A Tybee Island Day Trip From Savannah: Dolphins, Lighthouses & the Coast

One of the best things about visiting Savannah is how quickly the scenery can change.

In the morning, you can be walking through shaded squares surrounded by nineteenth-century homes.

Half an hour later?

You're looking at the Atlantic Ocean.

Tybee Island sits approximately 18 miles from downtown Savannah, making it one of the easiest day trips to add to a stay in the Historic District. The drive generally takes around 30 minutes via U.S. Highway 80, although summer weekends and busy holidays can take longer.

And while a beach day is certainly an option, there is much more to Tybee than putting down a towel and sitting in the sand.

You can climb one of Georgia's most historic lighthouses.

Cruise through coastal waterways looking for bottlenose dolphins.

See a second lighthouse standing alone in the Savannah River.

Pass a Civil War fort.

Walk North Beach.

Then come back to Savannah in time for evening wine and hors d'oeuvres at Hamilton-Turner Inn.

Here's how we'd spend the day.

How Far Is Tybee Island From Savannah?

Tybee Island is close enough to Savannah that you don't really need to choose between a city vacation and beach vacation.

You can have both.

The island is about 18 miles east of downtown Savannah, reached by following U.S. Highway 80 toward the coast.

That proximity is particularly useful when you're staying in the Historic District.

Wake up in Savannah.

Have breakfast.

Spend the day beside the ocean.

Then come back and spend the evening beneath the live oaks.

Two completely different Georgia experiences.

One trip.

Morning: Start at Hamilton-Turner Inn

Before heading to the coast, take advantage of one of the pleasures of staying at Hamilton-Turner Inn:

you don't need to go searching for breakfast.

Guests receive a chef-prepared Southern breakfast each morning, along with morning coffee in the parlor.

So start slowly.

Have breakfast.

Drink the coffee.

Then trade Lafayette Square for Tybee Island.

The drive east becomes part of the transition. Savannah's urban streets eventually give way to coastal waterways, marshes and islands as you make your way toward the Atlantic.

First Stop: Tybee Island Light Station

If you're going to spend a day exploring Tybee, start with the landmark that has been guiding people toward this coastline for generations.

The Tybee Island Light Station stands near North Beach at the northeastern end of the island.

And this isn't simply a picturesque lighthouse someone built to look good in vacation photos.

Its history extends almost as far back as Savannah itself.

How Old Is the Tybee Island Lighthouse?

James Oglethorpe ordered the first navigational structure on Tybee in 1732, before Savannah itself had formally been established.

Construction began in 1736 on a 90-foot daymark—a tower used by ships during daylight hours rather than a true illuminated lighthouse.

Storms and shoreline erosion repeatedly damaged or destroyed early structures, leading to several versions of the tower over the following decades.

By 1791, the tower was illuminated for the first time using spermaceti candles.

Then came the Civil War.

Confederate troops destroyed the wooden stairs and upper portion of the tower in 1861 to prevent Union forces from using it as a navigational aid. After the war, the lighthouse was reconstructed using the surviving lower portion of the earlier tower.

The resulting structure is essentially the lighthouse visitors see today.

That makes a trip up the tower more than a scenic climb.

You're walking through layers of Georgia's maritime history.

Can You Climb the Tybee Island Lighthouse?

Yes.

Visitors can climb 178 steps to reach the top of the lighthouse, where the view opens across Tybee Island, the Savannah River entrance and the surrounding Georgia coast.

The tower still contains a First Order Fresnel Lens, and the entire light station is unusually intact, with historic support buildings preserved around the three-acre site.

Your admission also includes access to the Tybee Island Museum, housed inside Battery Garland, part of the former Fort Screven military installation.

So give yourself some time here.

Climb the lighthouse.

Explore the historic structures.

Look toward the water.

And when you reach the top, pay attention to just how much of the surrounding coast you can see.

You're going to experience some of it from sea level next.

What Is the Tybee Island Lighthouse Known For?

The Tybee Light Station describes itself as Georgia's oldest and tallest lighthouse, and its history stretches across colonial Georgia, the early United States and the Civil War.

But what's particularly interesting is its connection to Savannah.

The lighthouse wasn't built because Tybee was already a major beach destination.

It existed because of the Savannah River.

Ships approaching one of the South's most important ports needed navigational guidance.

So even when you leave Savannah for the coast, you're still encountering another piece of Savannah's history.

The river connects them.

Late Morning: Spend Some Time at North Beach

Once you're finished at the lighthouse, you're already beside North Beach.

So don't immediately get back into the car.

Walk toward the ocean.

Take your shoes off.

