The Drifters may have had a top single in 1964 with the same title, but I doubt their lyrics were based on the Jekyll Island boardwalk. It is hard to imagine that the island’s ocean side featured an actual boardwalk, stretching almost two miles long, but some do remember although remnants of it are barely visible.

In 1957, the Authority approved the construction of a concrete boardwalk along the ocean side. The purpose was to create a unique family beach vacation experience, similar to the coastal towns in the northeast.

The boardwalk was 12 feet wide and connected the Wanderer, currently the Holiday Inn Resort, with the Corsair, now known as the Days Inn & Suites, and provided the perfect ocean experience with an up-close and unobstructed view of the ocean. After all, those pesky dunes that blocked every visitor’s view had already been removed a few years earlier.

For the visitor’s convenience, two additional bathhouses were constructed on either end, with the older bathhouse in the middle. All featured bathrooms, showers, lockers, and of course concession stands where Coca Cola was served at five cents per cup, among other snacks and drinks.

The entire length of the boardwalk was lined with perfectly-spaced palm trees and streetlights to accommodate late evening strollers. Those looking for a romantic ocean experience by full moonlight could relax on one of the many benches, placed at regular intervals along the two-mile boardwalk. Even water fountains were placed alongside to complete the ultimate island experience.

Parking at the time was certainly not a problem. Visitors had ample space to simply park their cars anywhere alongside the boardwalk and enjoy the sights from the convenience of their cars.

But boardwalks also typically feature some sort of entertainment, at least in the north they do. So, Jekyll Island could certainly not be the exception to the rule, hence Harvey Smith received permission to open the Peppermint Amusement Park. It not only offered simple rides and a merry-go-round, but also a Ferris wheel and go-karts.

Just imagine what family vacations must have looked like back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. And imagine the anticipation of what lay straight ahead when crossing the drawbridge and onto Jekyll Island: a clear view of the ocean with an experience for the entire family, unobstructed and unencumbered.

Alas, Hurricane Dora changed all of that in one single day in 1964. Maybe for good or bad, depending on what we wish to remember and savor.

A few little memories can still be found today when one looks carefully.

Just north of the Beach Pavilion is still a small concrete patch, now part of the bike path, that is a piece of the original boardwalk. And right next to it you will find a bench with two concrete steps leading down. Those steps belonged to the original central beach house back in 1957.

A second memento can be found at the beach crossover at the old “trailer parking lot”. Look to the south and north, and you will see the retaining wall or border of what once was the Jekyll Island boardwalk.

Memories fade, but the island can still refresh our memories by leaving behind little footprints of its past.

If you want to read more about the island’s earlier history, click here.

Enjoy, and I’ll see you all soon for more island history.