While Kris Moye was visiting we took her to Jekyll Island and visited Mosaic, the Jekyll Island Museum.  We visited the museum in 2017 with my parents, but they told us at that time they were getting ready to renovate the museum.  We agreed it needed renovation because it was totally forgettable.  I didn’t even take any pictures of it.

But this visit was a different story.  Not only has the museum been renovated, it has also been given a new name:  Mosaic.  I’m not sure why they gave it that name.  The word mosaic is defined as “a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass.”  I guess you could say the museum forms a picture of Jekyll Island by arranging together smaller items.

The Mosaic museum is now a wonderful open and airy space that tells the story of Jekyll Island History.  As you enter the museum you wander back through time.  The museum begins with a real Studebaker from the 1950’s arranged as if it is coming on the island for vacation.  Then you enter the section of the museum that describes the Jekyll Island Club.  Another section of the museum describes the plantation era, then the colonial era, and finally the Native Americans who originally lived on the island.  Each section takes another step back in history.

The displays are as interactive as possible.  A volunteer is always in the museum to talk about particular points of interest or answer questions.  The day we visited the volunteer gave a short talk on The Wanderer.

One of the display we especially liked was “The Magic Mirror.”  We stood in front of it and it dressed us in clothes from the Jekyll Island Club era.  When we moved our arms the clothes moved with us.  It was pretty cool!  We each had to take a turn.  Tom liked the blocks for Horton’s House.  I also really liked the images of the island that constantly showed above our heads.  Birds, turtles, snakes, wind, and waves in a constantly changing pattern.

Mosaic is a huge improvement over the previous incarnation of the museum.  I look forward to taking other visitors to see it.  Cost is $9 per adult and the museum is open daily from 9 to 5.