Tybee Island is the northernmost of Georgia's barrier islands, the small islands that run along the Georgia coast. The island sits at the mouth of the Savannah River, about 18 miles east of the city of Savannah. It is not quite three miles long and has white sand beaches facing the Atlantic for most of its length.
Tybee's written history goes back to its colonization and conversion of the Native Americans by the Spanish beginning in 1520. The Spanish and the French fought an early naval battle off the shore, the first of many military skirmishes the island would see. General James Oglethorpe established a camp at Tybee in 1732 before he founded the city of Savannah. In 1736, he constructed a small fort and lighthouse on the island to protect the mouth of the river. During the American Revolution, American and French forces used the island as a staging area to prepare to fight the British, who held Savannah. During the Civil War, Union troops occupied the island and fired on the Confederate stronghold at Fort Pulaski, destroying their mortar battlements and taking the fort. After the Civil War, Fort Screven was built on the northern end of the island, serving as part of the nation's coastal defense system. Fort Screven was closed in 1947 and is now the Tybee Museum.
In addition to its military and strategic history, Tybee Island has a long history as a beach resort. At the end of the 19th century, the island became known as a place a place to "take the salts,'' or spend time in the fresh sea air as a cure for respiratory and other illnesses. By the mid-1890s, a railroad line brought vacationers and day-trippers to the island. The railroad built a pavilion at the end of a pier out over the water that became famous for its dancing and big bands. The pavilion stood until 1967, when it was destroyed by fire. In its heyday, Tybee had several large resort hotels, all of which are now gone.
By far the most famous landmark that remains on the island today is the lighthouse. Originally constructed under the orders of General Oglethorpe in 1736, the lighthouse is still operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, although the site itself is maintained by the Tybee Island Historical Society. The current building is the fourth one that has stood on the site and was constructed in 1916. It is the only lighthouse on the Eastern Seaboard that still has all of its original buildings, including a restored keeper's cottage. The lighthouse still houses its rare, first-order Fresnel lens, one of only 15 in the United States still in use.
Today, Tybee is still a desirable location for a beach vacation, although it has lost its early-20th-century glamour. As a report from Frommer's Travel Guide put it, Tybee "feels kind of like Atlantic City meets Coney Island - a little shabby, but that shabbiness often translates to a retro charm.'' Health magazine named Tybee its number one "Healthiest Beach and Lake Getaway'' in the summer of 2009 for its clean beaches and water, its tasty and (mostly) healthy food and its active lifestyle. The island has several hotels and about 300 homes for rent, many of them charming beach cottages from the 1940s and '50s. The pavilion has been rebuilt and hosts several festivals every year. One of the most popular annual events is the Beach Bums Parade, in which spectators and parade participants have water fights.
Health magazine says, "Tybee offers something for everyone.'' Indeed, the island has history, nature, beautiful beaches, good food and family fun. Most reviewers on a popular travel website love the island's quiet, slow, Southern-town-on-the-beach feel. Those looking for a full-blown resort were disappointed, but this reviewer summed it up: "After years in the chi-chi beaches of southern California, I loved Tybee. It's low-key, not pretentious, full of families and local flavor.''
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