Tybee Island, Georgia

Day 1

Due to the working persons schedule that I am a slave to we began our journey at 4:00pm.  The timing was perfect for travel we missed the 5:00pm traffic of Gainesville and Jacksonville .  The only set back was the rumble in our tummies around 6:00pm and still almost two hours away from our destination.  Opting to silence the beastly bellies roars we took the Jeckyll Island exit and chowed down at one of the several fast food establishments in the area.  For future trips I plan to leave a few hours earlier (2:00pm would be a good start time) in order to enjoy a more satisfying meal at one of the more upscale restaurants in Savannah or Tybee Island .

After a dinner of Steak-n-Shake burgers (if that is what you want to call it) we rolled in to Savannah around 8:00pm. Much like Gainesville and Jacksonville , you want to miss Savannah’s 5:00pm traffic, especially if you are traveling to Tybee.  The main route or should I say only route brings you through the center of Savannah  and you could easily spend one to two hours sitting in stop and go traffic before you make it to your destination.  Again our timing was perfect there was lite traffic and we made it to our island destination in around thirty minutes. 

Once we were on Tybee Island it was already getting dark so the only thing we could do was make our way to the hotel and check in.  As for you singles out there I know what your thinking darkness means nightlife.  Well for us this was a family trip and our two year old screamed for salvation from the car and a few cartoons before bed.  We stayed at the Howard Johnson’s Admiral’s Inn which was perfectly located 500ft from across the Tybee Island Pier and beach.  There was a minor altercation at the hotel which is addressed in my hotel review that I won’t waste time or space rehashing here.  The hotel does have a small pool that was inviting and we opted for after a brief discussion with our two year old voiding the cartoon idea and making for a great way to burn off that extra energy he stored up on the trip over. 

There is an over abundance of night life for every taste and way of life on Tybee Island .  From the evening stroll on the beach or pier for the more family oriented to the eaterys/bars with live entertainment that provide indoor and outdoor seating (again for the family oriented that prefers a good time over coming down with a case of black lung).  Due to the rather small size of most of the establishments on the island if you are a nonsmoker (and maybe even a smoker) you will choke with surprise at the amount of smoke that billows out as you open doors during your exploration of Tybee.    

Day 2

We woke rather early on Saturday excited to begin our exploration of the Island and set foot onto the beach for a little R & R in the sand and surf.  Our first order of business was to acquire caffeine and some staple of food to get the blood flowing for our busy day of exploration and fun.  We had heard rumors of a great breakfast joint called the Breakfast Club and opt to locate it and partake in its bountiful basket of breakfast goodies.  Once downstairs we received directions from our desk clerk that lead us across the street to our location.  Mouth watering and excited we grinned from ear to ear with anticipation of getting our grub on. 

Hand in hand we swung our arms as we rounded the corner to enter the establishment.  We stopped dead in our tracks as we looked to the front door and the patron that stood blocking the way followed by another patron standing behind the first and so on and so on carried to the fifth power.  I looked at my watch and scratched my head trying to figure out why a line of twenty plus were waiting to eat at 8:00am.  A wail from my two year old informed me that we were not going to be waiting in line and that the smirk that the desk clerk gave with the directions were because he knew we would be back to dine on the continental breakfast that the hotel provided.  By the way the continental breakfast while not mouthwatering was adequate enough to sustain us till lunch. 

If anyone out there has ever dinned at the Breakfast Club drop me a line and let me know if the wait is worth it for breakfast, or if the hype is just another Blair Witch production.  There has to be something to it because when we left the beach around 11:00am there was still a line.  If you’re in the neighborhood and care to try it they open at 6:30am, if its as good as the hype it would be worth getting up for.  If you’re not an early bird then be prepared to wait to catch the worm.  And if you have small children here’s cheers to you coming from across the continental breakfast table at the Admiral’s Inn .

Tybee beach when the tide is out is a massive sand box to play upon.  Early in the morning you are guaranteed the pick of beach towel spots and room to stretch out and tan on.  No rocks or shale to chaff your feet upon, just grade A smooth beach sand with the occasional shell or sand dollar of a treasure waiting for you to find.  Moderate temperatures provided by a steady breeze and occasional overcast can deceive you into believing that sun block is not required (I can still here my wife’s, “I told you so!”)  make for a wonderful beach experience.  You have the choice of parking your towel near the pier which has bathroom amenities, a small food court, and music.  Or you can bring a cooler stocked with drinks and food (no glass containers) and hike down the beach away from the masses to your own semi private oasis.