Choose Tybee Island if you want the closer beach, a lighthouse you can climb and a lively, walkable pier-and-pavilion strip; choose Jekyll Island if you want a calmer, wilder island where one $10 daily fee covers every beach and your leashed dog can come on the sand.
Tybee is roughly 4 hours 15 minutes from Atlanta and Jekyll about 5 hours, going by the drive times in our own guides. They charge for parking in completely different ways, and they have opposite rules on dogs. Those two differences decide most trips, so they come first.
| Tybee Island | Jekyll Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive from Atlanta | About 4 hr 15 min | About 5 hr |
| How parking works | $4 an hour, 8 a.m.–8 p.m., every day | $10 per car per day to enter the island |
| All-day parking | $25 day pass (online) or $48 on the meter | $10 — covers every beach |
| Dogs on the beach | No — $300 fine | Yes, leashed (up to 16 ft) |
| Signature stop | Tybee Island Light Station ($14 adult) | Georgia Sea Turtle Center ($12, ages 13+) |
| Feel | Busy beach town, pier, bars and crab shacks | Quieter state-park island, bike paths, historic district |
| Best for | Day trips from Savannah, families who want a lighthouse | Dog owners, multi-beach days, slower weekends |
How does parking actually work on each island?
Tybee charges by the hour. The City of Tybee Island enforces paid parking citywide from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., year-round, including weekends and holidays, at $4.00 an hour through the Park TYB app or a kiosk. A full enforced day on the meter therefore runs $48. The city also sells a $25 day pass online, good until midnight and available for up to seven consecutive days ($175) — it beats the hourly rate once you stay past about six hours (checked September 17, 2026).
Jekyll charges once, at the entrance. Jekyll Island is a state park that funds itself, so every vehicle pays a parking fee on the way in: $10 a day, $15 for vehicles over 8 feet, $100 for an annual pass, and $5 more on designated special-event days. After that you can park at any beach, including Driftwood Beach, without paying again that day (checked September 17, 2026).
For a multi-stop day that is the real difference: on Tybee every hour costs money wherever you park, while on Jekyll the island fee is the whole bill. Our Georgia beach parking comparison puts all four coastal options side by side.
Can you bring a dog?
This is the clearest split between the two. Tybee does not allow dogs on the beach at all — the City of Tybee Island prohibits pets on its beaches and beach structures, with a fine of up to $300 (checked September 17, 2026). Jekyll allows them, provided they stay leashed, on a leash no longer than 16 feet, and under the owner’s immediate control, according to the Golden Isles visitors bureau (checked September 17, 2026).
If the dog is coming, the decision is made. For inland options, see our dog policies for 303 Georgia places.
What does a family day cost on each island?
Using published prices for a family of two adults and two children aged 6–12, with one paid attraction each:
| Family of four, one attraction | Tybee Island | Jekyll Island |
|---|---|---|
| Parking | $25 day pass | $10 island fee |
| Attraction | Tybee Island Light Station: $14 × 2 adults + $12 × 2 children = $52 | Georgia Sea Turtle Center: $12 × 2 + $10 × 2 = $44, plus tax |
| Total | $77 | $54 plus tax |
Children 5 and under are free at the Tybee lighthouse; the Sea Turtle Center charges from age 4. Beaches themselves are free on both islands once parking is paid. Prices checked September 17, 2026 on each operator’s site; build your own total in the day-out cost calculator.
What is there to do beyond the beach?
Tybee Island
- Tybee Island Light Station — the island’s historic lighthouse and grounds; $14 adults, $12 ages 6–17 and seniors, under 6 free.
- Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion at South Beach — the center of the island’s beach-town energy.
- Tybee Island Marine Science Center — small aquarium and sea-life programs, good on a hot or rainy afternoon.
- Three beach zones — North, Mid and South — all on the same hourly parking system.
Jekyll Island
- Driftwood Beach — the bleached, fallen oaks on the north end; free once you have paid the island fee, but the sand and roots make it a poor stroller beach.
- Georgia Sea Turtle Center — a working sea turtle hospital with viewing areas; $12 ages 13+, $10 ages 4–12.
- Jekyll Island Club Historic District — the historic Jekyll Island Club grounds, free to walk.
- Paved bike paths between the main stops (see our Jekyll vs St. Simons guide for bike details).
Which is easier with a stroller or small children?
Neither island is perfectly stroller-friendly on the sand. Tybee’s beaches are rated partial for strollers in our dataset, and the lighthouse climb itself is not stroller-accessible. On Jekyll, the Sea Turtle Center is stroller-friendly but Driftwood Beach is not. Jekyll’s paved bike paths are the smoother option for pushing a stroller between stops.
Which island fits your trip?
- Bringing a dog: Jekyll. Tybee bans dogs on the beach.
- Day trip from Savannah: Tybee — it is Savannah’s beach and much closer.
- Longest drive you’ll accept is about 4 hours from Atlanta: Tybee.
- Several beaches in one day: Jekyll — one fee covers them all.
- Lowest total for a family attraction day: Jekyll, by about $20 in the example above.
- Busy beach-town atmosphere: Tybee. Quiet: Jekyll.
Weighing Jekyll against its neighbor instead? See Jekyll Island vs St. Simons, and for Tybee with children, Tybee Island with kids.
FAQ
Is Tybee Island or Jekyll Island closer to Atlanta?
Tybee Island is closer: about 4 hours 15 minutes from Atlanta, against about 5 hours for Jekyll Island, going by the drive times in It’s Georgia’s coastal guides.
Can you bring a dog to the beach on Tybee Island or Jekyll Island?
Dogs are not allowed on Tybee Island’s beaches; the City of Tybee Island fines violations up to $300. Dogs are allowed on Jekyll Island’s beaches on a leash no longer than 16 feet and under the owner’s control (checked September 17, 2026).
How much does parking cost on Tybee Island compared with Jekyll Island?
Tybee charges $4.00 an hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, or $25 for a day pass bought online. Jekyll charges $10 per vehicle per day to enter the island, which covers parking at every beach (checked September 17, 2026).
Which is cheaper for a family day, Tybee or Jekyll?
In a like-for-like example for two adults and two children with one paid attraction, Jekyll comes to about $54 plus tax (island fee plus the Georgia Sea Turtle Center) and Tybee to about $77 (day pass plus the Tybee Island Light Station).
Is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island free?
Driftwood Beach has no separate charge, but every vehicle pays Jekyll Island’s $10 daily entry fee to reach it.
How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on . Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.
Sources
- City of Tybee Island — Parking Services
- City of Tybee Island — Beach rules and parking information
- Tybee Island Light Station — Visitor information
- Jekyll Island Authority — Parking
- Jekyll Island — Georgia Sea Turtle Center
- Jekyll Island — Driftwood Beach
- Golden Isles Convention & Visitors Bureau — Beach FAQ
Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.
