Tybee Island In The Sun

Tybee Island was the destination today and we made a beeline for our visit.  For those who haven't been there before, it is an island southeast of Savannah, GA with the ocean on one side and rivers on the other.  It is a less developed town and isn't overrun with highrises, condos and huge homes.  They do have a few of the above, but the beach is still easily reached.

The Tybee Lighthouse and Museum was our first stop on the island.  

Ordered by General James Oglethorpe, Governor of the 13th colony, in 1732, the Tybee Island Light Station has been guiding mariners safe entrance into the Savannah River for over 270 years. The Tybee Island Light Station is one of America's most intact having all of its historic support buildings on its five-acre site. Rebuilt several times the current lightstation displays its 1916 day mark with 178 stairs and a First Order Fresnel lens (nine feet tall).

 We all decided that it wasn't a good idea to climb the stairs to the top, so we just admired the lighthouse from below.  Across the road from the lighthouse are some old gun batteries from the 1800s.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the museum is its location in Battery Garland of Fort Screven. Battery Garland was constructed between 1898 and 1899. It was originally used to mount a huge 12 inch “non-disappearing” rifled long range cannon on top of the battery.

Within the walls of Battery Garland are seven rooms which contain artifacts and exhibits covering more than five centuries of history. Most of the lower rooms which now contain the Museum’s exhibits were originally used to store smokeless gun powder and projectiles which weighed over 700 pounds each. Battery Garland was named in honor of Colonel John Garland, Eighth Infantry, who “served with distinction in the Florida War, and died on January 5, 1861.” 

I had downloaded a few geocaches and one of them was across the street from the lighthouse.  Judy, Herb, Gerry and I set out to find the elusive cache and Judy actually was the one who found it.  I will take credit for the find and have entered it into my list.  There was another cache across the street, but it involved keys and other obscure rules and they weren't able to solve the puzzle.  

It was a beautiful day and the beach was almost deserted.  Gerry managed to get this nice picture and it sure does look inviting. 

Tybee Island Beach

These witches were gathering in a parking lot and looked to be almost ready to ride off on their brooms.  We didn't dare hang around too long or they might have taken us with them.  Scary looking bunch as you can see.

Gerry and Judy went shopping along the beach looking for end of the year bargains.  Luckily none were found and Herb & I escaped with our wallets intact.  We would have parked, but it cost $2.00 an hour to park and it only counted for the first space you were  in.  If you moved, then it was another $2.00/hour.  Every available space on the island had these signs up and it was impossible to park in a free spot unless it was a large business.  I don't mind paying for parking but felt the cost there was out of line with what was available.

A few years ago, Gerry and I along with friends Mann and Carolyn stopped at the The Crab Shack on Tybee Island and had a nice meal.  We decided it was time for another trip out there and commenced to search for it.  Even though it was well marked and such, we had a difficult time finding the place.  I thought it was closer to Savannah but we finally found the place.

They are famous for their "low country boil sampler" as pictured below.  Since I can't eat shellfish, the three of them decided the "boil" was too much food for them to finish off.  People at the next table let me take a picture of their meal and it sure does look good.

To say the place has an eclectic flavor would be an understatement.  They have an alligator pen with about 100 alligators 2-4 ft long right at the entrance.  The light fixtures are old bushel baskets with a bulb in them and the cats have the run of the place.  We all thought our meals were OK, but not that tasty and were overpriced.  More of a tourist stop than a 5 star restaurant.  It is a nice place to visit at least once, but not more than that. JMHO

Judy & Herb

Gerry & Me

Our table on the water.

We went back to Savannah after the late lunch and headed for River Street and the Halloween festivities that evening.  More to follow on our trip there in the next blog.  Stay tuned.

That was half of our day, how was yours?