Jekyll Island Christmas Lights and Holiday Guide

Learn all about the Jekyll Island Christmas Lights and Holiday Festivities

We’ve visited Jekyll Island many times now. We have always stayed at the Jekyll Island Club Resort and don’t plan to ever stay anywhere else! This hotel is full of history and feels like stepping back in time. During our recent visit, we experienced all of the wonder of the Jekyll Island Club and Jekyll for Christmas. And it’s even more magical at this time of year! Keep reading to discover learn all about the incredible Jekyll Island Christmas lights and all of the holiday events.

What’s so special about the Jekyll Island Christmas lights?

The Jekyll Island Christmas Lights are really something amazing! This includes 300+ light displays, 45,000 lights on the Great Tree, and over a million light bulbs. In fact, it really is one of the most beautiful light displays I’ve ever seen. There is a self guided light tour, where you can see the lights by car or by bike. You can also take a trolley tour of the lights on select dates and times from the Mosaic Museum.

The night sky really does come alive with twinkle lights! You can even see the 12 Days of Christmas Light display. And the beautiful live oaks are wrapped in white lights. And the Great Tree is sparkling brightly along the Holly Jolly Jekyll Light Tour route. Just follow the signs and you’re on your way to Christmas cheer. And you just need to see it to believe i!

What is Holly Jolly Jekyll?

This is the name for the Jekyll Island Authority’s Christmas celebration. It includes so many different events, with lots of options each year. The calendar varies from year to year, so be sure to check the calendar for the latest updates!

Some of the events you can look forward to are:

• Holiday drive-in movie
• Holly Jolly Trading Post Christmas shop
• Peppermint Land mini golf
• Holiday Fireworks
• Mailbox on Main letters to Santa
• Santa’s Chairs themed beach chair display
• Breakfast with Santa at the Jekyll Club
• Lunch with Santa at the Jekyll Club
• High Holiday Tea at the Jekyll Club
• Merry Artists Holiday Market at Goodyear Cottage
• Holiday Bagpipes at the Jekyll Island Club
• Christmas Cookie Decorating at Jekyll Island Club
• Christmas Eve Dinner at the Grand Ballroom at Jekyll Island Club

The calendar is full of activities every day of the season! And they change each year. So be sure to plan an annual trip to return to experience the holiday cheer year after year. Our family certainly hopes to make it a tradition!

Where’s the best place to stay for Jekyll Island Christmas lights?

There are events that are hosted by the Jekyll Island Authority and then also those that are hosted at the Jekyll Island Club Resort. In my opinion, staying at the Jekyll Island Club is the best way to really be in the heart of all of the holiday activities. You can literally walk right outside of your hotel room and experience some of the most wondrous holiday light displays. And just looking out your window is beautiful!

When you step inside the Jekyll Island Club Resort, you feel like you’ve been transported back in time. Growing up, I was that classic teen that went to the theater about 8 or 9 times to see the blockbuster movie, “Titanic.” When I walked the stairs at the Jekyll Island Club Resort, I almost expected to see Kate Winslet’s Rose or Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack at any minute. Although this hotel is on land, I always feel like an elegant passenger of the Titanic.

A Modern Resort that Preserves History

The Jekyll Island Club Resort was formerly home to The Club, which opened in 1888. At the height of it’s popularity, and when all members were present, this clubhouse housed one-sixth of the world’s wealth in one location. During it’s popularity, Munsey’s Magazine called The Club on Jekyll Island, “the richest, the most exclusive, the most inaccessible club in the world.” J.P. Morgan, William Rockefeller, and many more, were members of this exclusive club.

Many great moments in history took place on the island, such as the forming of the Federal Reserve, as well as the first transcontinental phone call. As a guest of the modern day Jekyll Island Club, you are completely immersed in this history, while also enjoying all of the modern amenities of a modern resort.

 What’s so great about Jekyll Island?

Jekyll Island is only one of four Georgia barrier islands with paved causeway access, and is part of the Sea Islands, or Golden Isles. From Orlando, it is an easy three and a half hour drive, and is located very close to the Florida-Georgia line. This island has 8 miles of beaches, and is owned by the State of Georgia.

We visited several of the beaches on Jekyll Island, and they are distinctly beautiful and unique! The island has so many different types of landforms, from marshes to beaches, and even a tree graveyard known as Driftwood Beach! This place has become very Instagram famous in the last few years.

One of our favorite activities during our time at the Jekyll Island Club Resort is always bike riding. We rented bikes from Jekyll Wheels, and take a 10 mile journey around the island! The employees at Jekyll Wheels, which is part of the Resort, are always extremely helpful and patient with getting seven people fitted for bikes and helmets. This is one of the most bike friendly places I’ve ever been. And it’s just such a wonderful way to see the island!

Don’t Miss the Jekyll Island Christmas Lights

You definitely don’t want to miss the Jekyll Island Christmas lights and all of the holiday events. We were only on the island for about 36 hours this visit, but we experienced so much holiday cheer in this time. This stay was the start to our holiday travels and I can’t imagine a better way to begin.

So whether you are visiting the island for the Jekyll Island Christmas lights, or at any other time of the year, you won’t regret it. It really is one of our favorite places on Earth. And after you visit once, you’ll understand why!

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