Tybee Island Time: Exploring Savannah’s Eclectic Beach Community

Savannah is known for being the first city of the Georgia colony, established by reformer James Oglethorpe in 1733 as a buffer between the wealthy Carolinas and wild, Spanish Florida. Even today, Georgia’s oldest city is known for its luxuriously languid pace of life, stately architecture and romantic, moss-draped oaks lining squares and avenues.

Just a few miles to the east is Tybee Island, Savannah’s “beach community,” where the quirkiness of the city pairs with the casual, natural vibes of the shoreline. If you thought the pace of life in “Slow-vannah” was leisurely, welcome to “Tybee Time,” where everything is come-as-you-are and a bathing suit is a year-round necessity.

The drive out to Tybee is quick and beautiful as you cross green and gold marshes that separate the mainland from the island. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you cross the Lazaretto Creek bridge and are met with an explosion of tropical color. Everything on Tybee seems candy-coated, and cottages are surrounded by white picket fences and hammocks arranged between palm trees. The beach community is also hyper-local, with no national chain restaurants or hotels anywhere in sight.

By Summer Bozeman