On our last day in Savannah, my mom and I decided to get up bright and early and drive about 20 minutes east of the city to explore Tybee Island.
With our visitors guide in hand, our first stop was the beach. We arrived at the beach around 9:00 a.m., and it was pretty empty. It wasn’t too hot, and we were even able to rent two beach chairs and an umbrella, which I appreciated since my skin is basically translucent ;).
It was peaceful feeling like we had the beach to ourselves for a few hours. Going from the hustle and bustle of downtown Savannah to the laid-back atmosphere of Tybee Island in a matter of 20 minutes was such a cool experience. We set up near the pier and relaxed for a few hours.
We grabbed lunch at restaurant along the beach and checked out the pier. By 1:30 p.m., the temperature was in the 90s and the beach was packed. We decided we had had enough of the beach and were ready to check out the Tybee Island Light Station. I was super excited because I’m absolutely fascinated by lighthouses.
Right before we left the beach, we watched two people get married next to the lifeguard station. I cheered and clapped really loud after they said their vows and kissed, haha.
I’ve visited a few light houses in the Outer Banks (Currituck, Bodie Island, and Cape Hatteras) and read The Light Between Oceans, which has only fueled my interest in lighthouses. Needless to say, Tybee Island Lighthouse did not disappoint!
It was built in 1773 and was burned by the confederates in 1861. In 1867, it was rebuilt after the Civil War. What’s really amazing is that the bottom 60 feet of the lighthouse are the original 1773 lighthouse.
When I found out visitors could climb the lighthouse and explore the grounds, I jumped in line to buy a ticket. My mom decided to hang back and look for me when I reached the top because it was so hot outside.
After heading up 178 steps, I was rewarded with a gorgeous view 154 feet above sea level. It was just surreal. Viewing God’s beautiful creation from a different viewpoint was such a blessing. The picture really doesn’t do the view any justice.
After climbing the lighthouse, I was able to explore the head keeper’s cottage, summer kitchen, and 2nd assistant keeper’s cottage. There was so much history to take in, I felt like I could have spent hours wandering around the light station grounds.
Something funny happened as I was walking around. One of the workers noticed I had a Pittsburgh Pirates hat on and told me the head boss of the light station was from Pittsburgh. We chatted for a bit and then I continued to explore. When I walked into the gift shop, the head boss spotted my hat and told me he was from Mckeesport, which is pretty close the the area I grew up at in Pittsburgh. It’s a small world 🙂
After visiting the lighthouse, we walked around a beach shop for a little while. We then headed back to our hotel to pack up for the long drive home to Pittsburgh.
Next up, I will be discussing what we ate while in Savannah!
Living My Full Life 
Great post baby!! Sorry I didn’t climb the lighthouse with you~ I didn’t want to have to call 911 for assistance while on our mini-vacay 😂
Love you!!!
Thanks, mama! And it’s totally okay! I would rather have you alive than have you climb a lighthouse with me! I had so much fun with you! Love you ❤
I love Folly Beach down here in Charleston. Probably my favorite beach, as there’s a lot to eat and drink there and it’s a fun beach. The other beaches in town are a little yuppy, but Folly’s where the surfers go. I did the Save the Lighthouse half marathon on Folly a few years ago, it’s a great local race for the cause of lighthouse preservation. It’s all paved, though. I’ve never been to Tybee Island but it looks similar to our beaches, which would make sense down in the Southeast.
Folly Beach sounds like my kind of beach! How neat that you got to run a lighthouse half marathon! I’m pretty jealous!
I think you would love Tybee Island! Maybe you’ll get a chance to visit when you run that race in Savannah 🙂
I love that you cheered and clapped after the couple kissed. That’s super cute and totally something I would do. There’s just something so beautiful about weddings! 🙂
I haven’t been to a lighthouse in forever! Since I was a kid. I would love to go visit a couple! Glad you had such fun exploring the light house and hanging out at the beach! 🙂
Haha yes!! I just had to root on the married couple! Weddings really are amazing!
I hope you get a chance to visit a couple of lighthouses soon! Maybe you’ll find some in Europe 🙂
I like the idea that a lighthouse is something steadfast and a permeant security. It also helps that they are really beautiful too!
I love that, too!! They really are gorgeous!
Cape Cod has some beautiful lighthouses, and I’ve definitely enjoyed taking pics of them…and even exploring the inside of a few. They’re definitely a huge part of New England.
It was fun seeing your pics of this lighthouse and hearing about how excited you were to explore it!
I bet the lighthouses in Cape Cod are amazing! I’ve always wanted to visit Cape Cod (and Nantucket!). New England in general is just gorgeous!