How Big Is Tybee Island?

Tybee Island is about 3 miles long and under a mile wide. The City of Tybee Island puts its total area at 3.19 square miles, of which 2.88 square miles is land, and 3,114 people lived here year-round at the 2020 Census. It is a small barrier island, and you feel that the moment you arrive.

That is the short answer. The rest of this post is about what the size changes for a visit: how long it takes to get anywhere, why the four beach areas are closer together than the map makes them look, and where you should base yourself.

The numbers, and how to read them

A few figures are worth keeping straight, because sources describe the island slightly differently.

• Area: 3.19 square miles total, 2.88 square miles of land.
• Length: about 3 miles, often given as "just under 3 miles."
• Width: under a mile. You will see "barely a mile" in some places and "two-thirds of a mile" in others, which depends on where along the island you measure "Under a mile" is the safe version.
• Population: 3,114 year-round residents (2020 Census).

The land figure is smaller than the total because part of the city's area is water rather than dry ground.

What 3 miles actually means on the ground

One main road, Butler Avenue (US-80), runs along the length of the island. Because there is one spine, the question "how long to get from the north end to the south end?" has a simple answer: not long. Driving it end to end takes only a few minutes, with the caveat that summer weekends and beach-day traffic can slow it down.

On foot, the full length is realistic for a fit walker in roughly an hour. Most people don't do that. They drive, bike or rent a golf cart for the longer trips, then walk the last few blocks.

The width matters more for walking than the length does. From the ocean side to the river side is a short stroll, so you are never far from either. That is a big part of Tybee's appeal: you can have an ocean morning and a calm-water afternoon without moving your car.

One small island, four beach areas

Because the island is so compact, four quite different beach areas sit on it, all within those 3 miles:

• North Beach, up near the lighthouse, tends to be the quieter stretch.
• Mid Beach sits between the ends and is where you find The Deck Beachbar, a real oceanfront restaurant.
• South Beach is the busy one, with the pier and pavilion and most of the restaurants within a few blocks.
• Back River Beach is on the sheltered river side, where the water at the edge is calm and shallow.

You can move between them in a few minutes, so the choice of beach can change with the weather, the tide or the mood of the group. We go into the differences, and which suits which kids, in Which Tybee Island Beach Is Best for Families? and, for the calm-water side, Back River Beach: Tybee's Calm-Water Spot for Little Kids.

What the size means for where you stay

Since nothing on Tybee is far from anything else, the usual hotel question ("how close to the beach?") matters less than it would on a longer stretch of coast. That doesn't mean location is irrelevant, just that it is about convenience rather than distance.

We are a 54-room hotel on Butler Avenue, a short walk from South Beach. We aren't on the sand and our rooms don't have ocean views, and we'd rather say that plainly. What the walk gets you is that the pier, the beach and most of the restaurants are a few blocks away, which suits the small-island logic: park once and leave the car alone.

That second part is worth planning around. Parking on the island is metered island-wide, outside our own free lot, so a base within walking distance of South Beach saves you from feeding meters on a beach day. Our free parking covers one car per room.

A few practical notes if you are working out where to base:

• If you want South Beach, the pier and restaurants on foot: stay within a few blocks of them, as we are.
• If you want quiet: North Beach is the stretch to aim for, and a short drive gets you there from anywhere on the island.
• If you have small kids: the size works in your favor. Back River is a few minutes from the ocean side, so a change of plan doesn't cost you much.

A small island, with room to go further

Tybee is compact, but it isn't the whole trip. Savannah is about 18 miles away, a 20-to-30-minute drive on US-80, which is the only road onto the island. Fort Pulaski is just off the island. For ideas that fill a few days on and around Tybee, our guide to things to do on Tybee Island with kids is a good place to start, and the things to do page covers the rest.

If a short stay is the plan, the size is in your favor. If you are staying longer, the beach areas, dining and nearby day trips fill the time easily. Either way, our rooms and current offers are where to look when you are ready to pick dates.