of golf, a tennis center, miniature golf and bike rental, Summer Waves Waterpark, an oceanfront soccer complex, a 55,000 square foot Convention Center, restaurants, and a campground. The Authority provides a fire department/emergency medical service and maintains several public picnic areas, beach crossovers, bike paths, a boat ramp, and a small airstrip.

Jekyll Island is a place where nature and humanity peacefully co-exist. The most accessible of Georgia’s protected barrier islands, most of Jekyll remains in a natural state, and development is tightly limited to preserve the balance. The island is home to more than a thousand acres of mature maritime forest, an icon of the coastal South that has become threatened by over development throughout its range.

From the moment you see the vast marshes that line the causeway, you’ll know you’ve arrived in a place blessed with natural beauty. The terrapin-crossing signs along the way tell you this is a place where people truly cherish our natural resources and are working hard to protect wildlife.

In 2011, the Jekyll Island Authority established a thoroughly vetted Conservation Program with the mission of preserving and enhancing the island’s natural bounty, while providing nature-based educational and recreational opportunities. Conservation remains a central pillar of the parks’ mission—from protecting nesting loggerhead turtles and dune systems to preserving the integrity of the tidal marshes and everything in between. Over the last decade, the visitor experience has been enhanced to sustain Jekyll Island’s economic viability; yet, all revitalization has occurred within existing, developed land, without reducing the island’s protected undeveloped land by a single acre.

Whether through Ranger Walks or educational trips to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, guests can celebrate the island’s natural history, and natural future, by learning from it – and by seeking harmony with it.