LIGHTHOUSE COTTAGE:MODERNIZED BUT THE MEMORIES ARE PRESERVED. PETS. WIFI

Tybee Island's North Beach: Great dolphin viewing --- virtually guaranteed on the north end of the island. Dolphin boat tours are always available, but sitting on the north beach is just as effective. We once watched a band of dolphins frolicking with a delighted kayaker. Tybee's beaches are equipped with porch swings that seem to be about 100 yards apart. From the north beach swings you can watch the sun set over Savannah and the mouth of the Savannah river --- incredible sunsets. Savannah, being 15 miles away, is too far away to actually see but you can see the fireworks on July 4th and New Year's Eve. Shrimp boats with their nets spread like wings are always in view.

The 2 Lighthouses: Two lighthouses less than 3 miles apart but so radically different in character. As you approach Tybee Island, you see the impressive Tybee Light in the distance. Tall, dark, and handsome with a white cumberbund. He was honored a couple of years ago when he got his own US postage stamp. ( In lighthouse circles that is akin to an Oscar.) But then as you cross the Lazaretto bridge onto Tybee Island, you look down to the left and blink. Is that a lighthouse in the water? Indeed it is. That's plucky little Cockspur Lighthouse. Weathered, plain white masonry. Not flashy at all, except ... At every high tide Cockspur stands in the ocean well off-shore. Only at low tide does the stony spur appear that supports the little lighthouse. A firm foundation after all.

Lost in the 40's/50's: So far the quaint shopping district near the pier has pretty much escaped the wrecking ball. Witness Arby's --- Tybee Island's only fast food restaurant. This is what Arby's looked like when they began in the early 60's. As for shopping, no Sak's here. We're talking beach shopping: T-shirts, souvenirs, Sno-Cones, umbrella drinks, seafood. But remember, for culture and serious shopping, there is colorful, historic Savannah, just 20 minutes away. Recommended reading: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, an amusing look at Savannah's high- and low-life (about 2 years on the NY Times nonfiction best seller list).