This Tradition On Georgia’s Jekyll Island Has Locals Looking For Hidden Globes

For now 21 years, residents of Georgia’s Jekyll Island have been hiding, or on the look out for, clear plastic globes around town as a nod to the island’s history.

Known as “Island Treasures,” this hide-and-seek event is based upon an early 1900s practice by East Coast fishermen of putting hollow glass balls, also known as floats, on their nets as markers.

The story goes that, on occasion, the floats would break loose from these nets and wash ashore. Those who were lucky enough to come across them on the beach would keep them.

“Collecting these rare, highly sought-after glass floats became a hobby in the 1950s,” said Alexa Hawkins, director of marketing and communications, at Jekyll Island Authority.

Throughout January and February of each year, this history is recreated by a chosen group of volunteers secretly placing these plastic globes that are meant to be found by the general public. Yet instead of keeping their globe, these lucky finders are encouraged to return it for a special reward — an artisan glass float.

Island Treasures is carried out by Jekyll Island Authority staff members who are selected for the “Beach Buddies,” the group responsible for planting these plastic globes around certain parts of town.

These employees are considered for this group by enrolling in a lottery drawing, with the possibility of being picked for a “Beach Buddies” position.

“They receive training before the annual event, their identity is a secret, and they’re very sneaky,” explained Hawkins. “Each day, ‘Beach Buddies’ will hide the clear globes around the island for lucky guests to find and redeem for a real glass float.”

Over the course of the event, approximately 200 clear, plastic globes were hidden in plain sight around Jekyll Island; during the day time, about two to five globes are placed daily.

These plastic globes are left only in common public areas such as the island’s Beach Village, Historic District, and Great Dunes Beach Park. In an email, Hawkins emphasized that these globes are never placed on residential properties or golf courses or along off-the-beaten paths like sand dunes and marshes.

Each plastic globe stores a number used for verification purposes. When treasure finders locate a globe, they are asked to bring it to the Jekyll Island Guest Information Center to redeem it for a glass float prize. Artists from across the United States were chosen to custom design these colorful rewards.

While “Island Treasures” ends this year on February 28, it’s understood that people might come across a plastic globe after that date. If so, it can be redeemed at the information center until March 31. 2023. Only one Island Treasures globe may be claimed per household, per year.

“With its unique history and natural beauty, Jekyll Island is a treasure on its own,” explained Hawkins. “This event is different from a traditional scavenger hunt because the purpose is for people to get out and discover Jekyll Island!”