With Black History Month on its way, why not celebrate by learning something new?
Jekyll Island has a rich and interesting past. History buffs will know it as the destination of the last known slave ship, “The Wanderer,” while other may be more familiar with the Gullah Geechee culture that emerged on the island.
But for music fans, the island has another claim to fame: It was the home of the legendary Dolphin Club. The club sat with its motel on St. Andrews Beach, the only beach in Georgia open to Black people during the Jim Crowe era — and a place where families and musicians alike could feel safe.
During its heyday, the Dolphin Club welcomed B.B. King, Otis Redding and other national performers.
To celebrate Black History Month, Jekyll Island will be hosting Dolphin Club Days to honor this musical legacy. A guided trolley tour travels around the southern end of Jekyll Island and includes a musical performance by Ace Winn at the site of the historic Dolphin Club and Motor Hotel.
On the way back, enjoy light refreshments, music from performers who visited the Dolphin Club and oral histories about what life was like on the Island in the 1950s and 1960s. The tour lasts approximately one hour and fifteen minutes and begins at Mosaic Jekyll Island Museum.
The tours will take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on February 11 and 25 (both Saturdays). The cost is $25 for adults and $12 for kids ages 4-12. You can buy tickets on Ticketleap or in person at Mosaic.
“Jekyll Island pays homage to black history with many different experiences for visitors, from history trail walks to house tours to artifacts and exhibits in their museum,” a representative told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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