By Mike May
Three of the more popular golfing destinations along The Georgia Golf Trail are the Jekyll Island Golf Club on Jekyll Island, Sky Valley Country Club in Sky Valley, and the Club at Savannah Harbor in Savannah. Each course has characteristics which are very appealing to avid golfers, but each course is also located close to wonderful restaurants, which enhances their appeal.
THE WHARF – A JEKYLL ISLAND FAVORITE 
After playing golf at the Jekyll Island Golf Club, the great news is that lunch or dinner is just minutes away at a nearby restaurant known as The Wharf. Affiliated with the legendary, historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel, The Wharf is a fully re-imagined restaurant and bar situated at the end of the pier, which extends out into the intracoastal waterway. The Wharf – which serves lunch and dinner daily — features indoor and outdoor dining and a variety of drink options, all with a Southern twist. The casual dining venue is an ideal setting to enjoy a drink, have an appetizer, relax, and watch the sunset over the western horizon. Usually, ‘live’ music is being played which adds to the relaxed, laid back atmosphere of The Wharf. The variety of seafood on the menu is tasty and delicious.
THE DILLARD HOUSE – WHERE AN APPETITE IS REQUIRED
After playing golf at the Sky Valley Country Club, golfers would be well served to visit the Dillard House afterwards. The Dillard House, a 15-minute drive from the Sky Valley CC, is located in northeastern Georgia, not far from the North Carolina state line. Its location provides visitors great views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, at all times of the year.
The dishes at the Dillard House are homemade and served “family-style.” It’s Southern cooking at its finest. By “family-style,” it means that if you want more food, they’ll bring it to your table, at no extra charge. That’s the case for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – 365 days a year. Each item on the menu at the Dillard House comes from a recipe that has been passed along from one generation of the Dillard family to the next. The fried chicken may be the best in the South. All the vegetables are as good, if not better, than your grandmother’s. The sweet iced tea gets better with every sip. The Dillard House has been serving three meals a day since it opened back in 1917.
“Our family prides itself on serving only the freshest food which is prepared on site and cooked daily,” said Louise Dillard, owner, Dillard House. “We are truly a farm-to-table restaurant.”
HUEY’S: A SAVANNAH STALWART
In Savannah, restaurant dining and playing golf are taken to an entirely new level. In Savannah, meals are relished and not rushed; enjoyed and not engulfed; savored and not just swallowed. The same attention to detail is given to the tees, fairways, greens, and rough at the nearby Club at Savannah Harbor, which is why the Champions Tour staged the Mutual of Omaha’s Legends of Golf tournament there on 14 occasions.
One of Savannah’s great dining destinations is Huey’s On the River. Located in the heart of Savannah’s world-famous River Street, Huey’s is named after Huey Long, the former, flamboyant governor of Louisiana. At Huey’s, the menu items are a blend of New Orleans Cajun cuisine and true Southern cooking.
Huey’s is open seven days a week. At Huey’s, the day starts with breakfast. If you sleep late, that’s alright. Breakfast is served till 3:00 pm daily. Its world-famous beignets are also served every day, all day long at Huey’s. Eggs are served many different ways at Huey’s. With Savannah being in the South, grits appear for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For lunch and dinner, shrimp and grits are served – delicious.
A popular drink at Huey’s is the bloody Mary, widely considered the best in Savannah.
The Cajun cuisine starts with gumbo — as an appetizer. Adding a side dish of fried green tomatoes would be a wise decision, too. The fried green tomatoes are as delicious as the movie by the same name is entertaining. Other Cajun classics at Huey’s are shrimp creole, shrimp or crawfish etouffee, pasta jambalaya, and shrimp & scallop thermador.
The desserts — key lime pie, bread pudding, pecan pie, praline cheesecake, and beignets — are all house-made, in the kitchen at Huey’s.
