(This post is sponsored by the Jekyll Island Authority.)

Planning a vacation with little ones can be a challenge; you have to hit the mark of just enough things to do but not being over-planned so that it's stressful.  Our recent trip to the beautiful Jekyll Island went off without a hitch, and here are the things we did to make it enjoyable for all of us.

Firstly, we made sure to go to the beach every day we were there.  That is what the girls were most excited about, so we wanted them to feel like they got plenty of time in the sand and the ocean!  They get up early enough (usually 7!) that we could sneak in a little time in the morning before the sun gets really hot since our planned activities started at 10 a.m It was a really great way to start the day, and then we would usually go back late afternoon after naps, and the timing was perfect.

(making sure we get a little rest time in the afternoon every day is essential to keeping everyone happy on a family vacay!)

Since our hotel was right on the beach, this made daily beach trips even easier, because we could just walk out the door and be there, instead of having to pack up the car and drive!  One of the best things about the beach at Jekyll are all of the tide pools as the tide goes out and comes in; it's the perfect, low-stress place for toddlers to play.

Of course we wanted to hit up the water park, Summer Waves, and we chose to do that our first full day there while everyone was fresh.  We arrived right when it opened at 10 a.m. to get ahead of any crowds and lines, and stayed until about 3 so we could go back to the hotel for a little rest.  The girls LOVED the Shark's Tooth Cove section for kids, and could have played there all day if we had let them!

Our second morning, we planned to go to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, which the girls were really excited about, as they loved seeing the turtles last time!  It's the sweetest place, with a treatment room for injured or sick turtles (so cool - and sometimes you can watch them examine the turtles!), lots of kid friendly info about a turtle's life cycle, and this year we saw an adorable baby sea turtle who was a straggler hatchling the GSTC keeps for a year as an education ambassador. It’s such an amazing experience to get to see a working wildlife hospital in real life to actually see the veterinary care the doctors give to these turtles – my girls were in love!

The back of the center is a hospital pavilion where turtles are being cared for in their recovery, and it was so fun to see them starting to thrive and learning more about what we can do to care for these creatures. We were able to stand on an elevated platform to see them in their tanks, and enjoyed the interactive programming to learn more about each turtle’s story.

Jekyll Island is also a place rich with history, and there are so many beautiful old homes and structures to see.  With little ones in tow, we opted not to do any official tours, but we did go to afternoon tea at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, and then walked around the beautiful grounds.  There are so many gorgeous old homes on the site, and it's just breathtaking.

There is also a 90 minute tram tour through the Jekyll Island Museum – next time we hope to do that one, and you can also do a self-guided walking tour to see more of the history. I seriously can’t get enough of the beautiful historical buildings!

We also walked around after supper one evening, when the sunset light was just right.

So beautiful, right?  These activities were just right for our girls' ages (7, 5, and 2), and we made time each afternoon to spend a little down time in the hotel room while Ellie napped and we all cooled down.  It made the evenings much easier, and we could stay out longer because the girls were all well rested!

It’s honestly amazing how much there is to do; this was our second trip, and I still have more things on my list to do and see! As our girls get bigger, it’s fun to experience more things, and I love that it’s really easy to tailor our trip to perfectly suit the age of our family.

I think one of the best things about Jekyll for our young family, aside from all the activities, is the fact that it felt so natural, relaxed and un-crowded.  Everything is close by, and no traffic or lines makes for a stress-free experience with small children.  It’s rare to find a place with so much to do with so little stress. After having several other beach experiences, this really stands out, and we can't wait to take our girls back to Jekyll!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Jekyll Island Authority. The opinions and text are all mine.