Poetry on a plate: a culinary journey through Georgia’s Golden Isles

The broad-sand beaches and Spanish moss-draped trees of the Golden Isles are the stuff of poetry. Indeed, famed Georgia poet Sidney Lanier penned legendary verses inspired by the beautiful, wide-open spaces here (the “vast sweet visage of space” in his own words), which captivated him in the mid-1800s. These landscapes are largely unchanged today. There are no high-rise buildings to obstruct the views of the peaceful marshland or the Atlantic Ocean.

Indeed, an unhurried, nostalgic feeling is palpable throughout the towns and islands of the region—namely St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Jekyll Island, Little St. Simons Island and Brunswick. This is a big reason people visit again and again, and why they bring their children to vacation here, who later bring their children, too. But the region’s cuisine—a blend of down-home Southern comfort food, fresh-caught seafood and innovative farm-to-table flavors—is arguably just as big a draw.

A culinary exploration of the Golden Isles is much more than a food journey. Long-held seafaring traditions, West African influences and Lowcountry recipes anchor menus to the region’s past. Meanwhile, the arrival of innovative new chefs infuse them with creativity and international flair. The resulting dishes just might inspire you to write an ode of your own. 

Here’s a food-fueled adventure across each island and town, with a peek at the flavor makers who keep luring guests back for seconds.       

Catch dinner—literally—on St. Simons Island

If uncrowded beaches, historic lighthouses and visits to mom-and-pop shops have a place on your vacation wish list, look no further than St. Simons Island. The largest of the Golden Isles’ barrier islands, this quaint town boasts an appealing blend of laid-back charm and engaging activities.

Enjoy a self-paced tour on foot or bicycle, taking extra time at the scenic pier and the top of the St. Simons Island Lighthouse, where sweeping sea views await. Break for an alfresco lunch or dinner at Pier Village, the island’s pedestrian-friendly hub, for socializing, dining and retail therapy. Or head out on a boat with Hook & Knife Charters, one of more than a dozen local operators, to catch your own dinner on the ocean waters. Indeed, the area offers anglers a slew of options: fly fishing in tidal rivers, surf casting from numerous beaches or dangling a line from local piers.  

However you land your catch, you’ll have the unique chance to outsource the cooking to local experts. Seafood-forward Halyards, Colombia-inspired La Plancha and Italian-themed Tramici are three St. Simons Island restaurants owned by chef and restauranteur Dave Synder. All of these local hot spots will prepare your just-caught seafood in a variety of styles, so you can savor the fruits of your excursion without the need to don an apron—or wield a knife. 

Of course, there’s plenty of delicious food for non-anglers to choose from here, too, thanks to the diverse menus Snyder has “cooked up” with his talented teams. 

The busy chef fell in love with the South when he was a college student at the University of Georgia. After completing culinary school in New York City, he was eager to find his way back. St. Simons Island was a bit of a shock to his system at first—the town of 20,000 residents had him feeling like a “fish out of water” after his time in Atlanta and the Big Apple. But the charms of the region soon persuaded him to stick around. 

“It’s Southern hospitality at its finest,” he said in a recent interview. “A little slice of heaven.” 

Twenty-eight years later, Snyder’s roots are firmly planted, as evidenced by his portfolio of local restaurants. He’s got a food truck, too.

Snyder has close connections with local fishermen (even beyond the guests who bring in their own catch). His Italian twist on shrimp and grits—or more accurately, shrimp and polenta—keeps guests coming back. But if he had to pick one must-try dish his restaurants this season, he’d steer you toward the braised pork arepa at La Plancha.

“The pork is cooked using a traditional Southern method,” he said. “And then the arepa is from my mother’s country, which is Colombia.” In other words, it’s an edible portrait of the Golden Isles’ Southern roots and evolving multicultural milieu.   

As far as the Golden Isles’ prospects as a destination for food-fueled tourism, Snyder said to stay tuned. 

“More people are opening better and better restaurants, and guests are showing more interest in high quality food. There’s a gentle pressure to keep improving—it’s great,” he said.

Tip: St. Simons Island’s annual Oyster Roast (Jan. 25) offers the chance to shuck oysters alongside locals and immerse in a long-held culinary tradition.

Set the (sushi) bar high on Sea Island

Those in search of a luxury-infused, ultra-private getaway can find it in the Golden Isles, too. Sea Island is a privately owned retreat accessible only to members and guests of resorts The Cloister and The Lodge. Both are Forbes 5-Star hotels, and the island also boasts a Forbes 5-Star spa with a tantalizing list of treatments, from customizable massages to Vitamin C-infused facials to meditation sessions accompanied by singing sound bowls.

