Most Tybee lists are the beach, a restaurant and a sunset. The island is roughly three square miles (City of Tybee Island) with a lighthouse you can climb, a coastal defense fort at its north end, a marine science center and a national monument on the way in. Here is what those actually cost and when they are open, because the opening hours are the part people get wrong.
Key Takeaways
– The lighthouse is 178 steps, with a platform every 25.
– One ticket covers both the Light Station and the museum in Battery Garland.
– The Light Station and the Marine Science Center are both closed on Tuesdays.
– Parking is $4.00 an hour islandwide, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., all year.
Climb the lighthouse
It is the main event, and the climb is real. The Light Station publishes the count: “178. There is a platform every 25 steps with a resting area and a viewing window” (Tybee Island Light Station and Museum). That works out to seven landings on the way up, which makes it manageable at most fitness levels if you take it slowly.
Your ticket is better value than it looks: “Tickets include admission to the complete Tybee Island Light Station and the Tybee Museum in Battery Garland.” Battery Garland is one of the fort’s gun emplacements, so the museum is inside the historic structure rather than beside it.
Published admission runs “Adults: $14 | Seniors (62+): $12 | Children (6-17): $12 | Children (5 and under): Free | Military (Must present ID): $12 | Coast Guard (Must present ID): Free.” Those are the prices on the museum’s page, headed as 2025 prices, so confirm before you go.
Hours are “9:00am – 4:30pm” Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, with “Tues: CLOSED” and the “Last Ticket at 4:30PM.” It also closes on “Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Parade Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, & New Years Day.” The Tuesday closure is the one that catches people.
Understand what the north end actually is
While you are up there, the surroundings are a National Register historic district. The nomination describes it: “The Fort Screven Historic District consists of Fort Screven and Tybee Light … Fort Screven, which surrounds Tybee Light at the northern end of Tybee Island, is a turn-of-the-century federal coastal defense military installation. The fort consists of six massive concrete gun emplacements or batteries” (National Park Service, National Register nomination).
Six batteries, one of which holds the museum. Walking the north end with that in mind turns a stroll into something closer to a site visit.
Visit the Marine Science Center
It is a short walk from the pier end of the island, at “37 Meddin Drive, Tybee Island, GA 31328” (Tybee Island Marine Science Center).
Admission is “Adults: $15,” with “Children: $12 (Ages 5-12, kids four and under free)” and “Seniors & Military: $12.” It opens “Wed – Mon 9:30AM – 5PM,” is “Closed Tuesdays,” and the “Last admission sold at 4:30PM.”
Note the pattern: the lighthouse and the science center are both shut on Tuesdays. If Tuesday is your only free day, plan around the beach and the fort instead.
Cross to Fort Pulaski
It is not on Tybee, but it is on the way, at “41 Cockspur Island Road / Savannah, GA 31410” (National Park Service).
The pricing structure rewards more than one visit. Entry is “$10.00” and “Entrance fees are valid for seven consecutive days from the date of purchase,” while an annual pass at “$35.00” covers “the pass holder and 3 other adults” and is “valid for a year from the month of purchase” (National Park Service).
If you are visiting the area for a week, the seven-day validity means one $10 ticket covers the whole trip. If you are moving here, the $35 annual pass pays for itself on the second visit with company.
Budget for parking
This is the line item visitors forget and residents plan around. The city enforces “payment for parking … citywide, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., year-round, including weekends & holidays,” at “$4.00/hour” (City of Tybee Island).
Citywide is the operative word. It is not just the beachfront lots, and it applies in January as much as July. A full day out on the island is a real parking cost on top of admissions, which is why residents buy an annual pass instead.
A day that works
Start at the north end before the heat, climb the lighthouse and see the museum in Battery Garland on the same ticket, then walk the battery line. Move down island for the middle of the day. Keep the Marine Science Center for the afternoon, since its last admission is 4:30. Avoid Tuesday for both. If you are here several days, add Fort Pulaski on the way in or out and get the week’s use out of the ticket.
Our Tybee Island community page covers the island as a place to live rather than visit, the Tybee Island buying guide covers buying here, and the Savannah with kids guide has more of the county. For the other end of the market, see things to do in Richmond Hill.
Frequently asked questions
How many steps are in the Tybee Island lighthouse?
178, with a platform every 25 steps that has a resting area and a viewing window. That works out to seven landings on the way up. A ticket also includes the Tybee Museum in Battery Garland, which is housed inside one of Fort Screven’s gun emplacements rather than in a separate building.
What does it cost to visit the Tybee lighthouse?
The museum publishes $14 for adults, $12 for seniors 62 and over, $12 for children 6 to 17, and free entry for children 5 and under. Military with ID is $12 and Coast Guard with ID is free. The price table is headed 2025, so confirm current rates before your visit.
Is anything on Tybee closed on Tuesdays?
Yes, two of the main attractions. The Tybee Island Light Station lists Tuesday as closed, and the Tybee Island Marine Science Center is also closed Tuesdays. The Light Station additionally closes for Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Parade Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
How much is parking on Tybee Island?
$4.00 an hour, enforced citywide from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., year round, including weekends and holidays. It applies across the island rather than only at the beach lots, so factor it into a full day out. Residents generally buy an annual pass instead of paying hourly.
If you are thinking about more than a visit
Plenty of people come for a weekend and start looking at what a place here costs. If that is the direction you are heading, get in touch and we will show you what is actually available.