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Tybee Island: A ‘true’ seaside resort
TravelMole MD Graham McKenzie samples all it has to offer.
"Tybee Island is Georgia’s most northern ‘Barrier ‘island and as such serves as a true seaside resort for the city of Savannah and indeed vacationers from further afield. In the late 1950s it was renamed Savannah Beach but has since reverted to its original name. With its unique location at the mouth of the Savannah River it enjoys fantastic beaches to the east and saltmarshes to the west.
So far – so good? Well in fact the story gets better in that this is a quiet , small destination that has lots to offer virtually all visitors, unless all you want is house music at a million decibels , theme parks, cheap lager on tap and kebabs at 2am.
For a start, Tybee Island has a great range of rental properties the majority of which occupy a fabulous location overlooking the water. It has some of the best and freshest seafood anywhere on the eastern seaboard plus darn good barbeque as well.
Wildlife abounds at all times of the year and if you are a ‘twitcher’ the island is on the migration route with literally hundreds of different species throughout the year.
If water sports are your thing then paddle boarding, surfing and sea kayaking are available winter, spring , summer and fall. Tybee Island benefits from a mild climate – when I visited in November temperatures were in the mid 70’s Fahrenheit so a day at the beach for Thanksgiving is not out of the question.
All this and only a four-hour drive from the very well-served international airport of Atlanta that will have at least four direct flights every day from London Heathrow next summer.
All of this sounds great but is it really any more than you would expect from any American coastal destination? Will it make you go out of the way to fly and then drive there?
Well, the thing that makes the difference with virtually all tourism destinations is not necessarily what you can eat, do or see but, in fact, it’s the people. Tybee is, as I have mentioned, a small, quiet destination. The entire population is less than 3,000 and as is the case with many islands it has a distinct mentality and a perceptible community spirit that shines through every day you are there. It’s not a case that this is a put up act just for the benefit of the holidaymakers but is a genuine verve that spills over. People want to enjoy life and appreciate what they have on their doorsteps.
Tybee Island is a delight."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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