Let the Atlantic remind you that Savannah is very much a coastal city, even if it's easy to forget that while wandering beneath live oaks downtown.

Tybee offers several different beach environments, from the quieter atmosphere around North Beach to the more active South Beach area near the pier.

For this itinerary, we'd keep things simple.

A beach walk.

Maybe sit for a little while.

Then go find lunch.

Because the next part of the day involves getting onto the water.

Afternoon: Take a Tybee Island Dolphin Tour

If you do one activity beyond the beach and lighthouse, make it a dolphin tour.

Bottlenose dolphins are regularly found in the waters surrounding Tybee Island, and local dolphin cruises take visitors into the channels and waterways where they can see the island from a completely different perspective.

Tours generally depart from the Lazaretto Creek area and travel through the coastal waterways surrounding Tybee.

And the dolphins are only part of what you see.

What Will You See on a Tybee Island Dolphin Tour?

A typical Tybee dolphin cruise may include views of:

• Atlantic bottlenose dolphins
• Cockspur Island Lighthouse
• Fort Pulaski National Monument
• Tybee Island Lighthouse
• Salt marshes
• The Savannah River
• Coastal birdlife
• Tybee's shoreline

Local dolphin excursions travel from Lazaretto Creek toward the bay, passing several of the area's most recognizable historic and natural landmarks along the way.

It's an unusually good combination.

You're looking for wildlife.

But you're also getting a history lesson.

One minute, you're watching dolphins move beside the boat.

The next, someone is pointing toward a nineteenth-century lighthouse or Civil War fort.

That's the Georgia coast.

Nature and history tend to overlap.

Are There Really Dolphins Around Tybee Island?

Yes.

Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are commonly found in the coastal waters surrounding Tybee Island.

Visit Tybee describes dolphins as abundant around the island and specifically recommends boat tours as one of the best ways to observe them in their natural environment.

Of course, these are wild animals.

They aren't swimming according to a tourist schedule.

That's part of the appeal.

You watch the water.

Someone spots movement.

A fin appears.

Then maybe another.

And suddenly everyone on the boat is looking in the same direction.

Sometimes that's much more memorable than knowing exactly what is going to happen next.

The Lighthouse You Can See But Can't Visit

There's another lighthouse worth knowing about before you board.

Cockspur Island Lighthouse is dramatically different from the tall black-and-white tower you climbed earlier.

This one is small.

Remote.

And standing almost alone in the water.

The lighthouse sits on a tiny islet of oyster shells and marsh grass near the southeastern tip of Cockspur Island, marking the South Channel of the Savannah River.

The current tower dates to the mid-nineteenth century.

During the Civil War, it found itself almost directly between Union artillery batteries on Tybee and Confederate-held Fort Pulaski.

In April 1862, Union artillery fired toward the fort for approximately 30 hours.

Somehow, the little lighthouse survived with only minor damage.

Today, the lighthouse itself is closed to the public, but it can be seen from surrounding waterways and from an overlook trail at Fort Pulaski.

Seeing it from a dolphin boat may be one of the best views.

You'll Also Pass Fort Pulaski

Then there's the massive brick structure behind it.

Fort Pulaski was constructed on Cockspur Island beginning in 1829 to protect the Port of Savannah. The project took 18 years to complete.

The fort became historically significant during the Civil War in 1862 when Union forces used newly effective rifled artillery to breach walls that military engineers had believed could withstand attack.

That battle demonstrated that traditional masonry forts were becoming obsolete in the face of new artillery technology.

If you're especially interested in history, Fort Pulaski can easily become another stop on the drive to or from Tybee.

But you don't necessarily need to tour the fort to appreciate it.

Seeing the fort and Cockspur Lighthouse from the water gives you a completely different perspective on how strategically important the mouth of the Savannah River has been for centuries.

Lighthouse or Dolphin Tour: Which Should You Do?

Both.

They're different enough that they complement one another perfectly.

Choose the Tybee Lighthouse for:

History.

Architecture.

Panoramic views.

A physical climb.

Understanding Tybee's role in maritime navigation.

Choose the dolphin tour for:

Wildlife.

Being on the water.

Coastal scenery.

Views of Fort Pulaski and Cockspur Lighthouse.

Seeing Tybee from another perspective.

If you have a full day, there's very little reason to pick one over the other.

Do the lighthouse in the morning.

Have lunch.

Take the dolphin cruise in the afternoon.

Then head back to Savannah.

Could You Add Fort Pulaski to the Day?

Absolutely.

Fort Pulaski sits along the route between Savannah and Tybee Island, which makes it easy to add if your group is especially interested in history.

The fort combines military history with trails, marsh scenery and views toward Cockspur Lighthouse.

