Tybee Island Lighthouse
First established in 1736 under James Oglethorpe at the mouth of the Savannah River, the Tybee Island Light has been rebuilt across four successive towers, the present 144-foot structure dating to 1867 after the Civil War. For generations its keepers lived and died in the lighthouse's shadow, tending the great first-order lens that guided ships in from the open Atlantic, and at least one of them is said to have never left.
Visitors who climb the 178 iron steps to the gallery describe footsteps echoing above and below them on the spiral stair, doors that swing shut on their own in the empty tower, and a solitary figure watching from the gallery rail at the very top, where the wind and the sweep of the beacon make the long, narrow climb feel anything but solitary.
📍 30 Meddin Dr, Savannah, GA · Get directions