Tybee Island is to Savannah as Palm Springs is to Los Angeles: a resort town where gays and lesbians, but mostly lesbians, could slip away and be themselves by the beach. It's there that Mary Telfair, suspected lesbian daughter of prominent industrialist and governor Edward Telfair and founder of the Telfair Museum of Art, used to vacation, frequently sending letters back to Savannah that alluded to lesbian love affairs among the city's prominent women.
Ladies who liked ladies kept going year after year, decade after decade, slowly but surely making their presence more known. Now, after all those years, and a more recent influx of gay men, Tybee Island's became a premier destination for Southern ladies and gentlemen. It's so gay friendly that the city's this weekend hosting its very first Gay Days, a three day event of fun, food and family that starts tomorrow.
If you can't get out there definitely keep it in mind for future excursions to the oft-maligned South. In the meantime, take a look at some vintage shots, post cards and candids taken on and near Tybee Island a long, long time ago.
SLIDE SHOW: 25 LITTLE TRIPS INTO TYBEE ISLAND'S PAST
