“Everyone knew that all islands were worlds unto themselves,
that to come to an island was to come to another world.”
Guy
Gavriel Kay
As
we left Savannah, Georgia and entered Tybee Island, we drove past
picturesque marshes on either side of us that seemed to stretch for
miles. We passed Fort Pulaski on our left but we kept going to get
to the town of Tybee. We slowed down as we passed downtown's casual
coastal shops lining the main drag through the town. The shops were
all painted in whimsically bright colors with inviting store fronts
drawing you to stop and stroll around the town. Their were beautiful
flowers lovingly cared for throughout the town.
This
is a beautiful barrier island and small city that is the easternmost
point in Georgia, located only 18 miles east of Savannah. It is
known for its wide sandy beaches and became a popular tourist
destination starting during the 1950’s. During that time it was
known as Savannah Beach but it was later changed back to the original
name, Tybee. This is a beautiful Southern American seashore town with
beautiful beaches that are meticulously cared for by the city. This
laid back town has just under 3,000 residents where the locals warmly
welcome you with their Southern ways.
The
name Tybee is an native American Indian name meaning “Salt”. The Euchee Indian
Tribe were first people to inhibit the island where they enjoyed great
hunting and fishing. Not until 1520 did the Spanish explorers lay
claim to this land calling it, “Los Bajos” - meaning the short
ones. Tybee then became a part of Spain's “La Florida” which was
an area extending from the Bahamas to Nova Scotia. During that time,
many pirates came to the island to hide. The French also came here in
the early 1600’s looking for Sassafras roots which was considered a
miracle cure. In the 1670, when South Carolina was founded,
the English invaded causing the Spanish to retreat to St. Augustine
and Pensacola, Florida. This island has had six different flags
flown over it throughout its history. John Wesley, who is the Father
of Methodism, said his first prayer in America in 1736 right here on
Tybee.
A
little bit of crazy history from the year 1958 was there was a failed Air
Force training mission where they accidentally dropped a 7,600 pound
nuclear bomb near the island before the two planes collided. The “Tybee
Bomb” never did explode and has yet to be found. The Air Force
believes it was not armed with a fuse. Let’s hope so.
At
one time the western end of the island was known as “Lazaretto”
which is an Italian word meaning “hospital of the contagious”.
They used this section of the island to quarantine slaves and other
passengers carrying diseases.
During
the Civil War, the Confederates held onto the island until the Union
Army came and positioned their troops along the north coast of Tybee
Island, where they bombed Fort Pulaski from April 10 -11, 1862. The
Confederate Army, retreated after burning the top portion of the
lighthouse and removed the glass lenses, making the structure
useless. After the Civil War, Tybee became more of a resort town
with Savannah residents who wanted to relax on the beach.. When the word got out, many more tourist
showed up believing the salt water was a great remedy for ailments
such as allergies and asthma.
Tybee
Island is a great destination steeped in history and has amazing
natural beauty. The eastern shore of the island is all sandy
beaches, the western shore is tidal salt marsh, and the interior is a
maritime forest. The island is only four miles long and one mile
wide and located in the low country of Georgia in Chatham County.
There
is much to do here on the island including eating out at great restaurants. We had our small dog, Teddy with us, so we wanted to find a casual,
friendly restaurant where we could eat outside and bring our pup with
us. We found a great option when we found the North Beach Bar and
Grill which is located at 33 Meddin Drive. The 18th-Century
Tybee Island Lighthouse stands proud on one side of the restaurant and the beach is on the
other side. A large pay parking lot sits just outside of the
restaurant so it was easy to park. We parked and walked to the
short line to get a seat at the restaurant. We requested outside
seating and we were glad they were able to sit us at the bar. The
hostess was very friendly and the bartender, Jannie was lovely and
very helpful. They welcomed us and immediately brought a bowl of
water with ice for Teddy and swooned over him. That meant the world
to us that they were so kind to him. This is a colorful restaurant
with bright colors and palm shaded deck where we sat. It had that
friendly, fun, Caribbean relaxed feel to it. We ordered lunch and
it the food was wonderful. The drinks were pretty nice as well –
ice cold. Ahhh - refreshing.
The
last time we visited Tybee, we ate at Fannie’s on the Beach which
is near the pier and pavilion and located at 1613 Strand Avenue.
They opened in 1992 and celebrated 28 years this year. They serve
lunch and dinner and have live music upstairs on the weekends. We
were happy with their service and the food was wonderful even with a group of us with children. They were especially nice to the children. We ordered
seafood and it was fresh and tasty. It was a great place to go after
a day on the beach. We would definitely recommend it.
