Day Trips
Beyond Tybee
From the porch, you are closer to more of the Lowcountry than it looks. Savannah is a half-hour door to door. Hilton Head and Bluffton are an easy hour-plus. Daufuskie Island — car-free, Gullah-rooted, genuinely quiet — is worth the drive-and-ferry combination it takes to get there.
About the dock: it is real, it is yours for the stay, and it is tide-dependent — it goes dry at low tide. There is room to park a boat on the property, and the public boat ramp on Lazaretto Creek (about two miles away) is where you would launch. It is a genuine asset for crabbing, a kayak put-in, or tying up a boat for the week — not a shortcut to Hilton Head or Daufuskie. Those two are a drive, same as for everyone else.
6–35 min
Closest & Easiest
Savannah Historic District
About 30 min
- The Historic District's 22 squares — Forsyth Park is the easiest starting point
- Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist
- River Street and the Plant Riverside District
- City Market for shops and street music
- Telfair Museums, including the Owens-Thomas House
- Bonaventure Cemetery and the oak avenue at Wormsloe
The Grey and The Olde Pink House are worth booking ahead; Husk Savannah too.
Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room serves family-style Southern lunch Monday–Friday, 11am–2pm, cash and a line — go early. It closes seasonally each winter, so confirm it is open before you plan around it.
Leopold's Ice Cream on Broughton Street is the flagship location and the one worth the trip.
Parking downtown is metered and squares are free to wander — a comfortable pair of shoes does more than a car does.
Fort Pulaski National Monument
About 6 min
- A 19th-century brick fort with Civil War history and cannon
- Walking trails around the moat and marsh
- A short film and ranger talks at the visitor center
Open daily, 9am–5pm; the fort itself closes at 4:30pm for last entry.
Entry fee is $10 per person 16+ (under 16 free), good for 7 days — the park is card-only, no cash accepted.
Plan 1–3 hours depending on how much of the trail and film you take in.
About 1–1.5 hr
Classic Lowcountry
Bluffton + Hilton Head Island
About 1 hr–1 hr 25 min
- Old Town Bluffton — Church of the Cross, the Heyward House, May River waterfront parks
- Bluffton Oyster Company and the Bluffton farmers market
- Gallery Row: Pluff Mudd Art, The Red Piano Art Gallery, SOBA
- Harbour Town Lighthouse & Marina on Hilton Head
- Coligny Beach Park and Sea Pines trails
- Coastal Discovery Museum and Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
FARM Bluffton is the standout dinner reservation in Old Town.
Skull Creek Boathouse is the easy call for waterfront lunch on the Hilton Head side.
The two towns sit right next to each other — Bluffton for the morning, Hilton Head for the beach in the afternoon works well as one day.
Beaufort, SC
About 1 hr 30 min
- Antebellum homes along the waterfront historic district
- The Beaufort waterfront park, right on the Beaufort River
- Gullah heritage sites and walking tours
This is the furthest of the closer options — pair it with lunch in town and treat it as most of a day.
About 2–2.5 hr
Golden Isles
St. Simons Island, GA
About 2 hr 5 min
- St. Simons Lighthouse and the village pier
- Fort Frederica National Monument
- Neptune Park and the East Beach shoreline
- Village shops and restaurants within walking distance of each other
This is far enough that it works better as an overnight or a very long day than a casual outing.
Jekyll Island, GA
About 2 hr 5 min–2 hr 30 min
- The Gilded Age Historic District — former Jekyll Island Club cottages
- Georgia Sea Turtle Center
- Miles of paved bike trails and uncrowded beaches
Jekyll Island charges a vehicle entry fee, currently $10/day, collected by license-plate camera at the causeway — pay online ahead or at the gate.
Varies — drive plus ferry
Special & Unique
Daufuskie Island, SC
About 1 hr drive to the ferry landing, plus a ~40–45 min crossing
- Quiet beaches at Bloody Point and Sandy Lane
- Gullah heritage sites: First Union African Baptist Church, the Mary Fields School, the Billie Burn Museum
- Iron Fish Gallery and Silver Dew Pottery
- Bloody Point Lighthouse
- The Daufuskie Island Rum Company
- Golf cart rentals — the island has essentially no cars
The passenger ferry runs from Buckingham Landing in Bluffton, SC — about a 40–45 minute crossing. Cars do not cross; golf carts are how you get around once you are there.
Old Daufuskie Crab Company at Freeport Marina is the easy lunch call — deviled crab is the thing to order.
This is a full day, not a half-day: drive to Bluffton, park, ferry over, and plan your return crossing before you go.
This is the one destination on this list where a private boat sounds like the answer — it is not. Our dock is tide-dependent and this is open coastal water between two different tidal systems; the ferry from Bluffton is the real way to get there.
Further Afield
Feeling ambitious? Charleston's historic district is about 2 hr 30 min north — reachable, but really a full long day rather than a casual add-on.
Timing Your Trip
Or stay closer and time it around an event
Savannah's St. Patrick's Day Parade and Music Festival, and Tybee's Pirate Fest, are worth planning a stay around instead of driving away from.
See the events calendarBook Direct
Plan your days, then book the house
Check availability and book direct — best rates, no platform fees, and a direct line to us if you want tide charts or a ferry recommendation.
Check availability