Just what the doctor ordered.

After two days of driving down the eastern seaboard we arrived on Tybee Island in Georgia starving for fresh, nutritious food and tranquility.

Hallelujah…we found everything we desired at The Crab Shack.

This joyful piece of paradise in a secluded Margaritaville like setting sprouting up on an inlet by the Atlantic Ocean was a dream fulfilled.

We arrived in Savannah around 2pm and drove through the historic district straight to Tybee Island.

The happy place was relatively empty as it was off season and past prime lunchtime.

We we’re seated by the water at a square table with a big hole in the middle.

Ingenious…when the seafood arrived we just took the shells and threw them straight into the opening.

Our server was so welcoming and provided great advice.

We started out with Shack Crab Stew chowder which was meaty, creamy and delicious (cup $6).

We also ordered sweet local oysters served the right way with homemade cocktail sauce and fresh horseradish (1/2 dozen $12).

Then the impressive, overflowing Captains Sampler Platter with Snow crab, mussels, crawfish, peel and eat cooked shrimp, potatoes and sweet melted butter arrived (platter for 2 which easily feeds 3…$69).

For one hour we cracked and dug the bounty out of the shells.

Dessert was the only disappointment.

The Key Lime Pie was very limey and did not hold up against Miami’s Joe’s Stone Crab key lime pie ($5).

The fresh Pecan Pie did not have the extreme rich gooey mixture of a Louisiana Pecan pie, but we still managed to make it all gone.

FYI, A look back at The Crab Shack…it is 1983 and owners Jack & Belinda Flanigan were living in Atlanta, Georgia when they hit upon a “fish camp for-sale” ad in the newspaper.

Having left Savannah for Atlanta, they both knew the area well and longed for a kinder, gentler lifestyle.

They made an offer, bought the place and moved to Tybee Island.

They worked hard running the fishing camp and marina while studying for their Captain’s licenses.

After getting the official “Captain” titles, they added Charter fishing services to the operation.

The location was great, the sunsets were beautiful, the weather was right. No one knows exactly when The Crab Shack was born, but it obviously happened.

Lucky for us we found The Crab Shack with the commanding view and fresh seafood making for a very memorable stop.

If you are so inclined, you can pay $3.95 and feed the alligators in the lagoon after your meal…not an activity in my wheelhouse

The Crab Shack 40 Estill Hammock Road Tybee Island, Georgia. Open daily 12-8pm. Ample free parking.