Florida Spring Training 2017 - Day 20

We slept in a little this morning, then talked about what we wanted to do today.  The original plan was to tour Savannah.  However, fter arriving at Tybee Island, it appeared there was a lot to see so we decided to stay here today and check it out.

Our first stop was Fort Pulaski, an historic Civil War fort at the mouth of the Savannah River that was built to control the approaches to Savannah by water. The fort is on an island in between the north and south channels of the river - a strategic location.  I admit that despite reading a lot about the Civil War, I had never heard of Fort Pulaski.

The fort is now a National Historic Site and was designed in a style similar to several forts built along the Atlantic Coast in the mid-to later part of the 19th Century.  In fact, it is very similar to Fort Jefferson, the fort in the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico that we visited on a previous trip.  The fort here is named after Casimir Pulaski, a Polish count who fought with the U.S. in the Revolutionary War and was killed at the Battle of Savannah in 1779.

Construction of the present fort began in 1829 and by 1860 it was mostly finished but was not completely armed or fully staffed.  As the Civil War approached, the State of Georgia seized the fort in 1861 two weeks before the state seceded from the Union.  The fort was then garrisoned by Confederate troops until 1862 when a successful siege and bombardment by Union troops forced the garrison to surrender.  The fort then remained in Union control for the remainder of the Civil War, blockading the Savannah River.  The restoration of the fort has been done very well and was well worth the visit.

Fort Pulaski Pictures

After touring the fort, we had a nice lunch at a nearby seafood restaurant, Coco's.

Our next stop was the Tybee Lighthouse.  The lighthouse and associated buildings have been restored by the City and the local historical society and is now a popular tourist attraction on the island.  The lighthouse is presently closed inside for renovation but we were able to tour the associated buildings and a nice museum in a 19th Century artillery battery across the street. 

Tybee Lighthouse Pictures

We then wanted to get our feet wet in The Atlantic Ocean so we travelled a few miles down the island to the "main drag" of the island tourist district adjacent to the municipal wharf.  It is a typical beach town setting with the usual assortment of bars and souvenior stores.  The crowd was mostly young people, many wearing bathing suits that would probably have gotten you arrested a few years ago.

We walked out on the beach to the water and were surprised to see a large number of jelly fish that had washed up on the beach.  The water was cold and no one was swimming, although the beach was packed with sunbathers.

Tybee Beach Pictures

After we returned to the RV the the plan was to rest awhile then go out to dinner.  However, after a glass of wine, we decided to eat in tonight.  It was a long, but enjoyable day and we are glad we decided to tour Tybee Island.