Artist: Sky Benson
Tybee Post Theater:
Tybee Post Theater, as it is called today, was built in 1930. Located in the Fort Screven District, the theater was built as a movie house for the US Army soldiers and their families who lived in the then operating military base. At the end of WWII, the base was declared surplus and many of the structures were auctioned off, but the theater remained standing.
For about 20 years after the base was decommissioned, the family of Savannah’s Lucas Theatre operated the theater and renamed it the Beach Theater. The Beach Theater was active until the mid-1960’s.
The great theater was almost lost to time when in 1999 a developer applied for a demolition permit. The City of Tybee saved the theater by obtaining a temporary lease. In 2001, the Tybee Island Historical Society bought the building, and in doing so, permanently saved the theater.
Tybee citizens formed Friends of the Tybee Theater (FOTT) that same year and has been dedicated to restoring the theater ever since. After a lot of hard work, the theater was fully reopened in September 2015. As the only entertainment venue on the island, it is hard to imagine Tybee without its theater.
The Laughing Gull:
The laughing gull is the most common gull found on Tybee Island in the summer, and it is present on our coast all year long. These distinctive birds are easily recognizable by their black heads, which they sport from March to September, indicating the breeding season. The laughing gull gets its name from its loud call that resembles laughter, making it a familiar and lively presence along the shoreline.
Source: Visit Tybee and Tybee Island Marine Science Center
Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion:
Tybee Island got its claim to fame as Savannah’s Beach after the Central of Georgia Railroad constructed a rail line into the island. Now, summer tourists had a convenient route to escape the city and beat the heat on Tybee’s beaches. After the completion of the rail line in 1891, the Central of Georgia Railroad also built the Tybee Pier and Pavilion, known then as Tybrisa Pavilion.
By the turn of the century, Tybee was the heart of the social scene, and the Pier and Pavilion the heart of Tybee. In its early years, the Tybrisa Pavilion housed a restaurant, bowling alley, and a skating rink. It also had a large dancefloor which attracted Big Bands and brought jazz and swing entertainers to the island.
Unfortunately, the Tybrisa Pavilion suffered a fire in 1967. The skeleton of the once booming pier sat absent for three decades. Finally, thanks to the economic upturn from the 1996 Olympic Games, the Tybee Pier and Pavilion was rebuilt and restored as one of Tybee’s most visited and recognizable attractions.
Fun fact: the Tybee Pier and Pavilion an be spotted in a number of movies! Including, Baywatch, Cobra Kai, and The Spongebob Movie!
Source: Film Savannah and Visit Tybee
Tybee Lighthouse:
The Tybee Island Light Station was first commissioned by General James Oglethrope in 1732. Although it has been rebuilt several times, the Light Station has been guiding sailors into Savannah River for over 285 years. The lighthouse that stands today was built with the help of the Lighthouse Establishment after the Civil War. In 1861, as the Confederate troops were retreating to Fort Pulaski, they set fire to the lighthouse so that the Union Army could not use its light to guide their ships into Savannah. The Lighthouse that stands today was built fully of masonry and metal making it completely fireproof.
Standing 145 feet tall with 178 steps, the Tybee Island Lighthouse is the oldest and tallest lighthouse in Georgia, and one of the most intact historic lighthouses in America.
Source: Tybee Island Light Station And Museum and Visit Tybee
Maritime History:
Tybee Island has a rich maritime history. Spanish explorers sailed to Tybee in 1520 and claimed Tybee to be part of Spain’s “La Florida.” French explorers were also drawn to Tybee in search of Sassafras roots which resulted in a naval battle being fought between the two just off Tybee’s shores in 1605. In the following years, pirates viewed Tybee as a safe haven for hiding their treasure.
In 1733, when the Spanish were forced to relinquish their claims on Tybee and other surrounding islands, General James Oglethorpe led the settlement following the charter to create the Royal Colony of Georgia. From the beginning, Tybee was extremely important to the establishment of Georgia as it is positioned at the mouth of the Savannah River. Hence why General Oglethorpe commissioned the construction of the Lighthouse and surrounding fort to ensure control of the river access.
Tybee Island proved to be a strategic location for naval forces to occupy in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and the Civil War. In fact, in 1862 during the Civil War when the Union occupied Tybee Island, a new weapon called the “Rifled Canon” was first used on the island and forever changed how coastal areas were protected. Just after the Civil War, steamships were used to bring tourists to Tybee from Savannah.
Today the connection between Tybee’s waters and the Savannah Port is still strong, as you can often see cargo ships heading to the Savannah River.
Source: Visit Tybee
Loggerhead Sea Turtle:
There are seven species of sea turtles left on the planet, all of which are endangered. Five of these species are found along the coast of Georgia, with the loggerhead being the most common to nest on Georgia’s beaches. Sea turtle nesting season runs from May to October, with nests hatching about 60 days after they are laid. In 2022, Georgia experienced a record-breaking nesting season with 4,089 sea turtle nests, and Tybee Island also set a record with 35 nests on the island. The Tybee Island Sea Turtle Project, one of the many conservation programs run by the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, is a member of the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative, which monitors local nesting activity. During nesting season, it is crucial to keep our beaches flat, clean, and dark to support the nesting turtles.
Restaurants on Tybee also have the opportunity to be considered turtle friendly by never providing customers with any items in plastic bags, serving plastic straws, or using expanded polystyrene (i.e., styrofoam) products. This certification is monitored by Fight Dirty Tybee.
Source: Tybee Island Marine Science Center and Fight Dirty Tybee
Brown Pelican:
The Brown Pelican is a large bird, standing 54 inches tall with an impressive 6.5-foot wingspan. It is unique among the world’s seven pelican species for its dark coloration and is the only pelican species that dives from the air into the water to catch its food. This distinctive behavior and striking appearance make the Brown Pelican a fascinating subject for bird enthusiasts.
Source: Tybee Island Marine Science Center
Bottlenose Dolphin & North Atlantic Right Whale:
Bottlenose dolphins are a common sight year-round along the Georgia coast, and they can be observed from the beach, local estuaries, and rivers. These dolphins in Georgia and South Carolina exhibit unique behaviors such as strand feeding and begging, which are not commonly seen in other parts of the world. They are an ideal species for environmental studies due to their long lifespan, position as top predators, and thick blubber layer that accumulates contaminants over time. To protect these remarkable creatures, the Marine Mammal Protection Act requires individuals to stay at least 50 yards away from dolphins in the wild at all times.
The North Atlantic right whale, Georgia’s state marine mammal, is a critically endangered species with fewer than 450 individuals remaining. The two largest threats to these whales are ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Female North Atlantic right whales migrate seasonally from November to April, traveling from their northern feeding grounds in the Bay of Fundy to the nursery grounds off the coasts of Georgia and Florida. As the third largest of the baleen whale species, these majestic creatures can reach up to 55 feet in length and weigh as much as 70 tons.
Source: Tybee Island Marine Science Center
Great Egret:
The Great Egret is a strikingly large bird, standing about 40 inches tall, and can be found on Georgia’s coast all year round. This Great Egret is entirely white, with black legs, black feet, and a sharp yellow bill. Known for its longevity, the Great Egret is a long-lived species, with the oldest recorded individual reaching an impressive 23 years in the wild.
Source: Tybee Island Marine Science Center