Tybee Island: The Perfect Day Trip from Savannah

Savannah's beach is about twenty minutes away, and Tybee Island is worth every one of them. It's the kind of beach town where you climb a lighthouse in the morning, eat shrimp off a boat at lunch, and end the day in a dive bar covered in license plates. Here's how to do it right.

Morning: Lighthouse First

Start at the Tybee Island Light Station & Museum (30 Meddin Dr) — Georgia's oldest and tallest lighthouse at 145 feet, and one of America's most intact historic lighthouse stations. The climb is 178 steps; the view is the whole island. Give yourself time for the keeper's cottage tours and the Tybee Museum exhibits.

Walk it off with coffee at Tybean Art & Coffee Bar, the island's coffee-and-art hangout (check its listing for current hours), then head down to the water.

Get On (or In) the Water

This is the part of a Tybee trip people under-plan. The island's outfitters cover everything from jet skis to marine biology:

• Tybee Jet Ski and Watersports launches directly across from Little Tybee Island, with guided jet ski rentals and tours, single and tandem kayak rentals, guided kayak tours to Little Tybee, pontoon boat rentals, and private sunset cruises.
• Captain Derek's Dolphin Adventure runs 60–75 minute dolphin tours on a high-powered dual-engine boat whose wake dolphins love to jump and play in — sightings guaranteed — plus sunset cruises.
• Sea Kayak Georgia, the coastal paddling outfitter operating over 25 years, runs half-day and full-day guided sea kayak tours to Little Tybee Island with certified guides who specialize in barrier island ecology.
• Sundial Charters, led by native naturalist Captain Rene Heidt, runs personalized small-group charters: beachcombing and shark-tooth hunting on uninhabited islands, dolphin watching, crab catching.
• For the genuinely curious, Tybee Beach Ecology Trips are guided low-tide beach walks led personally by marine biologist Dr. Joe Richardson — hands-on tidal biology with nets and specimen viewing trays.

Need gear for a plain beach day? The island's rental shops cover chairs, umbrellas, and toys: Burke's Beach Rentals, Inc., Tybee North Beach Rentals, and Castles in the Sand all rent beach gear (each listing has current details and contact info).

Lunch: Shrimp, Crabs, and a Gator Lagoon

Bubba Gumbo's, on Lazaretto Creek Marina, serves fresh wild shrimp right off the local boats docked outside — seafood gumbo, lowcountry boil, and a laid-back dockside vibe. AJ's Dockside Seafood sits directly on Tybee's Back River with a deck over the water, famous for deviled crabs, steamed oysters, and sunset views. And The Crab Shack — "Where the Elite Eat in Their Bare Feet" — sprawls over Chimney Creek with giant steamed seafood trays and a live alligator lagoon you can feed (exotic birds included).

Afternoon: North Beach and the Marine Science Center

When the sun's high, the Tybee Island Marine Science Center (37 Meddin Dr) is the air-conditioned stop that still feels like the beach — a North Beach eco-facility dedicated to coastal Georgia marine life and sea turtle rescue, with beach walks, marsh treks, and touch tanks.

Then post up at North Beach Bar and Grill (33 Meddin Dr), right between the lighthouse and the beach — an outdoor deck under palm trees serving Caribbean-infused seafood and tropical cocktails with live reggae and blues on the patio.

Dinner and Beyond: The Tybee Way

The Deck Beach Bar & Kitchen is Tybee's only oceanfront restaurant, directly on the beach dunes at Beachside Colony Resort — fish tacos and frozen cocktails in the ocean breeze. Sting Ray's Seafood, voted Best Seafood & Best Live Music on Tybee (per its listing), runs a giant covered deck with steamed and fried platters, frozen margaritas, and live music. For the island's white-table-cloth night, Sundae Cafe at Tybee hides its top-rated fine dining in an unassuming strip mall — the pecan-crusted catch and the martini bar have been drawing people for 20+ years.

And when the night really gets going: Huc-A-Poos Bites and Booze is Tybee's legendary rustic shack dive bar, walls covered in license plates and stickers, serving huge custom stone-baked pizza slices, cold beer, and cocktails on a dog-friendly patio.

Stay Over (If You Can Manage It)

Hotel Tybee and the DeSoto Beach Hotel put you within walking distance of the sand; Surf Song Bed & Breakfast and the Tybee Island Inn Bed & Breakfast are the cozier, quieter options. If you'd rather sleep in Savannah, the drive back is short and the sunsets from the bridge are a bonus.

The One-Line Version

• Morning: Lighthouse climb (178 steps) → coffee → dolphin tour
• Lunch: Bubba Gumbo's or AJ's Dockside
• Afternoon: Beach + Marine Science Center + North Beach Bar and Grill
• Dinner: The Deck (on the sand) or Sting Ray's (live music)
• Late: Huc-A-Poos pizza and beer under the license plates
• Book ahead: Dolphin tours and kayak trips — weekend slots go fast

Practical Notes

• Beach gear rentals and charters run rain or shine policies that vary by outfitter — check each listing before you drive out.
• The lighthouse climb is 178 steps; skip it in the midday heat and go early.
• Sea turtle nesting season runs May 1 through October 31, and nests are cordoned off — give marked areas space (verified by SAVANNAH_SEARCH against official sources, Sep 6, 2026).

---