Sea Island, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sea Island
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The Cloister Hotel on Sea Island in 1990
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 Sea Island, Georgia
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Sea Island, Georgia
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Glynn |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 298 |
| • Urban density | 54/sq mi (21/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
31561
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| Area code(s) | 912 |
Sea Island is a special, privately owned island in Glynn County, Georgia. It is part of the beautiful Golden Isles of Georgia. These islands also include St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, Little St. Simons Island, and the city of Brunswick.
Sea Island is a popular resort island right on the Atlantic Coast. It sits just east of St. Simons Island. You can reach it by driving over a bridge from St. Simons Island. The island is about 60 miles (97 km) north of Jacksonville, Florida. It is also about 60 miles (97 km) south of Savannah, Georgia.
A family from Denver, Colorado, the Anschutz family, owns two resorts here. They also manage a private community with about 500 family homes.
The two main resorts are Sea Island Beach Club and The Cloister. They are close to each other, connected by a road called Sea Island Drive. The Beach Club is by the ocean. It has restaurants, a game room, a bowling alley, an ice cream shop, a bar, and three swimming pools.
The Cloister is Sea Island's main hotel. It is located on the island's southwest side, along the Black Banks River. It has restaurants, 200 rooms, a spa, tennis and squash courts, and a gym. It is home to The Georgian Rooms, the only restaurant in Georgia with a Forbes Five-Star award. The Cloister is also the only resort in the world to have won four Forbes Five-Star awards for fifteen years in a row!
Sea Island is one of many "Sea Islands" that stretch along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida.
Contents
Discovering Sea Island's Past
Sea Island was formed about 5,000 years ago, after the last big ice age. Not much is known about early human life on the island. Most of its recorded story begins in the early 1900s.
The island's first English name was Fifth Creek Island. The first known European settler was Captain James Mackay. He served under General Oglethorpe at Fort Frederica. Later, plantation owners from St. Simons Island used the land mainly for grazing animals.
In 1926, a car company owner named Howard Coffin bought Sea Island. He also bought other land along the Georgia coast. Two years later, he opened The Cloister Hotel. His friends thought oceanfront properties had great potential. The hotel was nicknamed the "Little Friendly Hotel." Howard Coffin's cousin, Alfred W. Jones, managed it. When Howard Coffin passed away in 1937, Alfred W. Jones inherited The Cloister and other land.
From the start, The Cloister was a hit! It attracted many famous people from the "Roaring Twenties." In 1928, President Calvin Coolidge spent his Christmas holidays there. This brought the new hotel national attention. The Cloister was known as a quiet, relaxing place. It was different from the busy resorts in Florida. Business people, politicians, and celebrities loved it. These included New York Mayor Jimmy Walker, Edsel Ford, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and Eddie Rickenbacker.
Mr. Coffin also wanted to create a neighborhood on the island. He encouraged guests to build "cottages" nearby. He brought electricity, water, and phone service to the island. He also made it easier to get to both St. Simons and Sea Islands. Famous writer Eugene O'Neill built a home there. He wrote his play Ah, Wilderness! while on Sea Island.
Even during the Great Depression and World War II, the resort kept going. After the war, The Cloister and its community slowly grew. Many important guests visited the hotel. These included U.S. presidents Hoover, Eisenhower, Ford, and Carter. In 1949, actress Sarah Churchill got married on the island. Thousands of honeymooners visited, including George and Barbara Bush. By the end of the 1900s, land prices for homes on the island were very high.
Sea Island in the 2000s
In 2001, The Lodge was built on St. Simons Island. It was created with help from Bill Jones. The Lodge became a popular spot for golfers. It was another place to stay under the Sea Island name. By 2003, A. W. "Bill" Jones III decided to rebuild The Cloister. The old building was taken down and a new, bigger, and more luxurious one was built. This took three years. The resort's beach club and spa were also improved.
