Just a 20 minute drive from downtown Savannah and you'll enter the lovely, funky, charming town of Tybee. This sun and sand venue resembles the delightful fishing villages of New England or Europe more than it does the sleekly commercial seaside spots of most of the South. Three miles of beaches adorn this little barrier island, and behind the beaches are sea-oat covered sand dunes providing wading and frolicking area for kids-at-heart as well as kids for real.
The southern end of the island boasts a splendid pier and pavilion for fishing, picnicking or simply chatting with friends and watching sailboats and cargo ships appear to float by on this edge of the great Atlantic Ocean. The pavilion is also a favorite spot for concerts and arts & crafts exhibits.
Restaurants, from casual to elegant, abound, as do places to stay, from upscale condominiums to cute cottages and quaint inns. But dog lovers beware. This is not a pet friendly town. Sadly, no dogs are allowed on any public beach in Georgia
On a good day, you'll spot dolphins frolicking in the water. The lighthouse, built in 1773, is fascinating and there is an oceanographic museum, branch library, Fort Screven and Fort Pulaski to while away a rainy day.
It's a beach town filled with local residents, some going back for generations, giving the little town an authentic feel of a place that has always existed. The name, Tybee, means salt, and dates back to the American Euchee Indians who made the island their home. The Spanish explorers discovered the place in the early 14th Century, when they laid claim to it as part of their Florida.
When General James Oglethorpe arrived in Georgia in 1733, he shortly thereafter journeyed to Tybee and ordered the construction of the lighthouse. Ultimately destroyed by a storm, a second, and even taller, lighthouse was built. That was demolished, too, and replaced in 1773 by another, even more imposing structure, one that remains the base of the current 154-foot tall recently refurbished lighthouse, which still stands near the north end of the beach.
At one time a railway ran from downtown Savannah to Tybee, and on busy weekends, when traffic can be backed up for miles, many residents wish it was still here.