Plan some Tybee Time with a Massage!

     If you want to start your Labor Day weekend early with a little relaxation, we've got just the thing! Local massage therapist Edie Mercado, of Coastal Fitness and Wellness here on Tybee, is running a Pre-Labor Day special! You can get 20% off any Therapeutic or Shiatsu massage, as well as any stretching (see their website for descriptions). So, why not treat yourself to a relaxing massage and a little Tybee time?!

Mermaid Tales: Back River Bungalow

Everything about Tybee is quirky and our cottages are no exception! Our Back River Bungalow cottage is in the Back River District of the island, close to great food at AJ's Dockside as well as the Back River Fishing Pier. The cottage owners love the water, and it shows!

Come relax at the Back River Bungalow!

This is one of the bedroom doors in the cottage! Isn't this fun? And the bedroom is cheerful and colorful too...what a creative way to keep the quirk of our little island alive and well!

Right this way to your underwater Escape!

Underwater Escape bedroom, one of four in the cottage!

Tybee is Ready for Labor Day...are You?!

     You haven't made any plans for Labor Day yet? What are you waiting for! Head on down to Tybee, there's so much going on, it'll make your head spin!
     Just plan to start your weekend early and attend the Savannah Craft Brew Fest!The fun starts September 3rd with the Craft Brew & Food Parings Dinner, then the full blown outdoor event overlooking the Savannah River September 4th! There'll be live entertainment, amazing Lowcounrty cuisine, and of course, over 130 craft brews to sample! Get your tickets now!

     If craft brew isn't quite your style, no worries! Tybee Throws a Fit is back and this time, the theme is Dance Party! Come have some fitness fun with us! There will be aerobics, water sports, and general beach activities for all ages and activity levels! Join us at the Tybee Pier and Pavilion begining at 8 a.m. and help Tybee throw a Fit!

Finish off your weekend right with the 3rd Annual Tybee Island Labor Day Beach Bash! Come on down to the Pier and Pavilion September 5th and enjoy fresh ocean breezes and live music from none other than The Landsharks...the Jimmy Buffet tribute band! The music starts at 7 p.m., so bring your flip flops and beach towels and enjoy yourself...IT'S FREE!

     And a celebration on Tybee wouldn't be complete without fireworks, so be on the beach for the oceanfront show from the Pier starting at 9:15 p.m.! The best part is, it's all free to the public!

We can't wait to see you there...let's send the summer of 2010 out with a bang!

Mermaid Tales: Fiddler on the Creek

Because sometimes we need to be reminded, it's ok to daydream!

     Isn't this well worn sign just perfect? Daydreaming is one of our favorite pass-times here on Tybee! This piece of wood used to be part of an old cottage elsewhere on the island, but now its new home is the back porch of our cottage, Fiddler on the Creek. The cottage owner salvaged it and re-purposed it into this fabulous sign!

Welcome to Fiddler on the Creek!

     Unique beach treasures are always fun, especially when they have a great story to tell. I love when old things find new life! Recharging, renewing, and reviving...isn't that what the beach is all about? I sure think it is!

The inviting screened back porch or Fiddler on the Creek Cottage

Mermaid Cottages Guide Dog Pup Update!

     For those of you who may not know, we at Mermaid Cottages have a cause that is near and dear to our hearts...sponsoring service and guide dogs! When you stay in one of our cottages, you are helping us continue our quest to sponsor dogs who go on to help disabled individuals and returning soldiers realize their independence. We are super excited about our new Beach Bum Biscuits too, as proceeds from their sales helps fund this great cause! (Here's where to find them!)

Boomer, taking a break!

     Our latest sponsor is Boomer! Boomer is a sweet, playful Golden Retriever pup. He is about to be 6 months old and is doing wonderfully. He is a bold, self-confident little guy and is doing so well in puppy class, he is often the example of "how its done" for his fellow classmates! Boomer's mom Sandy also reports that he is a super smart quick learner, and isn't afraid of anything!

