blog

One of the questions I get a lot from families who book photoshoots is “what do you suggest we do while we are visiting”. For some reason it’s only taken me 6+ years to write a post about it lol. There are so many fun family friendly things to do on Tybee whether you are visiting for the day or for longer make sure you check at least a few of these off while you are here – and of course go enjoy the beach!

See the Island from above | Tybee Lighthouse

Climb Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse! I can’t remember how many stairs Christopher counted, I think it was 170-something. The lighthouse is a nice stop for any Tybee trip. I took Christopher (8) and Ada (5) one afternoon after school and between climbing the lighthouse and visiting the buildings on the property I think we were there maybe 30-45 minutes. The kids loved climbing and the view from the top was great! The only complaint…Christopher almost got pooped on by a bird sitting on the top of the lighthouse haha!! Visit their website HERE for pricing and more information.

Find a treasure | Tybee Shark Teeth Tours

Check in with Tybee Shark Teeth Tours and find a treasure!! This 1 hour walking tour not only puts you on the hunt but teaches you everything you need to know about how you can become an avid shark tooth hunter. Kaytelynne started the business approximately 3 years ago out of a passion for not only finding shark teeth but helping others to find teeth of their own while she spent time on the beach with her kids.

I spent a morning with Kaytelynne observing and photographing a tour and was surprised at how much I learned!! She has a passion for everything shark teeth and fossils and wants to educated her guests while ensuring everyone is having a good time and finding at least 1 tooth!

Tour times are based on the tide and locations are based on where the shell beds are best. Get in touch with Tybee Shark Teeth Tours and book your tour today!

Can you spot the shark tooth below??

Eat your heart out | Best Places to Eat on Tybee Island

I have 3 favorite places to eat when I’m down on Tybee but there are really so many other options for dining out and so many places I haven’t tried (I typically don’t go south of 8th Street when I hit the island).

The first is my favorite – The Crab Shack. If you’re looking for seafood look no further – the Crab Shack has what you want! It also has alligators and birds and cats so it’s not only good food but it’s entertaining for kids, mine ask to go at least once a month and anytime they are with me on Tybee they are begging for “that place with the alligators”.

My second favorite place to eat on Tybee is Zunzibar. In all the years (including when I worked downtown and we used to walk to the York Street location on breaks) I’ve NEVER eaten anything that wasn’t top notch at Zunzi’s. My personal favorite it the Oliver’s Lunch and because I can’t help myself I always get it “Oliver’s Way” over rice.

The last time we went Ada got the kindwich and I had a bite – I almost wanted to take it from her lol! Christopher had the limon pepper wings and ate them all. I don’t have any photos from this adventure because I didn’t take any the last time we were there and I tried going back in my phone to find something from another visit and came up empty. I guess I’ll have to go back again soon.

PS…don’t skip trying the sauce at Zunzi’s

The final place I’m going to recommend might ruffle some feathers because I’m sharing my favorite pizza place on Tybee and it’s NOT the one everyone talks about all the time…

I enjoy ordering from Lighthouse Pizza. It’s our Friday night Memorial Day weekend tradition and it’s so good I’d go down to Tybrisa Street to pick it up if they didn’t deliver – that’s past 8th Street if you aren’t familiar. We get a cheese pizza for the kids but for Chris and I we flip flop back and forth between the chicken alfredo pizza and the buffalo chicken pizza – sometimes we go all out, get both and spend the days after enjoying slice after slice.

I’ll work on a photo for this also – we are right around the corner from Memorial Day so check back soon!

Take a walk back in time | Visit Fort Pulaski

It’s been years since I’ve visited Fort Pulaski – I’ll have to try to dig up a childhood photo the next time I’m at my parent’s house to share. I took Christopher and Ada after school one day to get some photos and to check things out.

We went into the fort, upstairs and down, then through the tunnels. Since we went afterschool we ran out of time on the property (the fort closes at 4:30 so we didn’t do any of the trails. One of our next after school activities might be going back to walk some of the trails, since I bought the America the Beautiful pass earlier this year for our summer plans, I won’t have to pay entrance fees.

The park ranger on duty was very attentive and had answers for all the questions people coming and going were asking him. When I asked the kids if they preferred the lighthouse or the fort more they both said Fort Pulaski! 

Hit the water

Recently I took a tour with Captain Derek’s Dolphin Tours and it didn’t disappoint! This 90ish minute excursion was as easy as it gets. I booked online, showed up to an easy parking and check in, then followed the loudspeaker instructions to walk down the dock and load up on a boat.

Once we were out in the ocean the friendly and knowledgeable boat captain and crew shared information about the local dolphin pods, the general area, and specifically about what we were seeing with each group of dolphins we encountered and points of interest along the way.

I went out at the end of April and the boats were both pretty full so I’d advise booking in advance as I’m sure the summer tours book up fast!

Bonus!! Book a Tybee Family Session!

While you’re here and all together book a family session!! I could go on and on about how a family session is the most important memories you will make while your visiting Tybee but I won’t – deep deep down you already know lol. All jokes aside – no one has ever contacted me after a session and said “we can’t believe we spent time doing that” – even if photos are the last thing you want to do you’ll be happy that you took the time to book a session and now have all the photos to remind you of this moment!

There are so many amazing Tybee family photographers – there’s someone to fit every style and budget. I know I would love to send you information about booking a session for your family! If this is something that interests you CLICK HERE! to fill out a contact form. Like I said before, you’ll never regret spending the time having family photos taken!