In
the past, we have also stopped for a bite to eat at A-J’s Dockside
Restaurant located at 1315 Chatham Avenue. This is also pet
friendly if you want to eat on the deck. We enjoyoed eating on the deck
overlooking the Black River with the great views. It was just lovely. The food was fresh and fabulous. We loved the bright colors of this place and it is a little out of the way so it was not crowded. They serve lunch and dinner and boast of having 46
different kinds of bottle beer. This casual restaurant opened up in
January 2003. We had a great server and we loved the casual eclectic
atmosphere. We would recommend this restaurant as well.
No
dogs are allowed on any of the beaches in Tybee. Joe and I took
turns to check out the beach since Teddy was not allowed to partake in sunning on the beach. Why no
dogs you ask? We’ll from from May 1 to October 31 each year,
Loggerhead Sea Turtles use the beaches as a nesting area, laying eggs
in the dunes and they do not want anything or anyone disturbing them.
Many residents volunteer to patrol the beach to watch the nest and
protect the turtles. The homes backing up to the beach have to shut off lights facing the beach by ten at night so not to disturb them. The Loggerhead
turtles are on the endangered species. I learned a lot about these
turtles and now understand why they are endangered. They travel
thousands of miles to nest on the island and on the same beach where
the female Loggerhead turtle was hatched. The babies are only two
inches long at birth and will grow to be about three feet long and
roughly 250 pound as adults. Only one of 1,000 baby turtles will
live to adulthood. So sad. This species has been on the planet for
110 million years now and they hope to preserve them so they will be
here for many more years.
Fort
Screven Historic Area is a nice area to explore. The fort was created
in 1807 to be used as part of America’s Coastal Defense system.
The fort was manned during the Spanish-American War, World War I, and
World War II. It was closed in 1947 and sold to the town of Tybee.
The Tybee Island Museum is located there where you can learn about the history
of the island.
The
North Beach is a great place for viewing the lighthouse, seeing
dolphins jumping, and watching huge freighters cruise by. South Beach
near the Tybee Pier is another beautiful beach and is nice as they have a pavilion where the Rip Tide
Bar sits where you can get sandwiches, drinks, and ice cream. The pier is
also a great place for fishing. South Beach has wooden swings
to sit on near each entrance to the beach. Nice touch.
The
island boast of two big events, the Beach Bum Parade, featuring
floats and firetrucks and is probably the worlds biggest water fight. Each vehicle is stocked with a variety of water guns to have fun soaking each other as well as the residents and tourist who wish to get nice and wet. It is usually held
the weekend before Memorial Day in May and has been a main event
since 1987. The other event is the Tybee Pirate Fest which they
started in 2005 and usually held the weekend prior to Columbus Day.
Many
people have asked if there are ghosts on the island. Well, there
have been accounts of people seeing luminous shadows that are shaped like a
man racing back and forth from the water to the dunes faster
than a human could run. They are known as Shadow People and are said
to be transparent, in homemade clothing, and only seem to appear
during electrical storms. Believe it or not.
On
our way off the island, we stopped at Battery Row which is a small park and was going to
be a high end community that appears to have failed. We were able
to drive in through the gate that is now opened and get a great
sighting of the Cockspur Island Lighthouse. It stands 25 feet tall
and was originally built by John Norris on Oyster Shell Island in
1855. The original lighthouse was built in 1837 and was used as a
daymark. In 1854 it was destroyed by a hurricane. It was rebuilt
and enlarged the following year. The light was put out during the
Civil War. On April 10, 1862, there was a thirty hour siege of Fort
Pulaski where the Union forces bombarded the fort from their position
along the beach at Tybee. Miraculously, the light house had very
little damage done to it even with it being in direct fire. On
August 27, 1881 a massive storm hit the island and the sea level rose
23 feet which filled the lighthouse with sea water. Then in 1893 a
great hurricane struck. On June 1, 1909 the light as put out for the
last time as the freighters started using the North Channel instead
since it was deeper and abandoned the Southern Channel. During high
tide, the small island that it sits on is totally covered with water. On August 14, 1958 the
United States Coast Guard transferred their ownership to the National
Park Service. It is currently closed due to preservation
.
We
had a lovely day on Tybee Island and plan on taking many more trips
there. It is a quiet place that is peaceful, beautiful, and has lovely clean beaches. We would love to bring our bikes and
ride around the island on another visit as it is bike friendly and
flat. The island is full of beach side cottages to rent, a few
motels, and there is a campground. It would be a great place to spend some time and close
enough to Savannah to check that amazing city out as well. There is nothing like sitting on the beach, seeing the vastness of the ocean, hearing the waves crashing, and breathing in that fresh salt air. We will return again soon to
replenish our souls.
Till
next time. Bye for now.
