One of my stops during the trip to St Simons was the Georgia Sea Turtle Center in Jekyll Island. Its really just a 10-15 minute drive over a very beautiful flyover but you do have to pay to enter and be able to park your car anywhere. The center is pretty small. They do have a nice exhibit area describing the growth and life of turtles. An interesting feature here was the viewing mirrors into the hospital area where you could see doctors working on turtles. There are two large overhead screens as well that you can use to view up close how the turtles are being helped. One of the docents explained that what I was saying was a turtle that had been hit by a car possibly and they ere cleaning off layers of dirt that had gathered in the wounded area to be able to see the actual wounds and help heal those. Its amazing how much care you have to take to handle these little four legged creatures that barely sometimes even take up half the table in size. The exhibits are interactive but definitely geared towards children than adults. An outer extension area actually serves as the conservation zone with rows of pools and little glass exhibits where recovering turtles are rested until their cover. Some have illnesses that need to be cured and others have wounds that must heal before they can be left out again. I believe I spent more time reading the history logs of each of the turtles in those pools than in the museum area. They varied in size from as smalls the palm of my hand to as big as a few 100 pounds in weight. I can see kids having a really good time here as also nature enthusiasts and animal lovers. I wouldn't say its a must visit but if you being to any of the afore-mentioned categories than this might be worth the while. The work being done here is commendable though. I have never got to see specialists working on turtles right in front of my eyes so kudos to them for choosing the profession they do so we can cherish the beauty of nature around us.

I am beyond excited to be heading to St. Simons tomorrow for a short but much-awaited trip to the beach. I have visited the area more than 5 years ago so looking forward to heading back. It will be my first time staying at the King and Prince Resort though and that should be fun - its on the beach, has a lot of history and the rooms look gorgeous. I plan to do a bunch of sight-seeing around the place and check out some local restaurants as well. I will be writing about my visit for a local magazine's travel section so will share that link with you once its published. Else, stay tuned here for more about the rest of my trip. We are driving over and this will be my first 'long' drive by car since my back injury sustained in September last year so hoping I wont have any issues. More later!