Tybee Island, Georgia

“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

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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.