Jekyll Island State Park - Jekyll Island, GA

We have been doing two night stays at each campground on this trip.  So on the travel day, we stop along the way for something interesting.  Today it’s the Butterfly Rainforest, part of the University of Florida in Gainesville (Go Gators).

There is a small visitor parking lot ($4) next to the exhibit, but there are two problems, 1) we are too big to fit in the lot and 2) the lot is full.  While the attendant is focused on the first problem, I am more focused on the second.  Finally she directs us to another lot a few blocks away.  We make it over to the other lot which has exactly the same two problems.  Across the street is a Hampton Inn hotel and convention center which has neither problem. A short visit to the front desk gets us permission to spend an hour or two for free.  Thanks Hampton Inn, we owe you one!  

The butterflies are amazing, there are hundreds of them, many of them quite exotic, plus a few birds and lots of bromeliads and ferns.  We also saw where they hatch the butterflies for the exhibit, and where they pin them to boards for archival.

Back to the RV for a quick lunch, and off to Jekyll Island.  It’s Friday night and that means we go out to dinner.  The Driftwood Bistro is only a mile away, but because it’s getting dark we drive, found a little parking spot pretty close.  Had a great dinner at the bar, eavesdropping all the way.  I had scallops in a lemon sauce, Deb had a burger.

Tomorrow we plan to bike around part of the island.