To get to Tybee Island, drive east from Savannah, through salt marshes and open water. Tybee Island sports some of Georgia's few oceanfront sand beaches and offers ample opportunity to get out and play in the sun. Activities range from swimming, surfing and water sports to bicycling, walking and exploring historic monuments.
Watch the Birds
Tybee Island is home to numerous birdwatching and nature trails. Walkers can explore coastal salt marshes, beaches with natural, protected dunes and subtropical forests of live oak, pine, and palm. Birdwatchers can look for egrets, herons, white ibis, black skimmer, purple sandpiper, ruddy ducks and mergansers. The wood stork, an endangered species, also calls Tybee Island home. Neighboring Little Tybee Island is an undeveloped nature preserve owned by the State of Georgia's Department of Natural Resources. Little Tybee is accessible by boat and primitive camping is allowed.
Pedal a Bike
If you are driving to Tybee Island, you may want to bring your bike. If not, several island shops rent bicycles by the hour, day or half-day. Tybee streets are bike-friendly and offer routes suitable for all levels of rider. Shopping and dining areas provide bike racks for securing your ride. Some rental locations offer pull-behind bike trailers and children's bikes in addition to adult bikes, so your island ride can include the whole family. Those looking for something different can rent a tandem.
Ride the Waves
Tybee's beaches and salt marshes are a natural fit for a wide range of water sports. Local businesses rent pontoon boats, kayaks and shuttle-craft boats for exploring inland and outland waterways. Those who like adventure can rent jet skies or try parasailing. While enjoying the water, keep an eye out for wildlife, including the local bottlenose dolphins. Also watch for celebrities. According to Tybee Jetski and Watersport's web site, Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas, David Ions of the Atlanta Falcons and Gary Guyton of the New England Patriots have all been spotted enjoying Tybee water sports.
See the Sites
Tybee Island is home to two local landmarks. Visitors can tour the historic buildings of the five-acre Tybee Island Light Station. Commissioned in 1732 by colonial governor General James Oglethorpe, the complex is one of America's longest-surviving light stations. Those up to a challenge can climb 178 stairs to the top of the lighthouse and visit the nine-foot-tall First Order Fresnel lens. Military history buffs will enjoy a walking tour of Tybee's Fort Pulaski, a coastal fort began in 1830 and completed 15 years later. Robert E. Lee spent his first year out of West Point overseeing the construction of the main drainage ditch, an earthen embankment and dikes, the north pier and other out-buildings. Visitors can explore the fort's 150 acres of buildings and grounds.
Hit the Beach
A Tybee visit would be incomplete without a visit to the island's 5 miles of public beaches, which include both river and ocean beaches. Motorized vehicles, fires and animals, except certified assistance dogs, are prohibited on the beaches, allowing visitors to enjoy the beach and the natural wildlife to thrive. The city allows fishing and surfboarding in designated areas, though shark-fishing is prohibited at all times. Flashlights and flash photography are prohibited at night from May through October to protect the endangered sea turtles that nest on Tybee beaches.
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