The historic Coastal Georgia hotel will tell its ghostly stories this weekend, plus serve spirits of another kind.
Drive up the impressive lawn of the Jekyll Island Club and you’ll immediately see why the rich and famous of Gilded Age America spent their vacations here in the 19th and early 20th centuries. John Eugene DuBignon’s family had lived on the barrier island property since the early 18th century but he decided to create a hunting club for prosperous businessmen. He financed the resort through stock ownership and some influential Americans took notice: financier John P. Morgan, journalist Joseph Pulitzer and department-store magnate Marshall Field. More than 50 individuals became members and the luxurious “Jekyll Island Club” became a reality in 1886. Some of the famous who visited Jekyll Island Club were the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts and the Goulds.
But one man never left. Founding member Gen. Lloyd Aspinwall was to be the club’s first president but he died unexpectedly on Sept. 4, 1886. Over the years the general has been seen walking the Riverfront Veranda around dusk on Sept. 4. That room is affectionately called the Aspinwall Room.
When Samuel Spencer, president of the Southern Railroad Company, visited the Jekyll Island Club he insisted the Wall Street Journal be delivered to his room along with his coffee. Visitors to his room have reported their coffee sipped and their morning paper disturbed.
There’s also the bellman who delivers freshly pressed suits to bridegrooms, knocking on the second-floor door announcing his delivery. And the woman in a blue party dress who fell in love on the dance floor only to die later. Her spirit has been seen dancing through the halls and ballroom waiting on the man she loved.
In celebration of the Jekyll Island Club’s spirited past, the hotel is offering the Mystic Manor Weekend on Oct. 4-6, 2024.
The package includes:
· Spooky Welcome Reception
· The Billionaire’s Murder Mystery Masquerade in the Grand Dining Room, an evening of intrigue including a three-course plated dinner.
· Expert-led Haunted Island Tour
The two-night packages starts at $743. For the Murder Mystery Dinner only, the cost is adults $70 and children $40 (ages 10-17).
The Jekyll Island Club will also serve spirits of another kind — spooky cocktails such as the Vampire’s Kiss Margarita and the Undead Zombie. The spooky cocktails are available now through Nov. 1 at the Jekyll Island Club and the Jekyll Ocean Club bars and restaurants.
But if you want a sneak peek at cocktails, here are a couple of recipes.
Vampire’s Kiss Margarita
1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila
1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce red wine
Garnish: lime wheel
Undead Zombie Cocktail
1 1/2 ounces Jamaican rum
1 1/2 ounces Puerto Rican gold rum
1 ounce 151-proof demerara rum
3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce Don’s mix (recipe below)
1/2 ounce falernum
1 teaspoon grenadine
4 dashes Pernod
1 dash Angostura bitters
Garnish: mint sprig
Don’s Mix
• 1/2 ounce falernum
• 1 teaspoon grenadine
• 4 dashes Pernod
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by travel writer Cheré Dastugue Coen who loves a cool ghost story AND an interesting cocktail. She would definitely enjoy this Undead Zombie Cocktail.
