We piled into the car for a quick tour of the island to help us plan our day. Our first stop was the
Tybee Visitors Bureau, where we collected a map and some other brochures. The nice lady at the desk was a little vague on what restaurants and attractions welcomed pets. She did warn us, however, that dogs were definitely not permitted on the beach, and the fines were stiff if you were caught. The last time I was in Tybee several years ago, I took my dogs to the beach even though it was posted No Pets, and no one said a word to me. They were now cracking down on scofflaws like me.
Our next stop was for breakfast. Outdoor dining is rather scant on the island, although I hear that will be changing soon with the revitalization of downtown. If you have ever traveled with your pets, you probably know that flexibility is the operative word. Your dining options are usually limited to takeout, drive-through, or restaurants that accept pets on the patio. And in some destinations we've traveled to, restaurants will let you sneak a small pet into the restaurant if it is in a pet tote and very well-behaved. Be sure to leave a generous tip for the staff. If you prefer to dine out and not take your pet, check to be sure that you are allowed to leave your pet in the room. We've stayed in several hotels where you either had to take your pet with you or hire a petsitter, which most pet-friendly hotels can provide if you let them know ahead of time.
The island only has one fast food restaurant, which is Arby's and our next stop. As I was walking toward the restaurant entrance, one of the arriving employees informed me that they didn't open until 10 a.m. Coming from a 24x7 city, I was a little surprised that I couldn't get a sausage biscuit at 9:45 in the morning. Meanwhile all the liquor stores nearby were already open for business. I could get a martini before 10 a.m. but not a biscuit from Arby's. Maybe I needed to change my priorities.
Just down the street from the Arby's-with-banker's-hours is the
Sunrise Restaurant. As the name suggests, they'd been serving since 6 a.m. I ordered biscuits to go -- one for me and one for my dogs. Our next stop was the
14th Steet Pier and Pavillion to eat our takeout breakfast. The pier is the all-purpose hot spot for everything from fishing to weddings, with a memorial ash dusting scheduled at noon that day for a long-time resident. The visitors bureau thought I should be able to take my dogs on the pier, since it was privately owned, but advised me to check the signs.
Good thing I did, because the sign clearly stated "No Pets". I saw a woman walking her dog nearby and asked her if they enforced the rule. She confirmed that they did and told me not to even go
near the beach with Lily and Buster. She had just paid a $275 ticket for her daughter's dog. Though the dog was on private property, it was in a dune and "too close to the beach". So it's $200 if you dog is on the beach, and $275 if it's near the beach. While this may not seem logical, it was just another Tybeeism. Since I had two dogs, it would probably be a double whammy. So we were staying clear of the beach and the dunes. Just at that moment, one of the beach police pulled up, ready to whip out his ticket book if we set one paw on the pier. So we dined on one of the benches near the pier. After all, Buster and Lily were more interested in their sausage biscuit than the view.
Tybee boasts a small
dog park on Butler Avenue, its main drag. We stopped there to meet some of the locals and other guests on the island. One of the dogs we met, Pogie, was visiting from Atlanta too. Pogie is Filipino for "handsome", and he was a dashing little schnauzer.
After we finishing with the doggie bonding, we drove over to the
Tybee Lighthouse and
Officers Row.
Originally built in 1736, the lighthouse is a Georgia icon. At 154 feet, it is the tallest lighthouse in Georgia and the oldest. Dogs are not allowed inside the museum grounds but can be walked outside the fenced area. The beach police were on site (same patrol car) to make sure that Buster and Lily knew their boundaries.
Just opposite the lighthouse is
Fort Screven, which was built in 1885 and was part of the East Coast defense system until it was decommissioned in 1947. A few streets over from the lighthouse is Officers Row, which is somewhat hard to find and has some forbidding signs about Residents Only. Since it's a public street, we took a cruise down this impressive venue, with the park police tailing us.
The stately homes lining this street were used by high ranking military personnel stationed at Fort Screven. The homes had fallen into disrepair after the fort was decommissioned, but a revitalization effort has restored many to their early splendor. The dramatic restoration of one of the homes was featured in
Coastal Living in January 2008. I was surprised that just in front of these gorgeous mansions, were newer homes that were now blocking the mansions' once magnificent vistas.
If I owned one of these grande dames, I would have been a little miffed. I asked a local how something like that could have happened? According to the Tybee native, the land in front of Officers Row was originally a parade ground for the military stationed at the fort, and the mansions were in a severe state of decline. After the fort was decommissioned, the parcel was sold off without much thought to preserving the character of the area. The people who owned or rented the mansions at the time did not have the resources or inclination to mount a campaign to block the development, that essentially blocked their unrestricted view of the water. This seems to be an all too familiar theme on this island, which has lost a lot of fabulous structures to the wrecking ball and developers.
It had been a full day and was nap time for the pups. While they napped, I headed to the beach for a long walk. Tybee is a barrier island with wide beaches of packed sand, which are great for walking, running, or biking. Despite the glorious weather and the long holiday weekend, there were relatively few people on the beach. I was not complaining.
Before heading back to Atlanta, we took one more drive around the island to check out the other Mermaid Cottages. There are close to 30 to choose from, several which are on the historical register, and others that have been featured in Coastal Living and Cottage Living. All are decorated in a colorful signature style that is comfortable and laid back -- a perfect complement to the Tybee experience. And most of the cottages are pet-friendly.
Almost all the Mermaid properties are pet-friendly, which is hard to find in many beach destinations. We even had a large welcome basket waiting for us when we arrived, stuffed with treats and everything we needed to stay perfectly coifed at the beach. We love this place already!
