Jekyll Island Georgia Abandoned Amphitheater

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"Through a sea of Spanish moss in a forest just north of the firehouse on Stable Road is an amphitheater. More than 40 years ago, its 2,000 seats were filled with residents and tourists watching popular musicals as wood storks soared overhead and stars lit the stage." - Tess Malone


Our family's favorite winter vacation spot is Jekyll Island Georgia! When you live in Indiana and its been a cold winter with 7* F temps... walking along the beach in 75* F  sunshine feels absolutely wonderful!

Anyway.... we have been going to the Island for 5 years now, but we just discovered the amphitheater this year! It is a beautiful spot for this rust loving, abandoned spirit searching, nature loving, soul and I can't wait to visit it again on our next trip.


The true history of the amphitheater is slowly being forgotten. This once popular and family-friendly island attraction most definitely deserves its rightfully owned place in history, a memory that slowly fades with time passing by.


Once a main attraction of artistic and cultural beauty, it is now gently absorbed by natural vegetation; embraced by trees and shrubs, as it slowly crumbles into a beautiful abandoned scene.


In 1972, the Jekyll Island Authority agreed to construct an outdoor theater to support the Arts. The amphitheater quickly became the center of the island’s rich theater scene. 


North Carolina playwright Paul Green brought history to life in the musical Drumbeats in Georgia, advertised as “the story of a state’s birth and struggle.” The theater helped revitalize other historic structures on the island, including the servants quarters and Villa Ospo Cottage, which provided lodging for dozens of performers.


The amphitheater continued to be a hub for musical theater over the next three decades. Various university companies took up residence such as Florida State University, University of Georgia, and Valdosta State University.


Attending shows became a regular part of island culture. Visitors could catch film screenings and concerts. But by 2005, the amphitheater closed and, in the years since, has fallen victim to the elements. Hurricanes have damaged the stage beyond repair.


Since at least 2013, some have been looking for ways to restore the famed venue and bring back the musicals that once graced the stage. That dream is not dead.... reviving the amphitheater is still often talked about.


While the venue would need renovations to its stage, its concrete-and-metal bleachers are mostly intact. And the setting itself—next to a pond, nestled among the trees —makes the amphitheater a one-of-a-kind Southern showplace just waiting to be brought back to its full glory!


These twisted and broken up pieces of handrails were once the glorious work of the Artistic Ornamental Iron Works Co., specifically designed and beautifully made for the home of the Jekyll Island Musical Theatre.


Today, the amphitheater is a quiet and desolate space on the island, barely visited, but still admired by folks like me.


If you ever get a chance, take a seat on the upper balcony and try to imagine the music coming up from the stage, the crowd of 2,000 people giving an encore, and the cool night air touching your face!


It would have been an awesome unforgettable experience!

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