All dressed up for the holidays!

Friday Tybee Island held its Christmas tree lighting. Sadly, the weather didn't cooperate – the rain discouraged people from wandering along Tybrisa and visiting all the businesses that were decorated and ready for the event. But those who showed up still had a nice view.

The exciting news for Lighthouse Pizza was that we were selected as the business with the best decorations – for the second year in a row. We hope lots of people will come down and see our lights.

Tybee is very different during the holidays. We don't have the crowds that we have during spring or summer, so things are quiet. But a lot of people visit friends or family, or just take their vacation in the Savannah area during the holidays. So if the weather is okay, we see lots of them touring Tybee.

We've also learned that many of those visitors are looking for good places to eat, so we were open on Thanksgiving Day and will be open on Christmas. Pizza or barbecue is a change from the normal turkey or ham, so if you're in the mood for pizza, we'll be here!

Pirate's Fest '09 - what a party!

What a party! The 2009 Pirate's Fest was spectacular. We don't know how many people turned out for the festival, but the crowds were huge and they ate a lot of pizza!

First, the setting. It was warmer than usual for this time of year, about 90 degrees, but felt great. The weather stayed great except a brief downpour Saturday that, unfortunately, drenched the parade and parade-goers, but even that didn't stop the fun. The arrangements were wonderful -- congrats to the Pirate Fest committee for the setup. At one end of the South Beach parking lot was a huge, huge tent, complete with chandeliers, that covered the stage and plenty of space for attendees to enjoy the concerts, which went on Friday evening and Saturday evening, ending with a great performance by the Marshall Tucker Band. Rows of matching tents stretched along either side of the parking lot, housing all the vendors and creating a kind of carnival midway in between.

The food vendors were on the street side of the parking lot, which was a good thing, because it made it easier for staff to bring refills of hot, fresh, pizza to our booth -- which happened about every 15-20 minutes. It seemed we couldn't keep up with all the hungry pirates, big and small. From what we could see, the other food booths -- all local Tybee businesses and organizations -- were kept busy, too. And the other vendors, with pirate costumes, jewelry and other pirate related items, had lots of customers, as well.

The crowd was a wonderful mix, from locals, often with children, out for a day of fun to serious pirate fans who travel to events all over the country. Some of our out of state customers had planned their trips to include Pirate Fest, others were pleasantly surprised when they found out about it. And the costumes! Everything from off-the-shelf kids Halloween costumes to improvised to elaborately recreated outfits. We saw several people with stuffed parrots attached to their shoulders, so were quite surprised when a very realistic one started moving. No wonder it looked so real, it was!

We'll look forward to an even bigger and better Pirate's Fest next year!

It's hard to believe that summer passed so quickly. We're finding that on Tybee the seasons aren't quite the same as in other places. There's winter, then spring break, then summer, then after summer, then fall. September and early October are "after summer," the weather is still warm and you can enjoy an afternoon on the beach, but with kids back in school the pace is a little more leisurely. It's a great time for couples or a friends' get-away at the beach.

Just like Labor Day weekend is the end of summer, Pirate's Fest weekend is the end of after-summer. This weekend we're looking forward to thousands of buccaneers, pirates, privateers and their friends and families arriving on the island. Main events will be Friday afternoon and evening and all day Saturday, in the area around the pier and South Beach, with entertainment, vendors of all sorts of treasures and great food, of course.

Lighthouse Pizza will have a booth at the festival with slices of our delicious pizza and the restaurant, right up the street, will be open with its full menu and huge selection of beer -- "grog" in pirate-speak.

See you there!

Neighbors' referrals -- long distance

We always love it when a new customer comes in and says a friend or neighbor recommended us. It's even more fun when we find out that the customer and neighbor live out of state! We've had that happen several times lately, visitors from out of state who told us their neighbors visited earlier in the summer and said to be sure to eat with us. So, a big thanks to our new customers and their neighbors!

