Before the turn of the twentieth century, Brunswick and the Golden Isles began to attract tourists, who traveled long distances by train and by steamboat to reach coastal Georgia. As business picked up, large-scale lodging establishments dotted Glynn County’s landscape: Jekyll Island’s eponymous club welcomed the world’s wealthy, the Hotel St. Simons provided guests easy access to the beach, and Brunswick’s Oglethorpe Hotel was a point of pride for both residents and visitors alike.
Image courtesy of Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Sailfish Motel “By the Sea” on St. Simons
Improved roads and popularity of automobile travel brought about a whole new era in America’s—and coastal Georgia’s—tourism landscape. In the 1910s, as intrepid tourists began to set out on cross-country car journeys, they sometimes found themselves between towns and without a place to stay for the night. Some simply camped by the side of the road, and enterprising locals soon took notice, setting up “tourist camps” meant to cater to the passerby’s sense of convenience. Nationally-organized highways, like the Dixie Highway and Quebec-Miami Highway, ran through Glynn County in the late 1910s and 1920s, providing tourist camps with a steady stream of business.
Image courtesy of Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Oleander Court Brunswick
The introduction of numbered highways like U.S. 17 and U.S. 25, along with the post-World War II economic and baby boom, brought even more tourists flooding to the Golden Isles. By now, many of them desired more amenities than a roadside campsite could provide, and once again, resourceful locals took up the challenge. Along any well-traveled tourist thoroughfare, especially the highways, businesses originally called “tourist courts” or “motor hotels” provided tired travelers with private lodging, on-site restaurants, and a much-needed dose of air conditioning. For convenience, some businesses even shortened their names—and “motor hotels” became known as “motels.”
Image courtesy of Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Seabreeze Motor Court Brunswick
In the motel’s mid-century heyday, examples up and down U.S. 17 leading into Brunswick included the Oleander Court and Seabreeze Motor Court, seen here on postcards likely sold at the respective businesses. The causeways brought motel-ready tourists to St. Simons and Jekyll islands, too. Also pictured here are the Sailfish Motel “By the Sea” on St. Simons and the Jekyll Estates Motel.
Image courtesy of Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Jekyll Estates Motel
Coastal Georgia Historical Society presents this article and images from our archives as part of our mission “to connect people to Coastal Georgia’s dynamic history.” The Society operates the iconic St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and the World War II Home Front Museum, housed in the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach. To learn more about the Society, its museums, diverse programs, and membership, please visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
