Tybee Island Books

Just a short half-hour drive from Savannah, Tybee is the region’s top recreational destination, with an incredible beach, surfing and kayak shops, nature trails and a wealth of hotels and motels.

This was our first excursion outside of Savannah. Tybee is really easy to reach: a straight shot eastwards down Victory Road, following pickup trucks that have bumper stickers of a necktie and a bumble bee (get it?!) The drive, which goes across Whitemarsh Island and past Fort Pulaski alongside the Savannah River, is gorgeous. For us, it was the perfect introduction to the nature of Georgia’s lower coastal region.

For our first visit to Tybee, we just wanted to see the beach. We parked the car at the very end of the road, and left poor Chucky alone inside. Because of the turtles which use the beach for nesting, dogs aren’t allowed on the sand. The weather was sunny but chilly, and we walked along the sea for about 30 minutes, until remembering that we’d only paid for 20 minutes of parking. We hurried back, and were just in time to see the cop pulling away. Grrrr… An expensive first trip to Tybee.

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, Tybee was renamed “Savannah Beach”, and although it’s reverted to its original name, that’s basically what it is. The huge majority of people we encountered were from the city, just enjoying the day on the island — about 3000 people live on Tybee full-time, and I would guess the great majority are in the tourism business.

I have a feeling that we’ll be visiting Tybee a lot — in fact, since our first trip, we’ve already returned and done some kayaking, which we’ll be writing about shortly. Anyone got other great tips for Tybee?

Tybee Island on our Map