Best Day Trips from Savannah: Tybee Island, Charleston and Jekyll Island

Savannah’s day-trip geography runs along the Georgia-South Carolina coast in both directions, with the Atlantic always within reach. North lies Charleston and the antebellum Low Country. South runs the Georgia Golden Isles — Jekyll, St Simons, and Cumberland — a string of Sea Islands where the Spanish established missions before the British built plantation estates. Tybee Island, just east, is close enough for a morning swim and lunch return.

For the city itself, see our Savannah travel guide and Things To Do In Savannah.

Tybee Island — the local beach

Approximately 18 miles east of Savannah’s Historic District via US-80 (around 25–30 minutes by car), Tybee Island is where Savannah goes to the ocean. It is an unpretentious Georgia barrier island — wide Atlantic beach, a lighthouse that has stood since 1736, and a commercial strip on Butler Avenue that deals in seafood, kayak rentals, and beach bars without much pretension either way. Tybee Island Light Station and Museum (approximately $12 per adult for the combined ticket as of 2026) includes the lighthouse keeper’s quarters and the 178-step climb to the top for a view across Wassaw Sound and the surrounding marshes. North Beach is the quieter stretch; South Beach near the pier is more active. Parking on Tybee is metered (approximately $2–3 per hour as of 2026) and fills fast on summer weekends — arrive before 9 am or accept a longer walk. The Crab Shack on the island’s lagoon side is the landmark seafood institution; AJ’s Dockside Restaurant on Lazaretto Creek is the locals’ alternative.

Charleston — the northern twin

Approximately 108 miles north via I-95 North and I-26 East (around 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on traffic), Charleston is the most obvious full-day excursion from Savannah and genuinely worth the drive for first-time visitors to the region. The two cities share antebellum architecture, horse-drawn carriage tour culture, and strong culinary identities, but Charleston is larger, more visited, and more commercially polished. Rainbow Row (the 13 pastel Georgian houses on East Bay Street) and Waterfront Park are 10 minutes apart on foot. The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon (approximately $14 per adult as of 2026) beneath the exchange building is one of the better-documented colonial-era sites in the US. The French Quarter between Meeting and East Bay Streets has the best concentration of restaurants for lunch. Allow 2 hours each way plus 4–6 hours in the city.

Jekyll Island — the Georgia Gold Coast escape

Approximately 75 miles south via I-95 South and the Jekyll Island Causeway (around 1 hour 15 minutes by rental car; causeway toll approximately $8 per vehicle as of 2026), Jekyll Island is the only Georgia barrier island without private development — 65% is protected land. The Millionaires’ Village Historic District (free to enter; guided tours approximately $19–25 as of 2026) preserves the winter cottages of Rockefeller, Morgan, Pulitzer, and other Gilded Age dynasties who used the island as an exclusive hunting club from 1886 to 1942. The Jekyll Island Club hotel occupies the original 1886 building — lunch on the veranda is genuinely good and appropriately atmospheric. The Summer Waves Water Park (approximately $27–32 as of 2026) appeals on hot days. The Glory Beach on the north end is long and uncrowded; 20 miles of paved biking paths through the island’s interior and along the oceanfront make cycling the preferred way to explore (rentals approximately $15–20 for a half-day from the Bike Barn near the club district).

Hilton Head Island, SC — the resort coast

Approximately 45 miles north via US-278 and Hilton Head’s Cross-Island Parkway (around 1 hour by car), Hilton Head is South Carolina’s largest barrier island and its most developed — manicured resort communities, golf courses, and a 12-mile beach that is never quite as wild as the Georgia islands south of it. Harbour Town in the Sea Pines Resort has a lighthouse (approximately $5 to climb; free to walk to), a yacht harbour, and the most-photographed scene on the island. Coligny Beach Park is the best free public beach access. The bike path network rivals Jekyll Island’s in length; rentals are approximately $15–25 per day. For wildlife, the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (free; day-use only, no vehicles) between US-278 and the bridge is excellent for shorebird and wading bird watching. Parking in Sea Pines costs approximately $8 per day as of 2026 for non-resort guests; Coligny has metered parking.

St Simons Island — the quieter Golden Isle

Approximately 80 miles south via I-95 (around 1 hour 15 minutes to the Brunswick exit, then the causeway), St Simons Island is larger than Jekyll and less historically charged — a residential community of old families and retirees with a good village core and long stretches of live oak canopy. Fort Frederica National Monument (approximately $7 per adult as of 2026) preserves the 1736 British fort built to defend against Spanish Florida — the ranger-led programme explains why Oglethorpe’s Georgia mattered strategically. Neptune Park on the ocean at the village pier has a small beach and the 1872 lighthouse (approximately $10 to climb as of 2026). The Village near the pier has good restaurants for lunch — Halyards is the well-regarded local seafood spot. St Simons and Jekyll work well as a combined day: causeway to Jekyll in the morning for the historic district, causeway back to St Simons for lunch and the fort in the afternoon.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge — the dark-water swamp

Approximately 80 miles west-southwest via US-84 (around 1 hour 20 minutes to the Stephen C. Foster State Park entrance near Fargo, or 1 hour 30 minutes to the Okefenokee Swamp Park main entrance near Waycross), the Okefenokee Swamp is one of the oldest and most intact freshwater ecosystems in North America — 438,000 acres of peat bog, blackwater lakes, and cypress swamp. The Okefenokee Swamp Park in Waycross (approximately $20 per adult as of 2026; tours separate) is the main visitor centre entry. Canoe trail day rentals (approximately $30–40 for a day canoe as of 2026) from the National Wildlife Refuge’s Suwannee Canal Recreation Area give the most direct wildlife experience. American alligators are abundant and visible from the water year-round; wood storks, sandhill cranes, and great blue herons are common. Spring is the best season — winter can be cold for reptile activity; summer is hot and buggy.

Practical tips

• Tybee Island parking in July and August on weekends: arrive before 9 am or take the Chatham Area Transit (CAT) bus from Savannah (Route 28, approximately $1.50 each way as of 2026)
• Jekyll Island causeway toll: keep $8 cash or a card ready — the toll plaza takes both
• Hilton Head Sea Pines gated entrance: day visitors pay the parking fee at the gate, not in advance
• Okefenokee in summer: bring heavy-duty insect repellent and a hat; the Suwannee Canal trail paddling is far more pleasant in March–May
• Prices as of 2026 — confirm at venue sites before travelling

For guided excursions from Savannah, see GetYourGuide’s Savannah selection — Jekyll Island tours, Tybee kayak trips, and Charleston day trips run from the city.

More Savannah Guides

• Full Savannah travel guide
• Things to do in Savannah
• Best hotels in Savannah