In the early 1900s, east coast fishermen used hollow glass balls, or floats, on their nets as markers. Occasionally, the floats would break loose and wash ashore for lucky beachcombers to find and keep. Collecting these rare, highly sought-after glass floats became a hobby in the 1950s.
Today, Jekyll Island hand-picks artists from across the country to create one-of-a-kind glass floats for its annual Island Treasures event. The glass floats are part of a hide-and-seek style game played on Jekyll Island throughout January and February. Each day, volunteers called Beach Buddies will hide clear globes around the island for lucky guests to find and redeem for a real glass float. Gather your friends and family to search for globes that can be exchanged for dazzling handcrafted glass floats.
The Island Treasure event runs January 1-February 28, 2021. The clear globes are hidden in common areas such as the Beach Village, Historic District, beach parks, and along established paths. Places such as dunes, marsh, golf course or driving range, residential property, or off established paths should be avoided. The clear globes can be exchanged at the Jekyll Island Guest Information Center (GIC) for the real Island Treasure. GIC is located at 901 Downing Musgrove Causeway and is open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
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