Georgia · Savannah coast
One small island, two opposite ends. GPS the lighthouse and you are not at the pier. There is no beach gate — you pay to park — and South Beach is day one, not the whole map.
Tybee is Savannah’s beach town: a little over three miles of Atlantic sand on about three square miles, with a business-district hub at the pier and a historic north end at Fort Screven. Georgia treats the shoreline as public-trust. Getting onto it is city dune crossovers and paid parking. Stay off the dunes.
You can do both ends in a stay. You cannot treat them as the same lot. South Beach is where first-timers meant “the pier.” North Beach is lighthouse, TIMSC, and the second-most-used public beach — not a quiet locals’ hide. Mid is for people already sleeping nearby who can walk a numbered-street crossover.
Match the end to the day. North and South are the two first-day stretches. Opposite ends, neither a quiet find. Mid is the stay-put stretch. South Tip is a walk-off, not a swim plan. Back River is river water. Little Tybee is a different island, boat only — it is not in this table.
| Beach area | Best for | Crowds | Parking | Walkability | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Beach Directions | Atlantic sand plus lighthouse, Fort Screven, and TIMSC without the Tybrisa strip | Second-most-used public beach — weekend and holiday crowds | Dedicated Meddin Drive lot; lighthouse lot is 2-hour ticketed visitors only | Walkable to itself (30 / 33 / 37 Meddin). Not a short walk to the pier | Atlantic. North Jetty is a 2026 rescue site |
| Mid Beach Directions | Stay-nearby Atlantic via numbered-street crossovers; Memorial Park is the inland walk-to-sand cluster | Quieter, used mainly by people staying nearby | No city-named beachfront lot — street and crossover parking only | Short walk from Memorial Park, 402 Jones Ave. Pier is south of 14th | Atlantic. No city-sourced on-sand restroom |
| South Beach / Pier Directions | The hub: pier, pavilion, Tybrisa food, Ocean Rescue HQ, densest official lot cluster | Business-district energy; festivals at the pavilion | Hardest on peak weekends — city’s named pinch, 14th–18th / Strand | Highest walkability: pier, Tybrisa, Strand, hotels | Atlantic. Pier and South Jetty are 2026 rescue sites. Do not jump from the pier |
| South Tip Directions | Walk south from the Strand lot onto less-commercial sand | Walk-off from the hub, not a second destination | No large city-named lot. Fills with the south end | Walkable from 18th Street / Strand lot | Not a swim stretch. Sandbar is illegal and extremely hazardous |
| Back River Directions | River / Tybee Creek: fishing pier, municipal kayak and boat ramp at Chatham Avenue | Quieter, local, river-facing | Small Fisherman’s Walk cluster — not the 14th–18th lots | Residential Chatham Avenue. Not walkable to the lighthouse | Not open-ocean guarded swim. Milder waves, tidal currents |
Lighthouse end · day trip
Public lot behind Fort Screven on Meddin Drive Directions. Bathrooms at 31B Meddin Drive. North Beach Grill at 33 Meddin Drive, on the lot. Light Station at 30 Meddin Drive Directions. TIMSC at 37 Meddin Drive, end of the North Beach lot — never south. ADA via the North Beach Mid-Lot mobi-mat. Jaycee Park (5–10 min walk, not a beach lot): 30 Van Horn Street.
Stay-nearby sand
Numbered-street dune crossovers plus Butler Avenue street parking. No city-named beachfront lot, and no city-sourced on-sand restroom. Second Avenue Cross-over (East Gate) is the official mobi-mat. Memorial Park, 402 Jones Ave Directions — behind City Hall, 403 Butler Avenue — is the inland playground and restroom cluster; you still walk to the sand. Visitor Center on the city map: 802 1st Street. 14th Street is the south boundary / start of South Beach.
Hub · day one
Strand Avenue & Tybrisa Street — also listed 1 Tybrisa Street Directions. Parking Services and Strand bathrooms at 1509 Strand Ave. Ocean Rescue / Life Guard Building at 1511 Strand Avenue. Lots at 14th Street and the Strand lot (17th–18th). Tybrisa mobi-mat. This is the city’s named parking pinch. Chatham County Parks & Rec manages the pier and pavilion (912-652-6781). If the pier itself is your whole plan, confirm county status — restoration work can close it.
Walk-off · not a swim
Public dune walks at 18th Street, 19th Street, and Chatham Avenue. No current official “South Tip Beach” lot — the Strand lot (17th–18th) is the south edge of the hub. Come only if you already have a South Beach space and will stay off the sandbar. Walking, swimming, or wading to the south-end sandbar beyond posted signs is unlawful and extremely hazardous. It was a 2026 Memorial Day rescue site. You cannot walk to Little Tybee.
