Fins On The Beach is located on Jekyll Island at 201 Beachview Drive. Fins is—by far—one of the best ocean view restaurant on the Georgia Coast. They have an outside patio dining area with about 12 tables with expansive views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Fins has been newly remodeled and boasts a brand new menu! Fins features signature seafood platters with fresh fish and Wild Georgia Shrimp. I had the hamburger with grilled onions, mushrooms and cheddar cheese—very good and cooked just right. And the fries were very good.

During our visit, the patio was packed but the service was good and fast. Our waitress didn’t miss a beat refilling our tea and cokes though she was quite busy. Next time I visit Jekyll Island, I will give their seafood a try. They also had some very interesting salad dishes I would like to try. Yes, I’m going back!

Fins on the Beach, Jekyll Island

Indigo Coastal Shanty is located at 1402 Reynolds Street in downtown Brunswick. Indigo is operated by Kate Buchanan, one of the former owners of Cargo Portside Grill. The eclectic restaurant is currently open Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 3pm for lunch and Friday and Saturday night from 5pm to 9pm for supper. The food presentation was great, and what an experience for my taste buds. Indigo has a daily special and soup every day. I had the Stockpot Pozole Verde soup with chicken, tomatilloes, poblanoes with hominy. It was exceptional. My son had the fish tostada which was a crisp blue corn tortilla topped with black beans, island slaw, grilled fish and fresh pineapple salsa. It also came with black beans and rice. A.T. had the Mediterranean veggie stack, which was grilled season vegetables with hummus layered and drizzled with a roasted red pepper vinaigrette and crumbled feta cheese. My wife had the jerked chicken which were two large chicken breast served with Jamaican spices for a touch of heat. It was served with black beans and rice, pineapple salsa & a cooling dollop of sour cream. I had the daily special which was the crisp Venezuelan corncakes stuffed with a beef and pork picadillo, melted Mexican cheese and avocado cream; served with a side of salsa verde, black beans, brown rice & crisp Island slaw. We cannot wait to make a return visit to try out some of the other unique dishes. Get there early because this is a small restaurant popular with the locals, so the line starts forming around 11:30 or earlier.

Mangos Grill is a great Cuban restaurant recently opened in Brunswick at 135 Altama Connector (across the street from the Wal Mart). Mangos serves some of the best dishes from Latin America, including Cuban sandwiches, plantains and burritos. All of their food is made from scratch and is very tasty. I had the Arepas, which are two huge hot corn cakes, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. They are stuffed with ground beef or chicken. My wife had the hot dogs, which are not your average hot dogs. The all-beef franks are served in a fresh baked bun, top with their secret relish, mayo, mustard ketchup and a very generous sprinkle of potato sticks. The black beans and rice are some of the best we have ever had. Mangos Grill also serves up a variety of salads, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, quesadillas, burritos and nachos. Mangos Grill is open seven days a week from 11am to 9pm. We look forward to a return visit to Mangos Grill in the near future.

When: Saturday, January 28, 2012

Time: 12:00pm until 3:00pm.

Where: HSSCG, 4627 US Highway 17 North, Brunswick, GA

After several years of fundraising and construction, the new Humane Society building is open! On Saturday, January 28, 2012 from 12-3, the Humane Society will host a Grand Opening Celebration! This event is open to the public and will give everyone a chance to see the new Adoption and Community Center, visit adoptable pets and get a sneak peak at some of the new programs. Guests will enjoy the sounds of Michael Hulett in the main lobby, have refreshments provided by Coca Cola, award winning Barbeque from Brunswick’s Right on Q, and try a sweet specialty from Kristen Kramer at Halyards.

Pam Mueller, Author of the Kiska Trilogy about Kiska the Cat and “Hello, Goodbye, I Love You” and “Aloha Crossing” based on the adventures of the dog, Aloha, will be in the Education Center signing her award winning books. There will be activities for children throughout the event and pet & family friendly dogs are welcome to join us too!

While visiting, anyone can register to win some great prizes from our past, present and future business supporters like Golden Isles Bracelet Company, Viola’s, Island Dog and more! The location remains the same at 4627 US Highway 17 North in Brunswick. Come celebrate the Grand Opening and experience why something extraordinary happens when you visit your NEW Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia!

Located on the pier end of Mallory Street in the charming Pier Village of St. Simons Island, Zuzu’s has an oceanfront view of the sparkling water and the pier. They serve up a great hamburger with hand cut fries. They also have a good hotdog. This is by far the best ice cream shop on the Island. Stop in for a cup or cone of hand-dipped ice cream and draw up a stool in front of the expansive window. You can people watch as passersby envy your ice cream. If you’re a little shy and don’t want to drip ice cream in front of everyone, there are plenty of booths where you can enjoy your ice cream or opt for a sandwich, salad, or cool drink. Or take your treat outside on a stroll along the pier. But eat it quick before it melts! And their lemonade is always a hit during the summer months! Zuzu’s is a delightful beachfront diner.

