Tybee Island, GA · Chatham County
Tybee cottage week, withthe chef handling Thursday night
There is one road onto Tybee, and once a family is out here for the week, nobody wants to drive back over Lazaretto Creek for dinner. A hibachi night at the cottage keeps everybody sandy, happy and on the island.
What a hibachi night looks like in Tybee Island
Tybee is Savannah's beach, about twenty minutes east of downtown past Fort Pulaski on US 80, and it has kept its small-town, flip-flop character. North Beach sits under the Tybee Island Light Station, the middle of the island gathers around the pier and pavilion and the shops on Tybrisa Street, and the south end curls around to the calmer water of the Back River, where families with little kids like to wade at low tide.
Most rentals are raised cottages and newer stilted houses with a carport or parking slab underneath, rented by the week to multigenerational families from Atlanta, Macon and the rest of Georgia. Summer is the obvious season, but the fireworks around the Fourth of July and the Pirate Fest weekend in October fill the island as well, and the shoulder months of May and September are calmer, cooler and easier to book. If you are staying on the mainland instead, our Savannah page covers the city side. Groups heading down from Atlanta often split the drive and spend a night downtown first.
From the grill
Setting up in Tybee Island
The grill does not go on the sand. On Tybee the usual spot is the concrete slab beneath a raised house, toward the open edge rather than tucked under low floor joists, or a side yard next to the outdoor shower. Parking on the island is metered and tight in summer, so hold one space in the driveway for the chef's vehicle. Check that the rental agreement allows a propane grill; some do not. Sea breeze helps with the heat, but it also pushes smoke, so we angle the grill away from the stairs.
Tybee Island questions
Can dinner happen right on the beach at sunset?
Not on the sand itself. We set up at the cottage, and on the east-facing beach the evening light is soft and pink over the ocean anyway, so many families eat first and walk down after.
Is it harder to get a chef out to the island on a summer Saturday?
Traffic on US 80 backs up on peak weekends, so we leave extra time and appreciate a little flexibility on start time. A weeknight in the middle of your stay is usually the easier booking.