Tybee Island, GA Summary

photo by Alicia

Tybee Island (population 2,949) is a very popular vacation spot on the Atlantic coast. Boasting 5 miles of charming and untainted beaches, it has a visitor center, a marina, seafood restaurants, and lodgings. Tybee is located 17 miles east of Savannah in southeast Georgia.

Once known as “the Playground of the Southeast,” Tybee Island has quite a long and varied history, attracting Native Americans, pirates, the Spanish, the French, and the English, as well as the Confederacy. It is still possible to visit the clearing where Methodist founder John Wesley declared his faith upon American soil in the eighteenth century. Late in the nineteenth century, the island attracted Southern gentlemen who were disposed to dueling, and, in the 1930s, some of the country’s most famous jazz bands.

The island features several historic attractions at the northern end including the 154-foot Tybee Lighthouse at the mouth of the Savannah River. It is the third-oldest lighthouse in the nation.

The original tower was built by James Oglethorpe, in 1742. The current structure, which dates from 1773, was destroyed by Confederate forces in 1862 and restored in 1867. Visitors can ascend the 178 steps to the top. Nearby is the Tybee Museum with displays relating to the island’s history. The museum is housed in a former section of Fort Screven, which was established in 1897.

Also on Tybee Island is Tybee Marine Center, which features a range of aquatic creatures, in particular those found along the coastline of southern Georgia.

There is no bus service to Tybee Island, but nearby Savannah has an international airport and bus and train service.