I’ve wanted to visit Tybee Island for several years. I think I read a book that featured the area and it stuck with me. Books can do that. I’ve read a series from Minneapolis MN though, and I’ve no inclination to spend time there. Been there a couple of times and there’s not much of a draw for me. For some reason, Southern beach towns speak to me.
Must be the history talking.
Growing up in the Bay Area of California we had many beach options. Half Moon Bay, Monterey, Carmel by the Sea, and my all time favorite, Santa Cruz. Maybe it’s because Santa Cruz has a boardwalk with a famous roller coaster (the Giant Dipper). Or beachy shops with saltwater taffy, shell art and tee shirts that say, “I got crabs at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk”, but this is how beach towns should be in my world. A little kitschy and hippy dippy, and just the amount of crazy that lets you know you aren’t.
Sunburns were required in my day. Skin cancer? No one cared.
Tybee fits that description perfectly. The Island is off the coast of Savannah, the grand dame of southern cities. Charleston is the lady, Savannah the dame and New Orleans is the floozy. Or so I’ve been told by a native Georgian. Whatever the case, I love all of them just as they are. Tybee is quiet, at least in November. The beach is lovely, shells, gulls and sun all in perfect harmony. And the weather was fabulous, high 70’s in the daytime and 50’s at night.
The campground we stayed in is the only one on the island. It’s just enough rustic to feel like camping, but has enough amenities to make the it easy. We biked to a few places from our site, and walked a few times. Something we run into while traveling off season, is that things are closed! Makes for a quiet visit, but the FOMO is real. I did get to the little arts area nearby and enjoyed meeting the shop owners. Found a few gifts and souvenirs too.
Southern islands are mostly marshland, surrounded by waterways that separate them from each other. Some are natural, others more inhabited. Bridges connect across the waterways to allow exploration, but some are only reachable by boat.
Boats are big out here, and so is fishing. When you can get shrimp or oysters for breakfast, you know you’re in the South! Breaded and deep fried, hot sauce on the side.
Bruce’s beach world growing up was the coast of Oregon. Stunning. Cliffs, tide pools, rock formations, crashing waves, whale watching. A bit of kitsch here and there. A pirate themed coffee shop comes to mind. A few beachy hotels and lovely resorts.
He took to the Santa Cruz vibe immediately, Tybee didn’t disappoint.
We spent part of a day in Savannah, saw the Sorrel-Weed house. It’s a feature on of one of the ghost tours, and well suited to it. History in the south always includes the tragic story of the enslaved and this house was no different. There were Savannah grey bricks in the courtyard that had the fingerprints of the children who made them, (sigh). The house was also built on a revolutionary war battlefield, so standing in the basement where soldiers were buried gave pause.
We ate lunch at the British pot pie shop, tiny space, great pies.
And I found a super elegant chocolatier…
They didn’t last long!
Tomorrow we start making our way to Lakeland FL for 2 months. Hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Won’t be long till Christmas is here. We’ll be at Universal Orlando with Ben and Carolyn for those days, she’s been planning it for almost 6 months. I hear there’s a spread sheet with all of our activities, meals, rest stops and park time, scheduled for the 3 days we’re there. I am not fond of theme parks, (HATE crowds) so having someone plan, with excitement and enthusiasm, makes it a vacation for me. Point me in a direction and tell me what to do, it’s the only way I’ll survive a theme park!
But until then, we’ll enjoy the warmth of Florida, sunshine, maybe some swimming and the lack of snow, ice, windchills, and deep freezes. And we’ll pray that this winter no one’s RV catches fire next door to ours!
Love your articles, Cinda! Just one correction in this one: The Boardwalk’s roller Coaster is called the Giant Dipper not the Big Dipper.
See ya!
Dan
Fixed! Thanks