An Afternoon on Tybee Island

Since Emily selected Savannah, Georgia for her 30th birthday celebration in June we knew we also needed to build in time to make our way over to experience Tybee Island. It’s only a 20 minute drive from Savannah and is why locals call it Savannah’s Beach! Any chance we get to relax by the water we’re going for it. Plus, who can resist picturesque colorful cottages, a quaint light house and waterside dining offering beautiful sunset views!

Since we had a hard to come by dinner reservation back in Savannah later in the evening we opted to spend the afternoon on Tybee Island and you can read about where to eat, drink, play and stay below along with checking out our exciting, fun-filled itinerary.

Where to Eat on Tybee Island 

We worked up an appetite exploring all that Tybee Island has to offer from local boutiques, to restaurants to hidden gems to the long beach strip. If you have the time, we suggest renting bikes to explore the island at a slower pace to be able really take in the entire island experience.

After getting more of a feel for the island we opted to start our Tybee adventure off with lunch at The Deck, a bright open airy space with indoor / outdoor seating that boasts beautiful waterfront views and has beach access. The Deck’s menu is inspired by Australia, coastal Mexico and Hawaiian cuisines. Yum! We loved the coconut shrimp, salt + pepper calamari and street tacos. They also have an extensive drink menu. We highly recommend this spot if you are able to sit outside and take in the views!

Other restaurants that were recommended to us:

• AJ’s Dockside (great for taking in a Tybee Island sunset)
• Coco’s
• North Beach Bar and Grill (close to the lighthouse and offers live music)
• Tybee Island Social Club (pretty space great for cocktails and appetizers)
• Stingray’s (voted best seafood on the island and is a local favorite)
• Sundae Cafe (Hole in the wall family owned restaurant that comes highly recommended by locals. Our parents also dined here for lunch and loved it! They enjoyed the fresh seafood and told us to save room for dessert!)

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Where to Play on Tybee Island 

After our long, leisurely rosé sun soaked lunch it was time to head to the beach! It’s important to note that there’s very different vibes dependent on which area of the beach you go to. We started on South Beach so we could walk the pier and this was more of a party scene in a redneck riviera sort of way.

We stayed for about an hour and then headed to the Lighthouse. This is located on the other end and of the beach stop called North Beach. This more more relaxed and family friendly. Next time we’re here we will spend our beach time at North Beach Tybee Island.

Tybee Island Activities

North Beach

• Spend time at the beach again we prefer the quieter North Beach
• Watch the sunset while enjoying dinner waterside
• Tybee Lighthouse
• Get out on the water with North Island Surf & Kayak
• Drive by the beautiful vacation homes and cottages

South Beach

• Walk along the Tybee island pier (not a must, but if you are able to get here early in the morning it’s fantastic for photography and fishing)
• Grab a cocktail at a fun bar

Other

• Shopping at one of the many local boutiques
• Rent bicycles
• Paddle Boarding
• Bird watching
• Dolphin Boat Tours

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Where to Stay on Tybee Island

Again, Savannah is only a short 20 minute drive away with copious amounts of beautiful hotels and B&Bs. That being said, Tybee Island has some gems and if you’re looking for more of that weekend beach getaway here’s where we would consider:

• The Lighthouse Inn
• Surf & Song (that porch though!)
• Tybee Cottages (this Southern Tides cottage is a stunner!)

If you’re driving in from Savannah for a day trip to Tybee Island as we did we recommend staying at these luxury boutique hotels:

• Kimpton Brice Hotel: We stayed here for Emily’s 30th birthday and had the best time! The hotel was beautiful and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. One thing to note, there were a lot of bachelor and bachelorette parties, which made for some noise complaints during the early morning hours. That being said, I wouldn’t recommend for families, though we still had a wonderful time.
• The Alida, Savannah, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel: We are swooning over this new hotel. It’s at the top of our list of hotels to stay at the next time we’re in Savannah. It’s in a great location and close to the riverfront.
• Perry Lane Hotel: Again, majorly swooning over this gorgeous Luxury Collection Hotel from Marriott. The pool is beautiful and it’s located on their stunning rooftop bar!
• The Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront, Autograph Collection: Also, on our list of top places to stay in Savannah, The Bohemian hotels comes highly recommended and we love its bohemian vibes.
• Andaz Savannah: We’ve stayed at Andaz before and loved how comfortable the beds are and their attention to detail.

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Cheers!

Emily & Barbie 

Have you been to Tybee Island? Let us know your favorite spots in the comments below!