Inside Zuzu's

Angel’s Café is one of the best sandwich and salad restaurants in Brunswick, Georgia. Angel’s is located on Cypress Mill Road in the Shops at Cypress Mill. Angel’s Café is open weekdays from 10:30am – 2:30pm. They have a very wide variety of salads, wraps and sandwiches and two to three fresh soups each day. For the money, you cannot beat it. I normally get the soup and sandwich for around $6.00. I think they make some of the best tuna salad in the area. I also recommend the Italian sandwich and the steak sandwich. Their pasta salad is also very good. Angels is usually pretty crowded but thre is rarely a wait for a table. Don’t miss this super lunch spot in Brunswick!

Nachos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina just opened its doors a couple of weeks ago on St. Simons Island. We went for dinner recently and it was slammed—which is a good sign. There was only one table available when we arrived.

I rate my Mexican restaurants by their “Chile Rellenos” and the ones at Nachos were probably the best I have eaten. The two huge poblano peppers were stuffed with Mexican cheese, dipped in egg and skillet fried and topped with a sauce that was out of this world. They were served with refried beans, rice and corn or flour tortillas.

Nancy had the “Chicken Nachos Supreme” which were also very good. The menu is extensive with many unique Mexican dishes. The staff was very friendly and nice. Our waitress told us that the owners, Jorge & Nacho, had been partners in Los Arcos that recently closed in Brunswick and reopened on the Island. We were very pleased with our first meal at Nachos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina and sure we will have many more great experiences there. We are glad to have this Mexican restaurant on the Mid-North part of the Island.

Nachos is located on Frederica Avenue, in the Brogens North shopping center.

by Guerry Norwood

Nancy and I recently made a day trip to Little St. Simons Island with a small group of Sandpipers, which we recently joined. Sandpipers is a social club designed to offer as little or as much activity as a member chooses, from Dining In and Dining Out to several group meetings throughout the year. There are Sandpiper excursions both locally and farther afield and special interests such as book club, bridge, and kayaking.

Little St Simons Island is a private barrier island just off the Georgia coast which is prized for its unbothered natural beauty, gracious hospitality and secluded worlds-away appeal. Our Little St Simons day trip started at the Hampton Marina at 10:30 where we took at 15 to 20 minute boat ride down the Hampton River to Mosquito Creek. When we arrived at Little St Simons we met our naturalist tour guide Ben Morrison. Ben has been working on the Island for the past four years and is very knowledgeable.  We got on an open-air flatbed truck with bench seats across the back. With binoculars in hand, we headed out with Ben for a very informative tour of the undisturbed Maritime Forrest. Ben made frequent stops for us to view different aspects of the Maritime Forrest, while he explained the natural essence of Little St. Simons Island. Along the way we were able to spot a bald eagle nesting.

We returned to The Lodge at 1:00 for a hearty lunch of low country southern specialties. After lunch we took off for the beach for an afternoon of shell hunting on seven miles of private beach. We then returned to the Hampton Marina around 4:00 that afternoon. We all experienced what Southern Magazine described, “There are few places on the planet where beaches are without condos, and roads are without cars and night sky are only lit up by the shine of a billion far away stars. If you like that sort of thing, Little St Simons is as close to perfect as any place can get.”

by Guerry Norwood

As part of the College of Coastal Georgia’s Founder’s Day Weekend marking the 50th anniversary of the College’s inception, CCG welcomes multi-talented musician Randall Bramblett.

Bramblett will be performing with his band this Friday night, October 21st at 7pm at the St. Simons Island Lighthouse. Bramblett, who is from originally from Jesup, Georgia but now resides in Athens, plays piano, guitar, saxophone, harmonica, mandolin and several other instruments. While Bramblett may not be a household name, he is legendary within music circles for his songwriting and musicianship. He released a pair of acclaimed solo albums in the mid-‘70s, then joined the jazz-rock outfit Sea Level, becoming their principal songwriter and vocalist. From there, Bramblett embarked on a path as a big-league, musical utility man (primarily sax and keys) and landed on the speed dial of some of the greatest names in rock history, including Traffic, Steve Winwood, Levon Helm, Chuck Leavell and Bonnie Raitt.

Admission to the show is $10 at the gate. Members of the college alumni association, students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with valid identification.

by Guerry Norwood

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is turning to modern technology to keep visitors to the Jekyll Island center abreast of how sick and injured turtles are faring. It’s turning to a webcam they’re calling the “carettacam.” The Center is experimenting with the concept with an injured loggerhead turtle appropriately named Test. “Caretta” is Latin for loggerhead, hence the name carettacam. Coming to the Center tangled in fishing line, Test had to have a left flipper removed because of the injury. The unique swimming style that resulted from the three-flipper equation made her the perfect test turtle for the project. You can view Test on the carettacam by linking to: http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/2011/08/04/carettacam/