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The subject of this article is located on these scenic highways.
The only way to enter Fort Pulaski is across the wooden bridge over the water-filled moat. I couldn’t tell how deep it was – probably only a couple of feet. But the fact that I had to cross a bridge over a 150-year-old moat was thrilling.
And it wasn’t the only exciting thing about visiting Fort Pulaski National Monument.
The national park site is between Savannah and Tybee Island, guarding the entrance to the Savannah River. It was part of the Third System of Forts built along the coast. During the Civil War, the fort was bombarded by Union troops – and the fort still carries the scars.
Learn about visiting Fort Pulaski National Monument with an interactive map, things to do, and travel tips to make the most of your trip.
Things to Do
The official National Park Service app is an all-in-one tool for planning a national park adventure and finding your way around the park. The app has information about every national park site across the country, essentially putting all the online information at your fingertips.
The free app features interactive maps, self-guided tours, amenities like restrooms, and lists of things to do. The powerful app has an offline mode – with a single tap, you can save the park for offline use to access all the information later. You’ll also have access to important information like alerts, contacts, fees, and operating hours.
Most of the National Park Service’s units are free to visit, but some require an entrance fee. Fortunately, there are ways to save money on those fees if you frequent the units.
The Standard Pass allows one person to enter one park for seven consecutive days. The Annual Pass provides entrance to one park for a year.
The America the Beautiful Pass is the golden ticket hidden in a chocolate bar. This pass covers the entrance and day-use fees for up to one vehicle or four adults for all National Park Service units.
There are several types of America the Beautiful Passes catering to different segments of society and with different price tags:
The best place to purchase an America the Beautiful Pass is at a national park unit. Visit the National Park Service’s website to learn more about interagency passes.
How to use this map: Click the icon in the top-left corner to open the Map Legend, then click on any of the legend items to display more information. If you have a Google account, click the star beside the map’s name to save this map to your account, then access the map from your smartphone during your trip.
Learn about the annual celebration of the National Park System and read my travel guides to national park units across the country.
Seeing a need to protect the bustling port town of Savannah from a sea approach a masonry fortification was built on Cockspur Island at the mouth of the Savannah River. Construction on the fort lasted from 1829 until 1847 at a cost of about $1 million. The fort was named after Casimir Pulaski, a Polish solider who distinguished himself fighting under George Washington during the Revolutionary War.
When Georgia seceded from the United States in 1861 the fort was captured by a garrison of Confederate troops. In 1862 the Siege of Fort Pulaski began when Union forces on Tybee Island began a 30-hour bombardment of Fort Pulaski. The Union forces used the brand-new James Rifled Canon and Parrott Rifle to attack the fort, the first time in history rifled canons were used in combat.
In 1924 Fort Pulaski was declared a National Monument and turned over the National Park Service.
Just after turning onto the entrance road to the national monument is the entrance station for paying an admission fee. The entrance station can take cash or credit.
The entrance fee is $10 per person for anyone over the age of 15. One important thing to keep in mind that I forget all the time is that the entrance fee is good for 7 consecutive days. So if you’re a local or visiting the area for a few days you can come back anytime within the next week. You have no idea how many times I have paid that entrance free twice in two days.
If you’re a local you might be interested to know the NPS offers an annual pass to Fort Pulaski National Monument for $35.
No. 1
Fort Pulaski is a pretty simple site to navigate; stay straight on the entrance road to a large parking lot and you’re there. At the edge of the parking lot in a large, round building is the Visitor Center & Museum.
The last time I visited in early 2018 the NPS was in the process of moving the visitor center and giftshop from this building to a room inside the fort. At the time I visited all that remained in this building was a small one-room museum and a 20-minute introduction video.
No. 2
The paved path from the visitor center and parking lot passes along the watery mote to a wooden bridge crossing. As I stood on that bridge I realized this was only the second time I had ever seen an historic fort with water in the mote. The other was Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia.
I’m not an engineer but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once so I feel I can say this: the design of Fort Pulaski seems pretty smart. A triangular-shaped island outside the fort houses underground chambers for storing gun powder. The fort itself is also completely surrounded by a watery mote with only one entrance. The fort pretty much seemed impenetrable to a ground assault, but apparently that wasn’t their biggest concern.
The inside of Fort Pulaski is a large parade ground where you’ll find canon firing demonstrations on the weekends. Visitors can walk around the casemate rooms of the surrounding fort walls. There are staircases in the corners, and a wicked looking spiral staircase I did not use, leading to the upper level.
The self-guided tour through the fort is the most exciting thing to do with beautiful views, history to learn, and rooms to explore.
There are still several canons on display along the upper level of the fort. In some places the damage the fort received during the Siege of Fort Pulaski was never fully repaired (either from a lack of funding or maybe just to show what it looked like after the battle, I don’t know). From the top you can see the tiny Cockspur Lighthouse in the distance and beyond that Tybee Island where the Union forces set up their rifled canons.
No. 3
My favorite thing to do at Fort Pulaski National Monument was explore the top of the fort. A spiral concrete staircase led to the earthen top of the fort covered in grass and patches of brick.
Several canons on the top showed where artillery would have fired on outside aggressors during the Civil War battle. But rubble surrounding the canons also shows where they were likely destroyed during the battle.
From the top of the fort, you can see the nearby Cockspur Lighthouse, surrounding moat, and the Savannah River.
No. 4
There are two distinctive features of Fort Pulaski National Monument that make it a pleasure to visit: battle scars and the water-filled moat.