River · fish and kayak
River side, parallel to Chatham Avenue. Access cluster: Fisherman’s Walk / Alley 3 / Inlet Avenue Directions. Powered-craft legal launch: municipal boat ramp on the Back River at Chatham Avenue. Fishing is prohibited in the 60-foot right-of-way of the Alley 3 ramp. View toward Little Tybee. Not ocean surf, not a guarded swim, not Little Tybee.
Little Tybee is a Georgia Heritage Preserve, not a City of Tybee municipal beach. Boat only — no road, no city lot, no bridge, no address. A DNR Lands Pass or Georgia hunting/fishing license is the access credential; hunting is still prohibited. Do not walk or wade the sandbar to get there.
Parking Services: 1509 Strand Ave., Tybee Island, GA 31328 Directions · (912) 472-5101 · Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–5 p.m., closed 12–1 p.m.
Updated Aug 13, 2026 · City of Tybee
Skip tourism widgets and rumor flag apps. For Tybee, use the sources that are actually official:
Tybrisa and the Strand are where first-timers eat after a South Beach day. North Beach Grill sits on the North Beach lot at 33 Meddin Drive Directions — useful when you are already at the lighthouse end. This is not a full dining map.
Through Monday, Aug 17, Restaurant Week is the easiest way to eat across the island without guessing the regular menu. No ticket; pay for the special. Sea Wolf Tybee, Wind Rose near the pier, Sand Cat, and The Sugar Shack (eight businesses total). Confirm the day’s special at the door.
Pick the end that matches the beach you will actually use. South Beach / Tybrisa–Strand is the hotel strip — VisitTybee names Hotel Tybee, Admiral’s Inn, and Sea and Breeze there. Mid-island lodging along Butler and the numbered streets is the walk-to-crossover play. North Beach is Fort Screven historic and residential, not the hotel strip.
A stay is the logistics win in August: you are not re-hunting a South End space every morning, and you are not stacking a same-day U.S. 80 round trip on peak heat. Historic Savannah is close enough for a dinner or a fort stop. It is not a substitute for a Tybee parking plan if you are coming for the sand.
Pair a beach end with one indoor or causeway stop — especially while the heat warning holds.
30 Meddin Drive Directions, across from the North Beach lot. Ticketed visitors get 2-hour complimentary parking at the lighthouse lot — then move to the public lot. Closed Tuesdays; last ticket 4:30 p.m.; grounds close 5:30 p.m. Those are lighthouse hours, not beach hours.
37 Meddin Drive, end of the North Beach lot Directions. Elevator and ramp. Beach-ecology walks run on North Beach. This is not a South Beach address.
101 Fort Pulaski Road Directions, on the U.S. 80 causeway about a mile west of the island. You pass it on the way. Tuesday, Aug 25 is a free-entrance day for U.S. citizens and residents; other days the usual $10/person (16+) for 7 days still applies. Card only.
Municipal boat ramp on the Back River at Chatham Avenue — the legal powered-craft launch, plus kayak and the river fishing pier. This is the view toward Little Tybee, not a second ocean beach.
Indoor nights at 10 Van Horne Avenue Directions are carrying the late-August lull. Box office 912-472-4790. Buy only at tybeeposttheater.org.
Geography
North Beach is Fort Screven: Light Station at 30 Meddin Drive, TIMSC at 37 Meddin Drive, public lot on Meddin. South Beach is Tybrisa, Strand, and the pier at 1 Tybrisa Street. Mid Beach runs 1st to 14th. They do not share a lot. VisitTybee’s own split is North (Savannah River → 1st), Mid (1st–14th), South (14th–18th), Back River (18th → fishing pier).
Animals
Pets are banned on all municipal beaches and structures thereon. Certified service or guide animals are the exception. Emotional support is not a service animal on the city’s reading. The ban is island-wide, not a North-vs-South rule.
Hazard
The south-end sandbar toward Little Tybee is posted, unlawful, and extremely hazardous — fast tidal currents where the inlet meets the beach. It was one of four Memorial Day 2026 rescue sites, with the North Jetty, the pier, and the South Jetty. Little Tybee is boat only. Do not treat the bar as a shortcut.
North Beach
Tybee Island Marine Science Center relocated to North Beach in 2021. Official address: 37 Meddin Drive, at the end of the North Beach parking lot on the beach side of Fort Screven.
Town parks, mid-island sand, and a real off-season window — the other Lowcountry public-access puzzle.
Gulf quartz sand for families — logistics-first mornings, quieter at Crescent or Turtle.
Tell us the trip — we’ll name a stretch and the trade-off.