Tybee Island Lighthouse: Tickets, Hours & Climbing Tips (2026)

The Tybee Island Lighthouse is the top attraction on Savannah's beach, and you can climb it most days of the week. The short answer: the Tybee Island Light Station is open every day except Tuesday, with tickets sold on site from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Adult admission is $14, and one ticket covers the lighthouse climb, the historic grounds, and the Tybee Museum across the street.

Below is what we confirmed on the light station's official site, plus practical tips for timing your climb and building a full Tybee day around it.

TL;DR: Tybee Lighthouse at a Glance

• Where: 30 Meddin Dr, on the north end of Tybee Island, roughly half an hour from downtown Savannah.
• Hours: Wednesday through Monday. Last ticket 4:30 p.m., lighthouse closes at 5 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.
• Tickets: $14 adults, $12 seniors (62+), children 6-17, and military with ID. Kids 5 and under are free.
• How to buy: at the light station only. The site does not pre-sell tickets online.
• The climb: 178 steps to an outdoor catwalk with views over the island, the marsh, and the Atlantic.
• Parking: two hours in the lighthouse lot is included with admission.

What Is the Tybee Island Light Station?

It is the lighthouse that has marked the entrance to the Savannah River since colonial times. The light station bills itself as Georgia's oldest and tallest light. General James Oglethorpe ordered the first tower in 1732, and earlier day-marks stood on the site before the current tower.

The lower section of today's tower dates to 1773. Confederate troops set fire to it in 1861, and the tower was rebuilt and raised after the Civil War. The U.S. Coast Guard lists it at about 144 feet tall. A First Order Fresnel lens still sits at the top.

What makes Tybee special is the setting, not just the tower. The light station keeps all of its historic support buildings on a three-acre site, which the official site calls one of the most intact light stations in America. You are touring a whole working compound, not a lone tower.

How Much Are Tybee Lighthouse Tickets?

Current prices from the official site:

• Adults: $14
• Seniors (62+): $12
• Children (6-17): $12
• Children (5 and under): free
• Military with ID: $12. Coast Guard with ID is free.
• Groups of 10+: $12 each, with a reservation.

Tickets are sold on site when you arrive. There is no online pre-sale, so be wary of third-party pages that claim to sell timed lighthouse tickets. A family of four with two kids over 5 pays $52, which makes this one of the better-value attractions in the area. It fits well on our list of Savannah family activities under $50 for smaller groups.

When Is the Tybee Lighthouse Open?

The light station is open Wednesday through Monday and closed every Tuesday. The last ticket sells at 4:30 p.m., the lighthouse closes at 5 p.m., and the grounds close by 5:30 p.m.

It is also closed on New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and the day of Savannah's St. Patrick's Day parade. The site notes that hours are subject to change, and the lighthouse and catwalk can close without warning in bad weather. Check tybeelighthouse.org on the morning of your visit, especially if storms are in the forecast.

Is Climbing the Tybee Lighthouse Hard?

It is a real climb, but most reasonably fit visitors manage it. There are 178 steps on a spiral staircase, and you can pause on the way up. At the top you step out onto the catwalk, where the wind can be strong even on calm days at ground level.

A few site rules worth knowing before you go:

• Shoes and shirts are required, and bathing suits must be covered. Coming straight from the beach? Throw on a cover-up.
• Leave the backpack in the car. Backpacks, food, drinks other than water, gum, pets, tripods, and monopods are not allowed on the site.
• Children must stay with an adult at all times.
• Wear flat, comfortable shoes. Flip-flops on a spiral staircase are a bad idea.

If anyone in your group has mobility limits or a fear of heights, the grounds and museum are still worth the ticket. Call the light station at 912-786-5801 with specific accessibility questions.

Local tip: Go right at opening or in the last hour before the final ticket. Midday in summer is the hottest and most crowded time inside the tower, and late afternoon light over the marsh makes for the best photos from the catwalk.

What Else Does the Ticket Include?

Your ticket also covers the Tybee Museum, housed in Battery Garland. It is an 1899 gun battery built as part of Fort Screven, the coastal fort that once occupied Tybee's north end. Walking from the lighthouse to the battery is a quick way to see how much military history sits under this beach town.

Plan on about an hour and a half for the climb, the grounds, and the museum together. Add more time if you like to read every exhibit.

Where Do You Park for the Tybee Lighthouse?

Two hours of parking in the lighthouse lot is included with admission. If you want to stay on the north end afterward for the beach, the light station asks you to move your car to the public lot across the street. That lot uses Tybee's paid parking, so budget for it.

The lighthouse sits close to North Beach, the calmer end of the island. Our Savannah beach guide breaks down North Beach versus the busier pier area, plus where parking fills first on warm weekends.

How Do You Fit the Lighthouse Into a Tybee Day Trip?

The lighthouse makes a natural anchor for a half or full day on the island. A simple plan:

• Morning: stop at Fort Pulaski on the drive out on US-80, then climb the lighthouse near opening.
• Midday: lunch on the island, then beach time on North Beach.
• Afternoon: a dolphin cruise from Lazaretto Creek with Captain Derek's Dolphin Adventure or Dolphin Magic Tours.

Paddlers can swap the cruise for a guided trip to Little Tybee with Sea Kayak Georgia. Our Tybee dolphin tour guide and Savannah kayaking guide compare the options, and the full boat tours directory lists more operators.

For the full drive, parking, and food plan, see our Tybee Island day trip guide. If you are deciding whether to base yourself on the island instead, read Tybee vs. Savannah: where to stay.

When Is the Best Time of Year to Visit?

Fall and spring are the most comfortable seasons for the climb. Summer works if you go early, but the tower holds heat and the island is at its busiest. Winter is quiet and often clear, which can mean long views from the catwalk, though the wind up top is cold.

Because the lighthouse is open year-round except for Tuesdays and a few holidays, it is one of the few Tybee attractions that works in every season. It also pairs well with other coastal stops in our roundup of the best day trips from Savannah.

Bottom Line: Tybee Island Lighthouse

The Tybee Island Light Station is worth the stop, even for visitors who only have a few hours on the island. For $14 an adult, you get a 178-step climb with wide coastal views, a rare intact light station compound, and the Tybee Museum in Battery Garland.

Avoid Tuesdays, plan to buy tickets on site, wear real shoes, and arrive early or late in the day. Hours, prices, and weather closures can change, so confirm details on tybeelighthouse.org before you drive out.

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