The resort is a haven for all kinds of bespoke experiences—horseback riding, bagpipe performances, archery and falconry, for example. There’s also a huge variety of water activities on offer, from backwater sunfish sailing to electric foil boarding (the aquatic equivalent of hoverboarding).

These considerable draws are a major reason the resort has remained popular for over 90 years. According to Culinary Director Danny Zeal, who has been working with the resort restaurants for over 18 years, there’s been a steady increase in food-focused tourism, too. 

“How many places can you go where they’ll still prepare a Caesar salad tableside?” Zeal said, referencing a popular dish at the resort’s Colt & Allison steakhouse. “It adds a bit of flair and excitement.” Zeal also described the River Bar’s creme brulee—which arrives at your table on fire, the sugar still caramelizing before your eyes—as a dish that doubles as dinner theater.  

The resort’s ultra fine dining restaurant, The Georgian Room, is a place where one could easily savor a two- or even three-hour dinner. Meanwhile, the new sushi spot that has taken over the restaurant’s lounge, is where diners can enjoy a more casual—but still revelatory—dining experience that fits into a more bite-sized time frame. 

“The lounge gives the opportunity for someone to come in, have a really great appetizer and a cocktail and go about the rest of their evening, maybe going for dessert at another outlet,” he said. “We just have so many activities, so many things guests want to do, we throw off the traditionalist who usually has breakfast, lunch and dinner at specific times.”

The new sushi restaurant’s menu is succinct, focusing in on a short list of elegant, tapas-style shareable plates. And while it features a host of elevated dishes, with ingredients like blue crab, Kobe beef and Jidori chicken, one in particular stands out to Zeal as a must-try: a rectangular, pressed sushi (or Oshizushi) dish called Oishi Buri. 

“This is the first type of maki that was ever available, so it reflects a very old classic technique,” Zeal said. “Buri” is Japanese for yellowtail, the fish that stars in the dish, but chefs at the lounge also add Japanese herb shiso to the high-quality Japonica rice, layering on avocado and drizzling a truffle ponzu sauce on top.

“It becomes a little bit of a new approach to an old technique,” Zeal said, noting that creativity-meets-classic is a theme that runs through all Sea Island’s restaurant kitchens. 

Taste what’s new on historic Jekyll Island

Once the playground of Gilden Age tycoons with last names like Rockefeller, Pulitzer and Vanderbilt, Jekyll Island became a protected Georgia State Park in 1948. This status means that the barrier island must limit development to protect its wildlife and natural landscapes—so, the wide-open spaces, serene natural beaches and romantic Spanish moss-draped live oak trees you see there today will be there for generations to come. 

Jekyll Island is also a haven for history lovers. Its Historic Landmark District is home to cottages and structures built for America’s wealthiest citizens at the turn of the 20th century. The clubhouse where elite members once convened was restored and reopened decades ago as the Jekyll Island Club Resort, which now welcomes anyone to book a stay. 

Popular activities on the island also include bike rides on the island’s paved paths, walks on iconic Driftwood Beach and visits to the celebrated Georgia Sea Turtle Center—the only facility of its kind in the state. Though, as mentioned, development on the island is limited to aid conservation efforts, there are still over a dozen local restaurants where you can refuel between sightseeing adventures. 

Three of these eateries are housed within The Westin Jekyll Island Beach Resort—namely Willet’s Lowcountry, Salty’s Seasonal Poolside Bar & Grill and Pour Tabby, a cocktail bar with a light fare menu. Chef Lindsay Autry was recently invited to develop new menus for each of them. Autry’s culinary career has brought her into the spotlight on Bravo’s Top Chef, as a James Beard Award nominee and as the owner of a popular restaurant in South Florida. But before all that, her childhood exposed her to a unique comingling of culinary influences. 

“My grandmother was from Greece and my family had a peach farm. So I grew up with this weird kind of mix of Greek-Southern food. So we would have spanikopita and biscuits at the same time,” Autry said. She added that her grandma often used collard greens as a substitute for grape leaves when making Greek dolmades by hand. 

As part of the hotel brand’s Wellness at Westin program, its restaurants feature Eat Well options, which focus on nutrition and responsibly sourced ingredients. Autry’s deep-rooted knowledge of both Mediterranean and Southern coastal cuisine—coupled with her formal training under James Beard Award recipient Michelle Bernstein and other greats—made her uniquely qualified to put lighter, healthier spins on Southern coastal classics for that portion of the menus. 

You’ll still find local staples like Lowcountry boil and fried chicken, plus hearty steaks on the menu at the Westin’s Willet’s Lowcountry. But Autry recommends giving the Fresh Georgia Catch from the Eat Well menu a try. The dish spotlights fish straight off Jekyll Island fishing boats, paired with local fall vegetable succotash, collard greens and Sea Island peas. Its preparation is simple—light olive oil, herbs, and seasoning—so the flavors of the ingredients themselves shine through. 

