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Southern Coterie Summit on Jekyll Island

May 12, 2013 By Rhoda 11 Comments

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During my many travels this month, I headed down to coastal Jekyll Island, GA for a new blogging conference called the Southern Coterie Summit.  One of my Alabama friends, Lucy, came over to meet up with me and we drove down together.  It ended up being one of those chilly and rainy times this month and while it would have been nice to have beautiful weather, we still enjoyed experiencing Jekyll Island and making some new friends.

Created by Whitney Long and Cheri Leavy, the Southern C is an online social network of folks celebrating all things Southern.  How could I not be a part of that?

This brand new conference was a gathering of design professionals, bloggers, artists, small business owners and other Southern tastemakers who were celebrating all the great things about the South.  As you know, I’m crazy about my Southern heritage, so thought it a fitting conference to be a part of and I wasn’t disappointed.  We got to hear from 3 editors at Southern Living and how they are working with bloggers and media now, so that was interesting and informative.  There were several sessions to learn from, including panel discussions and keynote speakers, during this 1 and 1/2 day conference. I definitely enjoyed being there and soaking it all in.

Jekyll Island Conference Center

The conference was held at the beautiful Jekyll Island conference center, a gorgeous new facility right on the beach.  In spite of being raised in Georgia since I was 6, this was my first time to Jekyll Island and this part of Georgia is truly a haven of peacefulness. I’ve been all over Georgia, but somehow had missed Jekyll Island and it is a quaint island with a feel all its own.  I did get to go to St. Simons last year and it’s a beautiful area too.

conference center

This place is stunning and we enjoyed checking it out.

sessions

Classroom setting at the start of the conference.

lunch

Lunch plans had to be moved inside a tent, since there happened to be a monsoon going on right during that time, but we all made the best of it. The BBQ lunch was truly delish!

beach from tent

I thought this might be the only peek at the beach I would get, but luckily the rain stopped and we got a couple hours window to get some shots of the Jekyll Island club. I’ll show you all of that in another post.

dinner

Dinner for the Southern C was a sit down affair and we heard from a few people that evening, including style tastemaker, K. Cooper Ray with Social Primer.  He was a hoot!  There was even a fashion show of his bowtie collection.

Lucy and Rhoda

My Alabama blog friend, Lucy and me at dinner.

Rhoda and Lisa

I finally got to meet an online friend, talented designer Lisa Mende, who was also at High Point, but we never connected there.  She and I have been Twitter buddies and it was so fun to get to know her, she is adorable.  We were a colorful pair that day!

Table centerpiece

The tables were all spectacular, like this with branches and succulents.

bottle and driftwood

We sat at a table with this glass enclosed fish on driftwood. How stunning is this?

bottles and flowers

Simple flowers and greenery in clear glass containers is always a nice touch.

shells and succulents

More succulents in seashells.

Rhoda and Lucy 2

Lucy and I at the beach during the break from rain.

The Wharf

Our first night there, we had a nice relaxing dinner on the Jekyll Island Wharf and I snapped these pics at sunset.  So pretty!

sunset

It’s a beautiful spot and if you get the chance to check it out, I would  highly suggest it.

The Jekyll Wharf

The Jekyll Wharf.

I’ll be back with more from Jekyll Island, including the Beach Club and surrounding cottages. I was so glad the rain parted long enough to grab some shots of these magnificent buildings of the past, as well as the 100+ year old oak trees dripping in Spanish moss.  You’ll love those pics!

 

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Filed Under: Travel 11 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle says

    May 12, 2013 at 8:35 pm

    What a beautiful place! I insisted Savannah last summer and it soon became my favorite place. The conference center looked lovely, the table centerpieces were spectacular! I would love to attend a blogging conference, how did you hear of it?

    Michelle. thebashfulnest.blogspot.com

    Reply
  2. Betsy(@coastal-colors) says

    May 13, 2013 at 8:28 am

    What a lovely place! There is so much history at Jekyll; I love it! It looks like you had fun and I know you learned a lot!

    Reply
  3. Beverly says

    May 13, 2013 at 8:43 am

    It sounds great, Rhoda. We used to go to Jekyll Island when I was a child. I would love to visit again.

    Reply
  4. Anne Boykin says

    May 13, 2013 at 8:48 am

    Hi Rhoda, Glad you had a great trip. I’ve got to plan a trip to Jekyll Island!

    Reply
  5. Miss Kitty says

    May 13, 2013 at 9:25 am

    Wow! Who knew that a small island would have such a fabulous hotel? I am looking forward to seeing more photos. Jekyll Island is within driving distance for me…looks like a great place to visit.

    Reply
  6. Barb @ The Everyday Home says

    May 13, 2013 at 9:47 am

    Oh I would love to go to J-Island. Its on my Southern Tour to-do list, for sure. That is a beautiful conference center. LOVED those tablescapes. The one at your table was fascinating. It sounded like quite the interesting event. xxoo

    Reply
  7. Lisa Mende Design says

    May 13, 2013 at 10:16 am

    I loved meeting you in person Ronda! You are such a delight! The conference was so much fun! thanks for the mention!

    Reply
  8. marsha says

    May 13, 2013 at 10:51 am

    I saw through one of your blogs you had been to Jekyll Island & was hoping you would post pics. My Mom & Dad had a place there for over 10 yrs. Just a wonderful place. We always eat there at the wharf when passing through now
    . Can’t wait to see more’

    Reply
  9. Kathy says

    May 13, 2013 at 10:54 am

    I think it is a good thing it was raining. Who would want to be inside at Jekyll Island on a sunny day?

    Reply
  10. Margarita Docherty says

    May 13, 2013 at 11:06 am

    I so enjoy all of your blogs but this one was especially
    Lovely… I have always wanted to do a Southern Tour of the
    States. I live in Vancouver, Canada but I am originally from Scotland, and ever since I was a child I have been enamored by anything Southern, including you lovely way of saying
    things.
    Thank you for bringing me a bit closer to my dream.

    Reply
  11. Carol says

    May 14, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    I love Jekyll too! I grew up in the Golden Isles and Cheri Leavy’s mother in law was my high school English teacher!

    Carol Cottrell

    Reply

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Thanks for stopping by! I’m Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn’t have to cost a fortune and I’ve spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yard sales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I’m here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won’t you join me?

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