A Thanksgiving Weekend on Tybee Island

Most Thanksgiving trips are built around a table and a drive. This one adds an ocean that, for once, nobody else is using. Tybee Island in late November is a different island from the one in July: the beach is wide and mostly empty, the pier is yours to walk, and the schedule for the weekend is shaped less by crowds than by which doors are open on Thursday.

This is a plan for a family, probably more than one generation of it, staying Thursday through Sunday and doing at least part of the cooking themselves. It runs hour by hour where the hours matter and loosely where they don't. The dates assume Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and the closures below apply to the holiday itself whatever year you read this.

Before you go: what the weekend looks like

Set your expectations on three things.

The water is not for swimming. Lifeguards come off duty when the season ends on October 31, and the Atlantic in late November is cold. The beach is for walking, for kids digging in the sand with a jacket on, and for the long low light at the end of the afternoon.

Thursday is the quiet day, in both directions. Fort Pulaski and the Tybee Light Station are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Both reopen Friday and stay open through Sunday. The beach, the pier and the island itself never close, so Thursday's plan is built from free things and a meal.

Dinner is the thing to decide first. Some Savannah hotels and restaurants do Thanksgiving buffets, and those fill up well ahead of the holiday. If you want a restaurant dinner, start looking early. The other route is to cook, and that is the one this itinerary leans on.

Choosing a room for a cook-in Thanksgiving

Not every room at Dunes Inn & Suites has a kitchen, and it is worth being plain about that. A turkey is not going in any of them.

The room that makes a cook-in weekend realistic is the 2 Queen Beds with Kitchenette, in the front building. It has a mini-fridge, a microwave and a stovetop, and it sleeps up to 4. That is enough for sides, a roast chicken or turkey breast cooked on the stove, rolls warmed in the microwave, and a fridge for leftovers. For a bigger group there are two other options that sleep up to 6: the Mini Suite, which has two queen beds and a sleeper sofa, and the Apartment, 2BR/1BA, the most space on the property, with two bedrooms and a bath. Those two give you the room to spread out. Kitchen equipment is the part to ask about, because the kitchenette is the room we describe with a stovetop.

Plan the menu around a stovetop and a microwave, not an oven. Dishes that work: a pot of greens, mashed potatoes, stuffing from a box with real additions, a skillet chicken or turkey cutlets, green beans, cranberry sauce from a can, and a pie bought rather than baked. Bring your own pans, a sharp knife and anything else you can't cook without.

Our rooms page lists every room type with its sleeping capacity, and our 5-day family stay post goes deeper on cooking through a longer trip.

Wednesday evening: arrive and stock up

If you can arrive Wednesday, do. The drive from Savannah is about 20 to 30 minutes along US-80, the only road onto the island, and arriving a day early means Thursday morning isn't spent hunting for cranberry sauce. Do your grocery shopping before Thursday, so the holiday itself is for cooking.

Check in, put the cold things in the fridge, and eat something simple. It is a short walk down Butler Avenue to South Beach, and the first look at the empty shore is a good way to end the travel day.

Thursday: Thanksgiving Day

Morning: the long walk. Walk to South Beach and keep going. With lifeguards off duty and the crowds gone, the beach is the most generous it gets all year, and the tide chart decides how much sand there is to walk on. Low tide opens up the wide flat stretches. Kids who are normally pulled back from the waterline can roam, though everyone should stay out of the surf. Bring layers. It is cooler on the water than it is back at the room.

Late morning: the pier. Walk out on the Tybee Pier and Pavilion. It is free and open, and on a still, bright morning it is one of the best places on the island to stand and do nothing. Dogs are not allowed on Tybee's beaches, so if a pet came with the family, the walk is a leashed one on the streets rather than the sand.

Early afternoon: cook. Back at the room, start dinner around 1 or 2 if you are aiming for an early-evening meal. This is where the kitchenette earns its keep. Put the grown-ups on the stove and the kids on place cards. Nobody is waiting on a table, and nobody is driving home afterward.

Late afternoon: a walk before dinner. If there is light left, take another short loop to the beach while something simmers. Late-November sunsets come early, so go before 5.

Evening: dinner. Eat when you are ready. The rest of the night is board games and leftovers.

Friday: Fort Pulaski

Fort Pulaski National Monument reopens Friday, and its hours are 9 to 5. It is a brick fort on Cockspur Island, a short drive off Tybee on the way back toward Savannah, and the weather in late November suits it: you walk the ramparts and the moat and the cold air keeps the kids moving. Our Fort Pulaski guide covers what to see and how long to allow.

Go in the morning so the afternoon stays free. Check the National Park Service's site for current entrance fees and hours before you leave.

Afternoon: back on the island. Eat lunch from the fridge, or look through our dining guide for somewhere to go. A quiet afternoon is part of the plan. A walk to the pier and a stretch on the beach should be enough for most families after a morning at the fort.

Evening: second dinner, lower stakes. The leftovers are the dinner. If the family wants something new, our post on affordable, casual eats on Tybee is the place to start.

Saturday: the lighthouse and a slow island day

The Tybee Light Station is open Friday through Sunday, 9 to 4:30, and closed Tuesdays and on Thanksgiving Day. Saturday is the better day to take it. The climb is 178 steps up Georgia's oldest lighthouse, and the view from the top, on a clear cold day, covers the island's whole length, the river, and the ocean. Plan to go up in the morning before the groups arrive. Anyone who doesn't want to climb can stay on the grounds, which are worth walking.

Afternoon: the beach again. This time go north. North Beach, up by the lighthouse, makes a change from the South Beach end of the island. It is another free hour or two.

Evening: pie. Eat the pie. Take stock of what's left in the fridge. Most families turn Saturday night into the real dinner of the weekend, and the stovetop makes that possible.

Sunday: departure

Check-out is the morning's one fixed task. Pack the cookware, take the leftovers, and go for one last walk to the beach before getting in the car, since the island is at its best when the day is just starting. Remember the only road off the island is US-80, so build a little slack into the drive home.

What to book ahead

• The room. Thanksgiving weekend is a short stretch, and the kitchenette room and the larger units are the ones to ask for first. Check the special offers page for current rates and any holiday packages.
• A restaurant dinner, if you want one. Book well ahead if you are going to eat out on Thursday. Some Savannah hotels and restaurants serve Thanksgiving buffets and they fill early.
• Nothing else. The beach, pier and walking are free. Fort Pulaski and the Light Station are open Friday through Sunday, so check their official sites for current details.

What it costs, roughly

Rates move with the calendar and the room type. What you can count on: the beach, the pier and the walks cost nothing. Parking at the hotel is free, one car per room. If you drive elsewhere on the island, public parking is paid, and the City of Tybee Parking Services page has the current rules. For rates, use the special offers page.

The biggest saving is the one built into the plan. Cooking Thursday's dinner, and a couple of other meals, in a room with a stovetop costs a fraction of feeding a family of four or six in restaurants for a long weekend.

A note on the weather

Late November on Tybee is cool and changeable. Bring a real jacket, a hat, and shoes that can get sandy. Our Tybee Island in November post has the longer picture of what the month feels like.

Planning your trip? Check availability on our rooms page and pick the setup that fits the size of your table.