Hello there! Thinking of a vacation in the spring.,,want to be on a nice beach and not too far from Savannah. Trying to decide between Tybee and st Simons islands..,.looking to paddle board and kayak.... hubby and kids ages 15 and 12 love jet ski.... Any suggestions on which island is preferred?

"not far" from Savannah and Tybee Island Vs. St. Simons?

No question about that one IMO as the map will illustrate.

Now, if you want to go someplace which may not be quite as "beachy commercial architecture"...

Have never been to SSI but I have been to TI a couple of times. I would never consider spending more than a couple hours there, definitely not an entire vacation. Other than its proximity to Savannah not much going on there. If you like sleepy you may like it.

I believe (from my own impressions) that St. Simons is more upscale than Tybee.
St. Simons has a few very good places to stay while Tybee has mostly chain hotels and B&Bs. St. Simons borders not only the ocean but the marsh as well so there might be more water activities. (Not sure of how the marsh interacts with Tybee as I've never stayed there).

I don't think of St. Simons as a place where jet skis would be all that welcomed. Could be wrong but it seems quite genteel. KIng and Prince is a nice place to stay and, if you want to splurge, adjacent Sea Island has rentals.

St Simons is upscale and would be a perfect place kayak or paddle board or to play golf or tennis.

I am nit sure you would actually be run out of town for jet skiing, but you might get a lot of looks.

St. Simons for sure. As gmoney says, Tybee Island is a good place to drive to from Savannah, climb the lighthouse, have some seafood, and drive back to Savannah.

St. Simons is a really nice upscale resort island with lots to do.