Fort Screven Tybee Island GA

Fort Screven Tybee Island GA

Such a cool accidental find!

On our first trip to Washington DC, the seventh stop on our Roadtrippers itinerary was the Tybee Island Lighthouse & Museum.  We didn’t know until we got there that Fort Screven was right across the street!  What a nice surprise!

My son & I love to visit forts and learn about the history of the areas they are in.  He is a history buff and I’m fascinated by old ruins and stuff.

Naturally, since we found this place, we definitely wanted to visit it.  Unfortunately, as we approached the entrance, we learned the fort had already closed for the day.

As a result, we could only see the outside of the fort on our first visit.

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About Fort Screven Tybee Island GA

Magnificent views of the Atlantic Ocean & Savannah River from the fort!

Fort Screven was built in 1897 to guard the mouth of the Savannah River until World War II.  Creation of the fort was approved by the Georgia Legislature in 1786 to be named after General James Screven, Revolutionary War hero.

The fort was originally ordered by founder of Georgia, General James Oglethorpe.  It was manned during the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II when General George C. Marshall commanded it.

There were seven batteries associated with Fort Screven, six on Tybee Island.  The seventh, Battery Hambright, is near Fort Pulaski.  Battery Garland now serves as the Tybee Island Museum.  The others are not publicly accessible but can be seen from either the beach or the street.

Fort Screven, Battery Garland and the Tybee Island Lighthouse & Museum are located at 30 Meddin Drive, Tybee Island, Georgia.  Admission is regularly $9, or $7 for seniors, military, or children.  Admission covers the fort and the lighthouse.

Second Visit to Fort Screven Tybee Island GA

We took a road trip with my bestie to Savannah in February of 2020 and decided to come back through here to try and visit again.  We planned it as sort of a day trip from our Savannah trip… a trip within a trip!

It was a nice drive out to Tybee Island.  We saw at least one of the batteries driving in.  When we arrived, we parked and took some pictures of some of the stones and signs near the fort.  Then we walked over to the lighthouse.

We went into the gift shop to purchase tickets and looked around for souvenirs.  While we were waiting in the line, we heard that the cottages were closed for renovation so we wouldn’t be able to see everything.

We aren’t the types that will pay full price to see half of the attraction.  We discussed amongst ourselves and decided we would try to swing back through here on our later DC trip to visit again when we could see everything.  So… once again… we didn’t get to see the fort or lighthouse other than the outside.

Summary

We’ll be back!

It sorta sucks that we’ve been here twice and haven’t gotten past the entrance yet.  But I’m okay with that knowing that we will come back and things will be improved when we do.

Third time’s a charm, right?  I’m confident we’ll get to do and see it all when we go there again.  And I think it will be even more special…er when we do!

I’m fairly sure I’d recommend this stop, there’s just so much to see.  Have you been there?  I’d love to hear what you thought of it.  Please drop a few lines in the comments box below and let me know how your visit went.

In the meantime, safe travels!

~Kris M.

Written by Kris M.