The historic dike system was designed by Lieutenant Robert E. Lee during his early service in the U.S. Army. It was meant to protect the fort from changing tides on the Savannah River at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
A two-mile trail follows the crest of the dike system surrounding the fort, visitor center, and parking lot. Another trail circles the fort around the water-filled mote.
As you walk around Fort Pulaski, you’ll notice the scars on the brick fort from the Civil War battle. One of the National Park Service’s mandates is to preserve historical sites. But sometimes, preserving the site from a certain period is desirable. The fort was never repaired after the Civil War, so Fort Pulaski still carries the scars from the battle.
No. 5
The very short ¼-mile North Pier Trail leads to a couple of things to see at Fort Pulaski National Monument. The North Pier was used during construction of the fort to bring in the millions of bricks. Along the trail leading to the pier are the remains of the construction village.
You’ll also come across Battery Hambright. This was an addition to the coastal fortification built in the 1800s to defend against invaders in the North Channel of the Savannah River during the Spanish-American War.
The John Wesley Memorial is also located along this trail. Wesley was brought to the Savannah colony in 1736 by founder James Oglethorpe. The minister made his landing on Cockspur Island and supposedly gave his first sermon near this monument.
Learn about the annual celebration of the National Park System and read my travel guides to national park units across the country.
No. 6
The first lighthouse on the eastern tip Cockspur Island was built from 1837-1839 to guide ships into the South Channel of the Savanna River. In 1848 John Norris, a noted New York architect who designed the U.S. Custom House, Mercer-Wilder House, and Green-Meldrim House in Savannah, was contracted to build a new lighthouse on the island. But this lighthouse would be destroyed by a hurricane in 1854. The current lighthouse was built on the previous foundation.
The beacon at Cockspur Lighthouse was extinguished during the Civil War from 1862-1866. In 1906 the light was permanently extinguished when cargo traffic was rerouted through the North Channel of the Savannah River.
In 1958 the lighthouse was transferred from the Coast Guard to the National Park Service.
The lighthouse and small islet it stands on are off limits to visitors. There are several organizations trying to preserve and restore the lighthouse, but nature is not cooperating nicely.
However, visitors can get a good look on the lighthouse from an observation point at the end of the 0.75-mile Lighthouse Overlook Trail. The trail begins at the parking lot, loops around the north side of the fort, and meanders across the island. The best time for hiking this trail is low tide and the best time of day for photos of the lighthouse is near sunset.
Fort Pulaski National Monument is surrounded by amazing places to stay in Savannah and Tybee Island. What you choose is all about what else you want to do while visiting the area. Here are my recommendations for where to stay around this national monument.
The Drayton Hotel is the premiere overnight accommodation in the Savannah Historic District. Most of the rooms have a king bed only and face in one of four directions for different views around town. With on-site parking and a bar on property this is a great place to spend a night or two.
McMillan Inn is a fantabulous boutique hotel in the Savannah Historic District. Rooms vary with twin bed, queen bed, and king bed options. The swimming pool and hot tub are located on the secluded terrace for a perfectly pleasant evening.
The Marshall House is another fantastic hotel in the Savannah Historic District. The hotel features rooms with one or two beds, a full service restaurant, and all the amenities you could need.
The Hampton Inn in the Historic District is a more budget-friendly option for downtown hotels. The hotel has bedrooms with one or two beds, but I found the Executive King Room to be the best option; for a comparable rate to other rooms you get a king bed and sleeper sofa. The hotel also features on-site parking and a swimming pool.
The Best Western is located at the western edge of downtown on Bay Street. It’s a more affordable option that is still within walking distance of the Historic District. The hotel features King Rooms, Double Rooms with two double beds, on-site parking, and a swimming pool.
Country Inn & Suites is one of two affordable hotel options all located beside Savannah International Airport. This hotel has King Rooms and Queen Rooms with two queen beds. Free parking and breakfast and an outdoor swimming pool add to the hotel’s amenities.
Home2 Suites by Hilton is a fantastic place to stay if you plan to be in Savannah for awhile. The Queen Suites with two queen beds and King Suites each include full kitchens with appliances, dinnerware, and cookware. The hotel also has an outdoor swimming pool.
Surf Song Bed & Breakfast would be an amazing place to stay while visiting Fort Pulaski National Monument. The B&B has one bedroom options with either queen or king beds and a Deluxe Suite with two bedrooms. It’s also located within ear shot of the beach and within sight of the Tybee Island Light Station.
Admiral’s Inn is a really lovely hotel near the southern end of Tybee Island near the Tybee Beach Pier. The hotel has King Rooms and Queen Rooms with two queen beds. There is plenty of on-site parking reserved for hotel guests and a small outdoor swimming pool.
Georgianne Inn & Suites feels more like a rental house than hotel and it is the perfect place for a family to stay. The charming property has several rooms with one or two beds and sleeper sofas. The Family Suite includes two full beds, a twin bunk bed, and a sleeper sofa.
DeSoto Beach Hotel is a fantastic oceanfront hotel on Tybee Island. It’s within minutes of the Light Station and about ten minutes from Fort Pulaski National Monument. The hotel features rooms with one or two beds, some with an ocean view, and the Two Bedroom Ocean View Suite.
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hi 🙂 bross 🙂
i am from Italy hello. Can you help me translate? /rardor
Thank you very much for the invitation :). Best wishes.
PS: How are you? I am from France 🙂