Fodor's Expert Review Florida House Inn

This charming, fully restored, late-19th-century inn—once used by guests of the Vanderbilt, DuPont, and Carnegie families, who built "cottages" nearby on Cumberland and Jekyll islands—has a rambling, two-story, clapboard main building full of character and rooms with handmade quilts, hooked rugs, king-size beds, and whirlpool tubs. The on-site restaurant, Leddy's Porch, serves biscuits and gravy, along with fried chicken and other Southern favorites, for lunch and weekend brunch. The Mermaid Bar, a lively first-floor pub, can be a blessing or a curse, depending on whether you're trying to catch up on your social skills or your sleep. Request a room in the south wing if you're attempting the latter.