Boomer enjoying his vacation in New Hampshire!

     Thanks for the update and photos Sandy! We're looking forward to hearing more about Boomer's success in the future!
     If you are interested in learning more about this wonderful cause and how you can help, please visit our website. Thank you for stopping by to share in our sponsor pride...stay turned for future updates on all our sponsored pups!

Doggone Cute Contest Winners!!!

     The voting is closed and the winners have been chosen! Fifi Flowers has posted the six winning pooches on her blog and the paintings couldn't be any cuter! We are so excited to see these in person when they make it to Seaside Sisters as a too-cute set of note cards! We want to thank everyone for entering their pictures, and congratulations to the winners!
     If you see your dog here, make sure you head over to Fifi's blog for details on how to get your free set of the note cards! She is also offering a great rate to buy the original paintings to all who participated, so don't miss out on owning yours! If you didn't get the chance to enter, but would love to commission Fifi to do a painting of your precious pooch, she can help you with that too!
     Now, without further ado, the winners! (Drum roll please......)

6th place winner, Geronimo

5th place winner, Albert

4th place winner, Miss Sadie

3rd place Winners, Capo di Tutti & Chaneo McLovin

2nd place winner, Lilly

And our first place winner is....... Newman!

1st place winner, Newman

And, here is a local dog that will also be included in the note card collection. Meet Jake!

Jake from Tybee

Thanks again to everyone who entered the contest, and congratulations to our winning dogs! Mermaid Cottages thank you all for supporting our Beach Bum Biscuits and the great cause they fund! To find out how to get your hands on your own bag of treats, and learn more about supporting Southeastern Guide and Service Dogs, please head over to our website and the Beach Bum Biscuit blog!

Shake Your Maracas for Ms. Sylvia!!

Ms. Sylvia Gott is a Tybee music icon. She's a peppy 101 years young and still rocks a nightly gig at Doc's Bar here on the island. Yes, our lovely lady is known world wide for her talents as a percussionist. Drums, castanets, tambourines...you name it. We love to watch her play!

photo thanks to Tybee Arts Association and Sherri Simmons

     Recently, Ms. Sylvia had a fall and was hospitalized for a cracked pelvis. She's recovering and is very eager to get back to her music! The community has been cheering on her full recovery and to help with that, she needs a lift in her home to help her get from her first to her second floor. There have been fund raisers island wide, thanks to the Tybee Arts Association and other groups, to help raise the $10,000 for the lift.
     You can join Tybee in raising the funds to help Ms. Sylvia get her lift this Saturday, August 28th, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Doc's Bar! There will be great food and great music, so please come! Wear your turbine and bring your maracas to shake in honor of the fabulous Ms. Sylvia!!
     There will be buckets for your donations at Doc's as well as many other locations around the island. If you aren't able to make it to Tybee, you can head on over to the Tybee Arts Association website and make a donation through Paypal! Please help us help our beloved music legend!

We send our very best to Ms. Sylvia and wish her a full and speedy recovery!!

photo by Sherri Simmons

We Love Our Sea Turtles!

 We are a little over half way through our sea turtle nesting season here on the island. The season runs from May 1st through October 31st, and this year we've seen a lot of activity! In fact the state of Georgia has had a record high number of nests! Here on Tybee, we have had ten confirmed nests, three of which have already hatched. The most recent hatch was Nest #4 this past Sunday morning. Thankfully, nearly all of the hatchlings made it safely to the water. Only two were lost to the ghost crabs on the beach.

Headed for the ocean!  (Fan pic by Amy Gray Capelloon added to the Tybee Sea turtle Project Facebook page)

Volunteers and workers with The Tybee Marine Science Center and the Tybee Sea Turtle Project get up with the sun each morning to sweep the beach for signs of new nests, or nests that may have hatched. An early morning turtle crawl is a beautiful sight!

Just one sight on a morning beach patrol! (Tybee Sea Turtle Project photo)

Our yearly visitors are just one more reason to love Tybee Island! If you are interested in learning more about sea turtles and seeing more pictures of these amazing creatures, please visit the Tybee Marine Science Center and Tybee Sea Turtle Project websites!