Just keep an eye on time.

The point of a Tybee day isn't necessarily to race through every attraction on the coast.

Sometimes a really good day contains:

One lighthouse.

A few dolphins.

Lunch.

Some beach.

And absolutely nothing else.

That's enough.

Then Come Back to Savannah

This may be our favorite part of the itinerary.

After spending the day in the sun, salt air and coastal waterways, point the car west.

Thirty minutes later, the environment changes again.

The beach disappears.

The marsh gives way to the city.

Brick streets return.

Live oaks stretch over the road.

And eventually you're back at Lafayette Square.

End the Day at Hamilton-Turner Inn

Guests at Hamilton-Turner Inn are invited to gather in the parlor each evening for wine and hors d'oeuvres.

We can't think of a much better transition.

Morning in Savannah.

Lighthouse before lunch.

Dolphins in the afternoon.

Wine in an 1873 mansion that evening.

No second hotel.

No packing and unpacking.

No need to choose between visiting Savannah and going to the beach.

The Historic District remains your home base.

Tybee is simply today's adventure.

Should You Stay in Savannah or Tybee Island?

This really depends on what kind of trip you're planning.

If the beach itself is the main reason for the vacation, staying on Tybee makes perfect sense.

But if Savannah is what brought you to the area and you simply want to add some coastal time?

Stay in Savannah.

Tybee is close enough to experience as a full or half-day trip without giving up evenings in the Historic District.

That means you can spend most of the trip surrounded by Savannah's restaurants, architecture, museums and squares while still having easy access to the Atlantic.

For guests at Hamilton-Turner, it's especially convenient.

You aren't coming back to a generic hotel room after Tybee.

You're coming back to Lafayette Square and one of Savannah's historic mansions.

That's a pretty good trade.

Two Very Different Sides of Savannah

One of the best reasons to add Tybee Island to your Savannah itinerary is that it helps explain the city in a different way.

Savannah exists because of its relationship with water.

The river built its economy.

Ships made its port important.

Fortifications protected the approach.

Lighthouses guided vessels toward the harbor.

And the salt marshes surrounding the coast supported communities and wildlife long before tourists arrived.

So a day on Tybee isn't really separate from your Savannah trip.

It's another chapter of it.

You see Savannah from Lafayette Square.

Then you see the coast that helped make Savannah possible.

And by evening?

You're back where you started.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Visiting Tybee Island From Savannah

How far is Tybee Island from Savannah?

Tybee Island is approximately 18 miles from downtown Savannah. The drive generally takes around 30 minutes, although traffic can increase during busy weekends and summer travel periods.

Can you do Tybee Island as a day trip from Savannah?

Yes. Tybee Island is close enough to Savannah for a half-day or full-day trip. Visitors can combine the beach with attractions such as the Tybee Island Lighthouse and a dolphin tour before returning to Savannah that evening.

Can you see dolphins at Tybee Island?

Yes. Bottlenose dolphins are commonly found in the coastal waters surrounding Tybee Island, and several local boat tours are designed around observing them in their natural habitat.

What can you see on a Tybee dolphin tour?

Depending on the tour route, visitors may see bottlenose dolphins, Cockspur Island Lighthouse, Fort Pulaski, the Tybee Island Lighthouse, salt marshes and other coastal scenery.

Can you climb the Tybee Island Lighthouse?

Yes. Visitors can climb 178 steps inside the Tybee Island Lighthouse. The light station also includes historic support buildings and the Tybee Island Museum.

How old is the Tybee Island Lighthouse?

Tybee's lighthouse history dates to 1736, when the first daymark was completed following orders from James Oglethorpe. The existing lighthouse incorporates portions of a later eighteenth-century tower and nineteenth-century reconstruction.

Is the Tybee Island Lighthouse open every day?

The Tybee Island Light Station is currently open most days but closed on Tuesdays, with additional holiday and occasional weather-related closures. Visitors should check current hours before making the trip.

What is the small lighthouse near Fort Pulaski?

The Cockspur Island Lighthouse stands on a small islet near the southeastern end of Cockspur Island in the Savannah River. The lighthouse itself is not open to visitors but can be viewed from the water and from an overlook at Fort Pulaski.

Should I stay in Savannah if I want to visit Tybee Island?

Yes, particularly if Savannah's Historic District is the focus of your trip. Tybee is only about 18 miles away, making it easy to enjoy the coast during the day and return to downtown Savannah in the evening.

Where should I stay in Savannah for a Tybee Island day trip?

Hamilton-Turner Inn is located on Lafayette Square in Savannah's Historic District and provides a convenient historic home base for exploring Savannah while remaining within driving distance of Tybee Island.