“When we bought the gift shop,” Ike says, “it had junk, and things were priced out of reason. Bonnie completely redid that part of the store.” Displaying her own original oil paintings alongside T-shirts, toys, jewelry, and beach-related treasures, Bonnie pleasantly surprises the most die-hard shoppers. “Two ladies came in here once and bought $800 worth of gifts,” Ike reveals. Outgoing by nature, Ike also has a reputation for walking around the store, asking customers if they need anything and escorting them to the precise items they’re seeking. He likes his employees to be just as personable. One is the mother of one of Nashville’s biggest stars. She simply enjoys meeting and greeting people, so as a friend of Bonnie’s, she works as a grocery bagger. Therefore, when ready to check out, country music fans often grab one final treat—a selfie with the local celebrity!
lovable Great Dane, does her part in greeting guests! Besides parents, kids, and canines, the Driftwood attracts quite a few couples, including brides and grooms. During the busy season, in fact, the inn hosts two or three weddings each week. With assistance from her daughter, Shawna (she co-owns the Graba Java Internet Café with Amy Hay), Peggy provides a turnkey wedding and reception. Couples are also free to make their own arrangements through an outside wedding planner. “I do whatever the bride wants,” says Peggy, but adds she has many connections. She even jokes that she talked a friend, who is now known as Marrying Jack, into obtaining his license to officiate. Peggy also persuaded Tom to erect a tiny chapel for her. The charming building, nestled on the grounds, is a replica of one she spotted in the North Georgia mountains. The El Governor Motel, a friendly competitor, is another popular venue with a slightly different allure. As Wylie, the longtime manager, says, “If people are looking for a pool and a bar, Peggy sends them to me. If they’re looking for a petfriendly place, I send them to her.” Booking certain rooms a year in advance, he
While they have become accustomed to encountering celebrities (from music, movies, politics, and sports) and treating them like everyone else, locals seem most intrigued by their foreign visitors. “I ask people who have come here from way off how they found us,” says Ike. “A lot fly into Miami and rent a car to take up the coastline. When they stop and see what we have, they decide to stay.” “The people here still like to see travelers come through,” says Peggy Wood, who owns the Driftwood Inn with her husband, Tom. She remarks that some of their second- and third-generation guests began staying at the inn before the Woods purchased it—forty years ago! Tom and Peggy first met at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota and landed in Atlanta, where Tom launched an advertising agency. “I wanted to go back to the beach, but a quiet beach,” says Peggy. They initially bought a duplex in Mexico Beach with friends in 1970. “When I began staying down here a lot in 1971,” she recalls, “there were only three hundred people. If a car passed by, you’d stop to watch it.” When the Driftwood went up for sale, Peggy recalls telling her husband, “Tom, that looks like something fun to do.” The consummate innkeeper, Peggy smiles and laughs and effortlessly makes people and their dogs feel at home. As a matter of fact, Woodie, Peggy’s V IE Z INE .C OM | 91