“A lot of people think that Southern food is just fried and heavy, but it doesn’t have to be,” Autry said. 

Tip: Foodie fans should mark their calendars for The Jekyll Island Shrimp and Grits Festival (Oct. 25-26). The all-ages event features live entertainment, an artists market and even a fireworks show. 

Savor fresh-picked plates on Little St. Simons Island

A private island accessible only by boat, Little St. Simons Island is the most secluded and unaltered of the Golden Isles. It’s a dream destination for naturalists, wildlife enthusiasts and anyone in need of an unplugged retreat. To experience this nature oasis, guests must book a day trip or a stay at The Lodge on Little St. Simons Island, which comprises the island’s only structures.

Fall is an exceptional time for birding, too; the season brings hundreds of migratory bird species to the island, which you can view on your own or with insight from a seasoned naturalist guide.

Resident experts can also provide guidance on the island’s best fishing spots—or take guests out for guided excursions on the ocean, local rivers, marshes and estuaries. If the day proves successful, the Lodge’s chef can cook up the guest’s catch—which might include flounder, redfish and speckled trout—for lunch or dinner.

Even non-anglers can get involved in harvesting their own meals—for example, guests are currently invited to help harvest the island’s beauty berries, which they cook into jam with the help of the island’s naturalists. 

The Lodge’s Executive Chef Doug Hosford went to culinary school in Charleston 25 years ago and interned on Little St. Simons Island as part of his program. His career brought him to kitchens across the Southeast, and even to open his own restaurant. But he always dreamed of returning to the nature-rich shores of Little St. Simons Island. When the opportunity to become the island’s head chef arose, he jumped at the chance. 

“Very few people get to live on a private island,” Hosford said of the experience. “I’ve always been focused on quality ingredients and we get a lot of that here. I get a text from the boat captain letting me know what’s coming in today. The gardener brings in fresh vegetables and herbs—right now we’re harvesting dragon beans and muscadines.” 

Thanks to the constant influx of fresh ingredients, Hosford can change the menu daily. But when it comes to preparing an iconic dish for visitors, he has a few go-tos—with shrimp and grits topping the list. 

“It’s our duty to show people something that’s representative of the area and what people ate here 100 or even 200 years ago,” he said. “They were growing corn here and making grits. And at one point, Brunswick had the biggest shrimping fleet in the country, catching more shrimp than anybody else. Shrimp and grits is part of our DNA.” 

The chef puts his own unique spin on the dish, incorporating locally grown grits, fresh vegetable mirepoix (carrots, celery and onion slow-cooked in butter) and Tennessee bacon. He finishes the dish with a white wine butter sauce, tomato, parsley and herbs from the onsite garden. 

Have a comfort food feast in Brunswick

While sometimes referred to as “the gateway to the Golden Isles,” mainland Brunswick has all the makings of a great getaway unto itself. Its historic district, with beautifully maintained town squares, striking architecture (check out its ornate redbrick Old City Hall and Neoclassical-style courthouse in particular) and eclectic shops offers a host of diversions for every member of your traveling crew. 

Stroll through Mary Ross Waterfront Park to catch the local farmers market on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Or come by any day to watch boats in the East Brunswick River. Local shrimp boats still pull in a significant haul here. You can sample their bounty—the famous wild Georgia shrimp—at a variety of local seafood markets and restaurants.

While seafood is a major source of local pride, Southern barbecue is a beloved tradition here, too. Hootenany’s at the Yard opened in early 2024, and the barbecue spot has already become a fixture for residents and visitors alike. Chef Judd Foster and his wife Kate have poured their hearts and souls into the restaurant, creating an “elevated, out-of-the-box barbecue venture,” to quote the chef himself.

Chef Foster’s menu includes barbecue staples like brisket (“people line up for it,” Foster noted) and local classics like Brunswick stew. (The latter is so beloved in the area, there’s an annual festival dedicated to it; this year’s Rockin’ Stewbilee is scheduled for Jan. 25.) At the same time, the chef leans into inventing unexpected spins on traditional barbecue.

To that end, Chef Judd creates his own flavor-packed sausages for the restaurant, introducing a new one each week. Ask for the “Weekly Grind” to try his latest creation. Past hits have included jalapeno-cheddar-chorizo; spicy harissa; Frito pie; and blueberry smoked gouda. 

In crafting each new edition, he takes inspiration, at least in part, from the array of global cuisine on offer throughout town—from Thai to Caribbean, Tex-Mex to Italian.

“We’re lucky to have a lot of diversity when it comes to food in Brunswick,” Kate Foster said. 

“That’s why we love Brunswick,” her husband added. “It’s got flavor to it.”

This article originally appeared in TravelZoo.