Gateway To The Golden Isles:
A New Publication for the Georgia Coast

Back in 2004, the idea for “Gateway To The Golden Isles” began. We were living in Sedona, Arizona, and producing the area’s largest online tourism guide, Gateway To Sedona.com. Although we had never been to coastal Georgia, a family member living near Brunswick suggested the area could use a similar online guide to promote tourism in the islands and towns nearby. We had vaguely heard of Jekyll Island in the past, but didn’t know much more.

In 2004, GatewayToTheGoldenIsles.com launched (we were still in Arizona), complete with articles, a directory and free listings. As time passed, we had the chance to see beautiful photos taken at various places in the Golden Isles, along with the posted events and fascinating stories. The more we learned, the more we wanted to experience it ourselves.

We moved to the area in 2008, and found that 3-plus years of posting articles and photos on our Golden Isles website had barely scratched the surface. One of the biggest surprises we found is how nice the beaches are, and that one can thoroughly enjoy swimming in the ocean here. In fact, the area presents one of the best beach experiences anywhere in the US. Last summer, while reports were ongoing of crowded beaches plagued with an overabundance of jellyfish along the Eastern seaboard, we were floating in the refreshing surf almost every weekend on Jekyll Island. Often, we felt as if we had the entire, white-sand, sprawling beach to ourselves. Another misconception is that this is the “Deep South” and out-of-towners may not always be welcome. Nothing could be further from the truth, as it is one of the friendliest places we’ve ever encountered. Like ourselves, we find that people who live here come from diverse places.

We tell our friends and customers in Sedona how much fun and how beautiful it is here. They ask again, “Where did you say you were now?” or “What are the Golden Isles?” It is still an unfamiliar place to many Americans.

We launched the inaugural issue of our printed, monthly publication, Gateway To The Golden Isles, in May, 2009, to complement the online version; but more than that, it achieves a result only possible with something you can hold in your hands. It’s a way to bring the Georgia coast to life, to make it interactive and more tangible to those who have never visited. The extra-large format and quality magazine paper makes possible a vivid, “larger than life” promotion of the most exciting topics and events during the year.

If you have never visited the Golden Isles, you are missing the vacation of a lifetime! If you live here, you’re like many people we’ve met—you love it here and would never consider living anywhere else.
It is our hope that this publication will make a difference not only to the people who live here, but also to enlighten and inspire visitors seeking a new and wonderful experience.

Article by Victoria Oldham, Publisher, Gateway To The Golden Isles.

Posted June 3, 2009.