Tybee Island, Georgia
TYBEE ISLAND IS A LAID-BACK beach town, an unhurried place that drifts along at an unhurried pace. Residents of nearby Savannah, just 18 miles away, have long taken advantage of the sun, surf and sand along its three-mile-long beach, and Tybee also draws vacationers from the rest of Georgia, the Atlantic coast and beyond.
The island also has played a role in U.S. history. More than three decades before he took the reins of the Confederate army, Robert E. Lee helped direct the construction of nearby Fort Pulaski, built after the War of 1812 as part of a coastal defense system aimed at ending the threat of invasion from Britain or elsewhere. Fort Screven, named for a hero of the American Revolution, was constructed later on the island for the same reason. Part of the fort now serves as the Tybee Island
At A Glance Population:
Average Temp: Average Age:
Nearest Hospital: Georgia Regional Hospital - Savannah
Nearest Major Airport: Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport
Tybee Island Info: Tybee Island Chamber of Commerce
www.tybeevisit.com (800) 868-2322
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Museum. At the Fort Pulaski National Monument, visitors can participate in a wide range of tours and demonstrations. Another relic of the past, one
that remains viable in the present, is the Tybee Island Light Station. The lighthouse, located near the mouth of the Savannah River, has been guiding ships since 1736 and, at 90 feet tall, at one time was the highest structure in America. The original lighthouse has been replaced several times. Tybee Island blossomed as a
resort in the late 19th century, when the Central of Georgia Railroad reached the island. The railroad also built the Tybrisa Pavilion in 1891, attracting increasing numbers of summer tourists and hastening the construction of the hundreds of summer cottages needed to house them. Three decades later, U.S. Route 80 was finished, tying Tybee
to the mainland and making it more convenient for vacationers to spend time on the island. People looking for fun found it at the pavilion, which featured an open dance floor and was a stop on Big Band tours. Developers followed, and, by 1940, the island had four hotels and a large number of smaller lodges. The Tybrisa Pavilion burned
to the ground in 1967 and was eventually replaced by the Tybee Pier and Pavilion, which opened in 1996. It is now a popular fishing spot and also is used for dances, concerts and other special events, including weddings and family reunions. A wide range of restaurants, modern hotels and motels, luxury condos and quaint inns and cottages all have found a home on Tybee, but the island retains its laid-back feel, going so far as to host an annual Beach Bum Parade.
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