A few years later, the company that owned Sea Island faced some financial challenges. Sales of new properties slowed down. Fewer people visited the resort. New home purchases in the area also stopped. Because of these money troubles, the company was eventually bought by a group of investors. This group formed Sea Island Acquisitions, LLC. They worked to improve the business.
In 2016, Sea Island Acquisitions added a new "Garden Wing" to The Cloister. This added 63 more rooms. In June 2016, the Anschutz family became the sole owners of the Sea Island Company.
Trees Planted by Famous People
When President Calvin Coolidge visited Sea Island in 1928, he planted a live oak tree. This started a tradition! Many important guests, including presidents and leaders from other countries, have planted trees since then.
Besides President Coolidge, others who planted trees include:
- Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter
- Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
- President George H. W. Bush
- Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair
- President Bill Clinton
- President George W. Bush (during the G8 conference in 2004)
Only one of these special trees is not a live oak. In 1931, Howard Coffin planted an English oak acorn. It came from General Oglethorpe's estate in England. This was done to honor the person who founded the Georgia colony.
Sea Island Hosts the G8 Summit
From June 8 to 10, 2004, President George W. Bush chose Sea Island to host a meeting of the Group of Eight (G8) leaders. The G8 was a group of leaders from major countries.
Leaders at the summit included:
- Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada
- President Jacques Chirac of France
- Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany
- Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy
- Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi of Japan
- President Vladimir Putin of Russia
- Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom
The President of the European Union Commission, Romano Prodi, also attended. Several other invited leaders were there too.
Sea Island was chosen for the summit because it is very private. This made it easier to set up all the security needed for such an important meeting. The Department of Homeland Security called the summit a National Special Security Event. This means it needed extra security.
Access to the island was carefully controlled. News reporters had their headquarters in Savannah, about 60 miles (97 km) north. Protesters were kept far away. This was because the meeting place was in a very hard-to-reach spot.
The leaders talked about important issues facing developing countries. These included countries in Africa. They discussed topics like keeping peace, finding a vaccine for HIV/AIDS, helping people with famine, reducing debt, and getting rid of polio.
Golfing on Sea Island
Golf is a very important part of Sea Island's culture and economy. In 1928, Howard Coffin, who founded the Sea Island Company, bought Retreat Plantation. Two years later, the first nine-hole golf course, called Plantation, was finished. The next year, the second nine, Seaside, was built. Soon, golf legends like Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and Sam Snead came to play on these courses.
The first golf tournament in the area was the Sea Island Ladies Open Invitational in 1954. It was won by Louise Suggs, a famous golfer. Over time, more golf courses were added. These include the Retreat course, and two private courses: Frederica Golf Club and Ocean Forest Golf Club.
In 2001, golf became even more central to Sea Island. The Lodge at Sea Island was built. This allowed golfers to stay right on the golf course property. Two major amateur golf tournaments were held at Ocean Forest Golf Club. The Walker Cup, a very famous amateur event, took place in August 2001. President George H. W. Bush even spoke at its opening ceremony.
The second tournament at Ocean Forest was the first Jones Cup Invitational. It was named after the club's founding family. The Jones Cup has been played every year at Ocean Forest since then. In 2009, the Jones Cup Junior Invitational was created. It is held at the Seaside course. Both events bring golfers from all over the country to compete. These tournaments are very exclusive and challenging.
The biggest tournament played on Sea Island started the next year. The PGA Tour, with help from local golfer Davis Love III, held the first McGladrey Classic. It is now called the RSM Classic. This tournament uses both the Plantation and Seaside courses. The Sea Island community has gained a lot from this event. It brings more attention to the island. Also, the Davis Love Foundation raises money during the tournament week. This tournament has encouraged people to visit or live in Sea Island. This has helped the local economy grow and led to the resort's expansion.
Learning on Sea Island
Public schools in Glynn County are managed by the Glynn County School System.
Students living on Sea Island attend these schools:
- Oglethorpe Point Elementary School (OPES)
- Glynn Middle School (GMS)
- Glynn Academy (GA)
