Back to life, back to reality...

I've spent much of the last two weeks on Jekyll Island, GA. First, for a week of vacation with my family, and second, for a conference for the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

The first week, my family and I spent on the beach side of Jekyll in a wonderful house right on the beach. It was wonderful to just spend time reading, eating and laying on the beach (under a tent of course.) We spent lots of time as a family walking on the beach, working puzzles, watching movies, and of course, eating. It was a wonderful vacation. Here are some pics...

Megan and Maddie goofing off at one of the "cottages"


Angel Oak in the historic district


Christ Church on St.Simon's Island


The family at dinner- we had a low country boil- YUM (the blog format cuts Megan off, click to see her!)


MamaCile


Me at dinner


Last week I spent three days at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel on the Intercoastal Waterway side of the island in the historic district. If you don't know the history of Jekyll Island, it was originally a "millionaires club" from 1887-1944. The wealthiest Americans such as the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Pulitzers, Morgans,etc, would spend the winters on Jekyll at their "clubhouse" (now the hotel.) They also built "cottages" a.k.a mansions around the clubhouse. It is a really neat experience to walk around the historic district amongst the cottages and angel oak trees covered with spanish moss and imagine yourself at the turn on the 20th Century. As my mom said, "I think I was born in the wrong time period and the wrong socio-economic status." I agree completely. If you ever get a chance to stay at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, take it. It's like a Disney resort in the fact that every detail has been thought out and the customer service is amazing. It's different than a Disney resort because it's REAL. This place has real history and it oozes from every nook and cranny. I would highly recommend it.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel pics




Croquet court at Jekyll Island Club Hotel


Anyway, it's back to life... back to reality. It was nice pretending for a few days..

Now Time for VACATION...

Tomorrow this group is going on vacation to Jekyll Island, Georgia.

We've been on a schedule of going on "big" vacations every other year and then beaching it on the off years. Well, we've gone off our schedule and are beaching it two years in a row.

You see, in my opinion, there's a difference between vacations and traveling. While going to Great Britain and Italy are amazing adventures, they tend to leave you exhausted (not to mention, BROKE.) And, after much discussion, we decided we all just needed a vacation this year. It's been a hard year, and I just need to chill (cook) on the beach, read and eat delicious food cooked up by my chef father.

So, onto vacation...

Speaking of Staycations...

Social networking sites are taking the world AND the marketing world by storm. It's another great tool to connect with customers and get your message out. I recently stumbled across the Explore Georgia facebook page and I became a "fan." Now, I get recent news and events about tourism happenings in Georgia. Guess what was on there today?



An article in USA Today about the new "Allman Brothers Band Museum " set to open soon in Macon.












With all the new things to do, I may just be a "Ramblin' woMAN." (I know, super cheesy play on words.)

Staycation

With the economy down and family budgets tight, tourism officials have to be creative. Since I am in the tourism, I'm always researching and paying attention to what is happening in the industry. Recently, I have come across the term "Staycation." Meaning, it's summer vacation time and you may not have the money to "go" anywhere...why don't you look around your hometown or community and re-discover it?

Scott and I are staying in Georgia for vacation next week (Jekyll Island), but we are always discovering new and unique things to do in our local community. We've walked on the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail (river walk), visited the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds

view from top of the Indian Mound in Macon


and visited numerous nearby state parks and wildlife refuges, including High Falls State Park, Indian Springs State Park, Dauset Trails and Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge.




At High Falls State Park with Scott's family.

What do you guys do on your "Staycations?" Are you guys finding creative ways to save money AND have fun in your community? Please share!