August is a great time to visit Tybee Island. Many of the school systems within day-trip range started back to school over the past couple of weeks, so the island is a little less crowded. But the weather is still great, the beach is beautiful and the water wonderful. And, of course, lots of great places to eat, like Lighthouse Pizza!

The next big event coming up is the Labor Day Beach Bash. This is the second year, and should be a great time, with the Swingin' Medallions playing and a fireworks show on Sunday night.

And we're looking forward to the Tybee Island Pirate Festival, Oct. 8-10, with entertainment, a parade and all kinds of swashbuckling action. We'll have a booth there, selling pizza by the slice, and giving out information on our new sister restaurant, which will open in January. Check back soon for more details!

Tybee Island called healthiest beach destination

We already knew that Tybee is a great place to visit -- or live! But now the secret is getting out. This month Health Magazine did a story on the 10 healthiest beach vacation spots in the country, based on beach, water and air quality, "fit" activities, healthy food options and costs. Tybee Island topped the list!

And today, July 24, The Today Show did a story on this list.

Here are the links:

Health Magazine

Today Show video

Summer is busy and fun on Tybee

With the great weather, and the movie filming on Tybee, it has been the place to be this summer. We had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend, with thousands of people enjoying the fireworks off the pier.

Lighthouse Pizza has welcomed many of those visitors to Tybee. In addition to our dining room and patio, they've enjoyed our new sidewalk cafe, shown here.

Late in June the movie was filming on the beach, right down the street. It was pretty interesting seeing a carnival set up on the beach. At the end of the long day of filming, someone from the crew ordered pizzas from us for a late night snack. 

A trophy and the beginning of summer

Congratulations to Lighthouse Pizza's Joey Crook. Joey represented us Saturday in the Kayak race benefitting the Tybee Marine Science Center -- and took first place in the Race Across the River, which was the race for Gold Sponsors of the event.

This was our first time sponsoring this event and participating in the race, so we are very proud of Joey and have the trophy proudly on display at the store!

Summer is here, and with it lots of visitors to Tybee, and to Lighthouse Pizza. We're in our full summer schedule now, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and, depending on how busy the island is, will be staying open late Friday and Saturday nights for carry-out. How late will depend on how many customers stop by or call in. So if you are hungry give us a call. If we answer the phone, we're there.

The big talk in town right now is the upcoming filming of Disney's "The Last Song" starring Miley Cyrus. We're very excited that Tybee Island will star as itself in the movie -- what a great chance to show off our wonderful island. On behalf of Lighthouse Pizza, welcome to Tybee!

Summer arrives with rain and crowds

The calendar may say that summer begins in June, but we all know it really begins Memorial Day weekend. And what a weekend -- rain, wind, riptides and crowds of people who dodged the rain early and enjoyed the sunshine that finished off the weekend.

Now, we're hoping for better weather as we approach the June 6 date for the Tybee Island Kayak Race, benefitting the Tybee Marine Science Center. Lighthouse Pizza has a team in the race, and we hope to raise the most money of any team to benefit this great program. You can help by stopping by the store and making a donation. 

Ready, set, Kayak Race! please help

One of our nearby neighbors on Tybee is the Tybee Island Marine Science Center. This wonderful program is a destination for many visitors, school and youth groups who get the chance to learn -- hands on! about the coastal Georgia ecosystem. It also plays an important role in educating visitors and residents on how to protect our endangered sea turtles, which nest on Tybee's beaches. 

Learn more here

On June 6, Lighthouse Pizza will participate in the 11th Annual Tybee Island Sea Kayak Races to benefit the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.

We invite all our friends, customers and visitors to help us raise more money than any other team in the race! Stop by the store and make a donation for the Sea Kayak Race. We'll have a donation jar and poster up soon. Our goal is at least $500, but we'd love to raise more for this great program!

Then, June 6, come out to A-J's Dockside at the Back River and cheer on our kayak in the Race Across the River! There will also be a River Race and Little Tybee Challenge race. 

