This a bit of old news, but we couldn’t pass it up.  As most of you have probably read, it turns out the hottest thing in beachfront news these days is none other than Savannah Beach, aka Tybee Island.  Thanks in part to attention garnered by America’s sweetheart, Miss Miley Cyrus, Tybee has been plastered all over national news.  But that’s not the only reason it’s newsworthy.

This week, Health Magazine crowned our very own Tybee Island as the country’s healthiest beach getaway.  Now some of you may have just shot hot coffee out of your nose, but you heard me right. Despite our ever critical eye of our slice of paradise (and the weird beach pigeons), Tybee measures up surprisingly well against the competition.

Tybee’s overall victory was measured by it’s success in a number of criteria.  Health Magazine started with a list of the 50 most popular beach and lake towns in the country (as defined by the total number of vacation days tourists spend there) from AAA. To arrive at their top-10 list, judges rated places in five categories: quality and cleanliness of air, water and sand; range of fitness opportunities; healthfulness of local restaurants; safety measures, including the presence of lifeguards, how close the town is to a major trauma center should an emergency come up and the crime rate; and affordability of accommodations.  (Obviously one of the criteria was not the average health of beachgoers - ha!)

According to a recent Savannah Daily News article on the award, “Tybee scored particularly well as the lowest cost place to stay of all locations and as having the fewest water quality problems…  Tybee also scored well because of the range of outdoor activities on the island and the variety of healthy foods in local restaurants.”

This summer, if you’re feeling pent up, out of shape, or in need of some fresh air, just head to Tybee Island for some low-key, healthy leisure.  You just might want to avoid Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends, days when a trip to the beach would cause your blood pressure to skyrocket.

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