Precious baby sea turtle! (Tybee Sea Turtle Project photo)

The Last Song is on DVD!

Yay! The Last Song is finally available on DVD! We are so proud of our island and her role in the film...we have a true star in Tybee!

 The film not only brought a lot of positive attention our way, but we got some pretty neat keepsakes as well! The church used in the film will remain on the island and find new life as a wedding chapel. We also had our First Annual 37th Tybee Seafood Festival! The quirky name is a reference to the fictitious festival in the film. 

This is a shot of the carnival set from the movie!!!!

So, don't forget to pick up your copy of The Last Song so you can always have a little bit of Tybee at your finger tips!

Fifi Flower's Calendars and Contest!

Fifi Flowers has finished her 2011 Tybee Calendar! The calendar features twelve painting of our cottages and they arrive next week for sale at Seaside Sisters, so make sure you stop by for your copy. We are super excited and honored that Fifi painted our cottages! Here are some examples of her beautiful artwork...you can also check out her other Tybee paintings and more wonderful artwork on her website!

Just a few examples of the wonderful whimsical paintings from Fifi Flowers!

And don't forget, you only have a few more hours to enter our Beach Bum Biscuit Contest featuring Fifi! Head on over to Fifi's blog and our Beach Bum Biscuits blog for details on how to enter your dog's picture for a chance to have Fifi paint your dog! The deadline for entry is August 22 at NOON Pacific time, so hurry! Voting begins August 23rd, so please remember to vote on your preferred pooch! The winners will be announced August 26th!

Fifi's painting of Griffin enjoying a bag of Beach Bum Biscuits!!!

Our new blog look

I'm playing around with some new looks and design for the blog.  Yes, when the season slows down some, I'm able to have some time to do things like this.  The picture is from one of the 10 Sea Turtle Nests we have on Tybee Island this summer.  I loved how this looked and thought it would be a fun picture to display.

Welcome your feedback on the new blog look! Be sure you're reading the Tweets we're also posting on the blog about our Tybee adventures.  Enjoy!

A recent happy guest

We love it when our guests share pictures of their visit.  This is from one of our repeat guests who stayed at Sea Largo this past month.

 I just smile when I look at this picture. Eeyore  is sitting on the counter next to our can of Mermaid Morning Bliss Coffee ( which we provide in every cottage and sell at SeaSideSisters Coastal Cottage shop here on the island- proceeds of the coffee sale goes to support our various Sea Turtle projects)  Thank you Lori for sharing!

Keeping Tybee Tidy!

     This Saturday, August 21st, the Tybee Beautification Association is holding it's Adopt-a-Highway clean up! If you are in the area, or you want to be, please consider coming as we help keep Tybee beautiful. All you have to do is meet at the Tybee sign on HWY 80 at Lazeretto Creek at 8 a.m.for materials.

     Remembering ways we can individually help keep our beautiful island tidy on a day to day basis helps out too! We can all be diligent about placing our trash in the proper receptacles, clean up behind ourselves and our pets, and even use reusable containers and bags when possible to reduce waste! 

     Keeping our island neat and clean isn't just important for us, but for all our wonderful wildlife too! Thank you for your help keeping Tybee Island beautiful!!

The lazy days of summer

The month of July has come and gone.  We're still down to the last two weeks  of the busy summer before most of the kids in Georgia go back to school.  So the island is still bustling , busy and full of life.  Doesn't matter how hot it is, the visitors are still here in droves. 

Because it's  a bit quieter,  I have some time during the day to start to think about what new and fun things we can be doing to help make the Mermaid Cottages Experience the best we can for our guests!  I'm thinking of some ideas and one of the ideas will center around Pirate Fest and my 10-10-10 birthday celebration AND the Historic Tybee Beach Theatre restoration project....   stay tuned, alot more to come on the plans and everyone will be invited!