Unlimited Kids Swimming Holes on Jekyll Island - Ocean, Pools and Summer Waves!
Whether in salt or fresh water, kids swimming activities are important parts of family summer vacations at the beach. And Jekyll Island offers ample opportunities for your youngsters to get wet and wild!
The Atlantic -
The first thing our kids used to do when we got to Jekyll Island was to hit the beach. Our kids were swimming in the ocean sometimes before we were unpacked.
And with 10 miles of beach on Jekyll Island, there are plenty of places to play in the brine.
The
Atlantic is maybe the biggest attraction for land-locked kids, and they
don't waste any time hitting the surf. Kids swim like dolphins, it
seems, and never miss a chance to tackle the waves of the Atlantic
Seaboard.
And these waves are perfect for kids - not too high (averaging, on a typical summer beach day, about a foot), and gentle.
Our kids used to love to do shallow dives into the incoming waves, for just an instant imagining themselves flying fish, or dolphins breaching the waves. Or they'd pursue that other favorite pass time - wrestling with Dad in the surf! Of course, Dad always had to be the "sea monster".
Swimming safety
is important at all times, but especially with kids swimming in the
ocean. For one thing, there are no life guards on Jekyll Island, so kids
need alert adults to keep an eye on them.
And though the waters are for the most part gentle and safe, there are certain places (like the area around the
Sandbar)
where kids swimming might encounter riptides and strong currents. Kids should be taught what to do if caught in a rip current.
Swimming for exercise? Adults and teens can get a great workout swimming against the waves, or parallel to the beach.
Island Pools -
While the ocean is great fun, it can get tiresome swimming in salt water all day long. For a respite, head for the freshwater pools.
Every hotel has one - swimming pools, perfect relaxing oasis's for swimming kids and sun-bathing adults. Most come with amenities like Tiki bars, spas, and decks shaded by umbrellas and, in some cases, pergolas.
Which ones are best?
- We like the pool at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. It has a great Tiki bar, and a beautiful view of the Intra-coastal Waterway. It's a big pool, almost Olympic size. And, for snow-birds from Canada and up north - it's heated!
- Villas-by-the-Sea has a large, "L"-shaped pool which is solar heated, perfect for kids swimming in the winter months. The Villas folks are proud of their ol' swimming hole, claiming it's the largest, deepest pool in the southeast.
- If you came to Jekyll Island by boat and you're docked at Jekyll Harbor Marina, you're in luck, 'cause they have their own pool, just for cruisers!
If you're renting a vacation home and it doesn't include its own pool, don't despair. Some of the rentals through Parker-Kaufman Realtors include tickets for complimentary pool usage at some of the area hotels.
Of course, you can do what we've been known to do in the past, when the kids were small, we were renting a house without pool rights, and the ocean had lost its appeal - kind of, like, accidentally find yourself in one of the hotel pools.
Hmmmm - how'd we get here? Oh, well. Might as well enjoy it...
Summer Waves Water Park -
For more adventurous kids swimming opportunities, visit Summer Waves Water Park. Summer Waves comes ready-made for water-loving rug rats (or is that wharf rats?).
With 3 water slides and the Frantic Atlantic wave pool, along with a lazy river and plenty of other opportunities to get wet, Summer Waves is the perfect place for kids and adults alike.
Scientists claim land based mammals originated in the sea. It must be true, for we've been spending most of our lives trying to get back to it! And Jekyll Island offers the perfect adults and kids swimming venue.
Come back to the water for YOUR family summer vacations!
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