April already?

Wow, how did it get to be April already? It's been busy, busy, with college spring breaks from late February to March and families visiting while area school systems were on spring break around Easter. It's been great having so many people from around the state and region visit Lighthouse Pizza.

A lot of the visitors to Tybee are in groups, especially Girl Scouts, who come to Savannah to visit the Juliette Gordon Low home. We're always glad to have groups come in, and encourage groups to let us know when they are coming and pre-order if possible. Over the next few weeks we will welcome at least two groups of Girl Scouts, one coming all the way from Kentucky!

While we appreciate our visitors, we also love our local customers, and enjoy getting to know them.  Recently we were honored to be asked to cater a reception for a couple getting married here. They had family members who were regular customers. So thanks, and congratulations and best wishes!

This spring Tybee is welcoming visitors April 17-30 with the first-ever Tybee's Big Give. It's a chance to show off Tybee's beautiful re-nourished beach, and show what a great vacation value Tybee offers year round. At Lighthouse Pizza we're glad to welcome visitors during Tybee's Big Give. We had previously discussed some special promotions for the event, but finally concluded that they would make it harder to provide the fast service and everyday value we try to give. So for Tybee's Big Give we are offering our internet specials (on our website), as well as introducing a Happy Hour Monday through Thursday 2-6 p.m. with specials on our huge selection of beer -- domestic, imports and microbrews. 

Tybee's Big Give, April 17-30

Have you heard about Tybee's Big Give? From April 17-30, businesses on Tybee Island will be rolling out the red carpet for visitors suffering from the "economy blues." There will be specials on lodging, dining, shopping, activities and more. Now, Tybee is already known as a very reasonably-priced place to spend your vacation so these specials will make it amazing!

At Lighthouse Pizza, we're working on plans for our "very special" specials. How about a chance for a free meal? Details are still in the works, but our plan is that every in-store (dine-in or carry-out) customer will be able to draw from our coupon jar after they order. Each day we will add a "Free Meal" coupon to get the order just placed (up to $25) FREE!  If no one draws it one day, the next day there will be two coupons. Other coupons will be good for deals on future orders, or prizes like t-shirts and other gifts. More details and all the "fine print" will be coming soon on our website.

If you are planning a vacation, we have to say, April is a perfect time. The island isn't "too" crowded, the weather is incredible and the beach, with all its newly-restored sand, is gorgeous. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day -- Tybee style!

Tybee Island started off the area's St. Patrick's Day celebrations with a great day Saturday. While it was a little cool and cloudy, there was nothing to keep visitors from enjoying Tybee's St. Patrick's Day parade. All reports say it was the biggest and best ever, both in the size of the parade and the number of people who came out to see it. Our own little "pizza-mobile" was in the parade of course, along with many other businesses and local groups. We'd have to say the biggest stars in the parade were the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales. What incredible animals!

The Lighthouse Pizza staff was too busy making pizza and ribs for all our visitors to take any pictures, but some wonderful pictures have been posted online, including these on savannahnow.com

 

Enjoy -- and don't forget to wear your green!

Think green -- Irish green!

Everyone knows about Savannah's St. Patrick's Day celebration. But Tybee Island has it's own take on St. Patrick's, a day of fun and relaxation on the beach, good food and good drink at the local restaurants and our very own St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday, March 14. Come out and enjoy the weekend with us, and be sure to stop by Lighthouse Pizza for a meal, or for the largest selection of import beers on the Island. You might even get lucky and get some St. Patrick's Day beads!

Welcome to Lighthouse Pizza!

It's a new season, we have a new website and now a new blog to talk about what is happening at Lighthouse Pizza and on Tybee Island. 

One of the things we enjoy most is meeting visitors from all over the U.S. -- and all over the world. If you've visited Lighthouse Pizza, please leave a comment with your name and where you are from!