Tybee Island – Savannah’s Beach
Just a short half-hour drive from Savannah, Tybee Island is the region’s top recreational destination, with a beach, surf and kayak shops, nature trails, cool restaurants, dolphin tours and anything else you might need for a day trip from the city.
Tybee was our first excursion outside of Savannah. Not only is the drive is easy, a straight shot east along Victory Road, but it’s gorgeous. The route crosses over Whitemarsh Island, and follows the course of the Savannah River past Fort Pulaski until reaching Tybee. Pretty simple, though you might need to plan in time for photo breaks as you explore Georgia’s picturesque coastal zone.
Our initial visit to Tybee Island was a quick one. We had brought our dog, without realizing that pets are prohibited on the beach, since turtles come here for nesting. So we cracked the windows, left Chucky in the car, and took a short walk just down to the water and back. We didn’t have quarters, but figured it’s probably be fine to skip paying the meter. Well, we thought wrong — on our return, there was already a cop at our car, writing a ticket, and probably unhappy about an unattended dog in the car. We waited in the shadows for him to depart, then made our own departure from Tybee. We’d learn later that the island’s parking enforcement is notorious; don’t leave your car parked illegally for even a moment.
Tybee Island was originally inhabited by the Yuchi Indians, in whose language “Tybee” means “salt”. For a brief period at the end of the 50s, it was renamed “Savannah Beach,” and although the original name has been restored, that’s basically what it is. The majority of visitors are here on day trips from the city. Only about 3000 people live on Tybee full-time, and I would guess that just about all of them are in the tourism business.
If you’d like to learn more about Tybee Island, head toward its most prominent landmark. The Tybee Island Lighthouse can be visited, and includes a small museum dedicated to the history of the island.
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That picture of the bird with the deep blue behind it is crazy. I heard they have some great sports bars on Tybee, too.
Two words: Cafe Loco (follow the signs just after you cross the bridge onto the island – it’s where the locals go)
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Thanks for presenting Savannah and the surrounding areas so beautifully ! Awesome words and images!
I guess it’s because you visited during the winter, but it’s so surreal to see the beach empty! It’s a really fun place to visit in the summer; the beach and boardwalk are packed with people.
Did you ever go out on the pier at night? It fills up with all of these fisherman who basically set up camp all along the edges of the end of the pier. Once when I was out there someone caught a shark that was maybe three feet long… everyone started going crazy, it got slapped on this table that had measurements marked out on it, and within five minutes an old Asian lady had come out of nowhere and swiftly negotiated a price for it with the fisherman that caught it. I guess that’s why they have a sign. 😛