I spend one long weekend each summer taking advantage of the wonderful, and thong friendly, beaches in southeastern Georgia. I usually spend one day at Cumberland Island, which is discussed elsewhere, and two or three days at Jekyll Island.

Jekyll is owned by the State of Georgia, which leases sites to the private and commercial home and building owners on the island. There are golf courses, the historic millionaires' homes,a rock festival at the pavilion on the beach in August, and several on-the-beach motels such as Day's Inn, Holiday Inn, etc.

The Beach is easily 75 yards or more wide at low tide and 20 yards or so wide at high tide. Shelling can be very good, especially at tide low enough to expose the mud bottom offshore. That mud bottom is the biggest problem, and leads to marginal water quality. I do not recommend wearing a white suit.

The motels on the island are somewhat pricey, so I stay in Brrunswick at I-95, exit 32, where there are several reasonably priced places to stay.

The ride to St Mary's to catch the Park Service Ferry to Cumberland takes about 40 minutes. The ride to the causeway to Jeckyll through Brunswick is about 25 minutes. Going down I-95 to the next exit and then on 17 to the causeway is a bit further, but takes about the same amount of time. By the way, there are some very good BBQ places around Brunswick. I recommend Mac's which is on 17 near the causeway to St. Simons Island, (which is north of Jekyll and has very limited public beach areas.)

The causeway is about 8 miles to the bridge to the island. Right after you cross the bridge, you have to pay a "parking fee" which was $4.00 per day, but may have gone up. You can buy a three day pass, or a season pass also. The one-day fee allows you one return to the island. The rules are stated on the pass.

After paying the fee continue straight until you reach the pavilion, then go right for three or four miles, past a water tower on the right, to the soccer field parking lot on the left.

There is a long boardwalk to the beach. If you are going to need it on the beach,carry it with you. There are no concessions on the beach, except at the hotels which will be 1.5 to 2 miles north of you.

Once you get to the beach turn left and head north on the beach for about a half mile. It seems that family groups that use this part of the beach either stay very near the boardwalk, or go a bit south.

This area is known as the south dunes. The dunes are high, extensive, and fun to explore. I have been there on the 4th of July weekend, with large crowds by the motels, and virtually no one, except for the occasional beach walkers and bike riders venturing this far down the beach.

Pick a spot above the high tide level, but not in the dunes. (the authorities are far more sensitive about the dunes and the turtle nests then they are about what you wear).  Apply the sun screen, and thong away.

Over the years of doing this, I have had any number of people wave or say hello as they walked or rode by and even some stop to speak, but I have never had a problem with anybody, including those with pick-up lines. I have found a friendly "no thank you" and a "have a nice day" work just fine on Jekyll. On the other hand, if you are looking to meet someone, you may have the opportunity to do so. You may see one or two other male thongers or bikini wears, but then again, you may be the only one there.

You will see the beach patrol in a truck, the turtle patrol on a Gator, usually pulling a trailer, and cops on three wheelers, but none of them have given me any trouble, even when I was standing or walking around with my thong on.  Also, net casters will go up and down the beach, but again, no problems.

I do remember one time when a bike rider made a remark about me, but his wife/girl friend told him to mind his own business and leave other people alone. The only time I have ever seen anyone hassled is for being in the dunes.

There is lots of room to walk around, shell, and explore.  I stay at least a half mile away from the motel crowd to the north, and about a quarter of a mile away form the family groups, if any, to the south. Or I go anywhere I want to by pulling a bikini on over my thong.

By about 4 in the afternoon, I own the beach. I am the only one out there. I usually get my spot at about 7 am and stay until 7 pm. For me, these are the best three or four days of the year.Jekyll is great.  The authorities don't bother you as long as you don't make a problem out of yourself. Try it out. It is a great place for thonging.