This is Georgia’s ‘Best Small Town’

Southern Living embarked on a quest to uncover the premier small towns dotting the Southeastern states this year, a pursuit that was included in its South’s Best Awards.

Tybee Island emerged as the winner in Georgia thanks to its coastline of great beaches, a historic lighthouse and great dining spots.

“The Georgia coast is an oft-unsung treasure of the state, and Tybee Island is a fantastic spot to take in the sun and the sand,” Southern Living editors noted in the article detailing the winners.

Nestled as a barrier island along Georgia’s coastline, Tybee Island sits close enough to Savannah to enjoy all the town has to offer, but far enough to escape from it all.

Tybee Island. (WSBTV.com News Staff)

“For over 400 years, Tybee Island has faithfully dwelled on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. This coastal beauty is home to over 3,000 residents and reminds millions of visitors yearly - to relax,” Visit Tybee notes on its website.

Tybee Island boasts five beaches. There’s North Beach for those looking for a quiet escape. South Beach offers just the opposite, a spot to hang out, socialize and enjoy the sun. Mid Beach offers something in between. Back River gives vacationers a chance to enjoy calm waves and amazing sunsets. Little Tybee is an uninhabited island that those looking to visit can only reach by boat. It’s a nature lover’s dream.

Southern Living recommends exploring Fort Screven, climbing the lighthouse, and searching for dophin, shells and fossils on a visit.

Culinary delights await vacationers on a visit. Dining options include the Crab Shack, North Beach Bar & Grill, Sea World Tybee and StingRay’s.

Body surfer Andrew Vanotteren, of Savannah, Ga., crashes into waves from Hurricane Florence, Wednesday, Sept., 12, 2018, on the south beach of Tybee Island, Ga. Vanotteren and his friend Bailey Gaddis said the waves have gotten bigger and better every evening as the storm approaches. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File)

Tybee upholds a no smoking and no pets on the beach policy, safeguarding the habitat for migratory birds and loggerhead turtles.

“Once you experience Tybee Island, it becomes a part of you. It’s a loving community of involved residents who care just as much about their homes as your experience. Retail, dining, art galleries, sweet shops, preserved history and theatre are what you can expect when visiting. Tybee Island is an authentic getaway that offers the gift of nostalgia upon every visit,” Visit Tybee notes.

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Orange Beach and Gulf Shores captured the “Best Small Town” title in Alabama, St. Augustine claimed the title in Florida, Beaufort emerged victorious in South Carolina while Gatlinburg seized the honor in Tennessee.

While most people are busy with work and school, thoughts of relaxing and enjoying some time away are never far off. Spring break is just around the corner! So, today on wsbtv.com, we're checking out Georgia's secret beach.

Today, we're off to Little St. Simons Island, off the coast of Georgia.

Ten thousand intrusion-free acres of maritime forests and marshlands, seven miles of shell-strewn beaches, this extraordinary natural sanctuary -- among the last of its kind anywhere -- is how Little St. Simons Island welcomes guests to this virtually untouched island.

The island prides itself on providing guests with unique and absorbing experiences in the company of the experienced and gifted naturalist staff. And it's those experiences that a trip here revolves around, the trips with naturalists. The staff typically offers several different exploration trips a day that bring the island to life.

And tops on the list is seeking out wildlife.

These are photos of the wildlife on Little St. Simons Island. They were taken by Britt Brown, Naturalist with The Lodge on Little St. Simons Island. http://brittleebrown.wix.com/photography

Little St. Simons Island is on the Georgia coast, one of the state's barrier islands. And although it shares a name with its larger counterpart, St. Simons Island, that's where the similarities between the two end.

"It's very different from the normal St. Simons experience," Little St. Simons Island guest Joel Richardson said. "(St. Simons) is much more commercial, certainly it's beautiful with lots of the beach and everything, but this is much more laid back, much more personal experience than what you would experience on St. Simons."

Thirty-two people is the maximum number of guests allowed to spend the night on Little St. Simons. Some nights, there are far fewer.

"I've never been on a private island before where only 32 people can come and stay and so, it's been wonderful," guest Kimberly Lindman said. "One night, (my husband and I) went out and explored on our own and we were out in the middle of nowhere, with no one around us, just the two of us."

It's the outdoor adventures and experiences that people visit Little St. Simons for. There is a beach here, and it's certainly available for use, but if simply sitting on a beach all day everyday is what people are looking in a vacation, that misses what Little St. Simons specializes in. A visit to Little St. Simons is all about nature, wildlife and food.

Rates start around $500 per night, but that includes accommodations, three daily meals, all drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, unlimited use of island activities and recreation gear, tours with naturalists and the boat transfers to and from the island.

There's a main lodge that serves as a gathering place for meals with a couple of guest rooms in it. There are several other cottages tucked among the oaks around it. There are no televisions or phones in guest rooms.

"It was worth every penny of the trip," guest Ingrid Richardson said. "And it gave (my husband) and me a time to be outdoors. It was relaxing,rejuvenating and restorative."

Here are some more photos from Little St. Simons Island.

“It’s hard to explain if you haven’t been here,” guest Kim Holiday said. “You can see it, you can look at it, but until you actually get here and have the experience, I think it’s a little difficult to explain. Me, personally, I think it’s better than Disney World. I love it. I’ll be back. It’s a really fantastic place.”

Here are some more photos from Little St. Simons Island.

"We're hands on," chef Paula Garrett said. "We create it, we create the dish, we create the recipe. It's not that you can just come up and get the recipe because a lot of times, it's in our head, it's in our heart and we're constantly changing that."

Here are some more photos from Little St. Simons Island.

Here are some more photos of Little St. Simons Island. They were taken by Britt Brown, Naturalist with The Lodge on Little St. Simons Island. http://brittleebrown.wix.com/photography

Check out these spectacular images of some of the inhabitants of Little St. Simons Island that she has captured while working as a naturalist there.

Here are some more photos of Little St. Simons Island. They were taken by Britt Brown, Naturalist with The Lodge on Little St. Simons Island. http://brittleebrown.wix.com/photography

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