Whatever you're looking for in a vacation, Savannah has it!
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| Photo from the Savannah Chamber of Commerce |
Historic architecture? Yes, with free transportation to get around.
Bustling riverfront with shopping, art and dining? One of Savannah's best features!
City tours in a horse drawn carriage? Absolutely, and with no unpleasant evidence of horses!
A haunted city with tours and pub crawls to explore? So many haunted tours, from bars to cemeteries to historic homes.
Attractions and Activities
Savannah has no shortage of things to do. From city tours, to pub crawls, to haunted tours, to art galleries and museums, there is something for everyone. While we were in Savannah we did the following:
The Riverfront
Walk along the cobblestones of River Street to visit art galleries, shopping, and dining. Across the street, is a riverfront park with fountains, statues and artisans selling everything from individualized portraits to handcrafted items. Although we didn't take them, river tours and the free ferry to Hutchinson Island leave from this area as well. This is a great spot for people and boat watching, with plenty of lovely backgrounds for selfies.
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| The Riverfront, photo from savannahvisitors.com |
While we were in Savannah we took a 90 minute Haunted Pub Crawl tour. Since none of the pub crawls include the cost of drinks, we booked the cheapest tour available at $15 per person. There were 14 of us and after finding our tour guide (a little tricky since many tours meet at the same spot at the time) we set out to learn more about Savannah's haunted past, drinking along the way. Nothing on the tour was scary at all, but our tour guide was informative and funny. We stopped at 3 bars, viewed one of Savannah's historic cemeteries, and had a lot of laughs. We always like to learn something about the local area when we travel, and this tour was a great way to accomplish that in a lighthearted way.
We were able to get tickets to this tour slightly cheaper than the advertised price through Jesse's travel agent superpowers - so be sure to reach out to us if you book any tours so we can get you cheaper prices too! (By the way, this is why we still need travel agents!)
Historic Attractions
There are historic mansions, cemeteries, and churches available to tour, museums to explore and 22 lovely squares with fountains, statues and shady benches for a quick rest. We strolled through more of these squares than I can name, but they are all unique in their own ways.
We visited the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which is an amazing site to behold. The church is open for visitors but it is still an active parish, so be sure to time your visit around worship services (especially on Sunday mornings!).
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| The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, GA |
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| Gracie, a popular resident of Bonventure Cemetery |
We didn't rent a car this trip, so we used the free Dot Express Shuttle. There are several stops around the historic district so this was a convenient way to get around. On Friday we never waited more than 5 minutes for a shuttle, but on Saturday the wait was longer and shuttles were sometimes too full to take on more passengers. It being a summer weekend with a Girl Scout conference in town, this wasn't surprising. Savannah is a very walk-able city, so when we had to we had no problem grabbing a to-go drink and hoofing it.
There is metered parking near the waterfront, both in lots and on the street. We traveled with local family who had a car on Sunday and I was shocked that we easily found parking at several spots throughout downtown. Parking is free on weekends, which was a nice plus if you do have a car.
The airport is about 20-25 minutes outside of the city and we had no issues grabbing an Uber to get to our hotel. The airport itself is small but very nice. There is one sit down restaurant and a handful of fast food places. We had no problem finding a comfy seat near an outlet to charge up before our flight home.
Dining and To-Go Beverages
We are very health conscious at home, so when we go on vacation we really like to indulge in local food and beverages. Savannah was the right choice for that! There are bars and restaurants at every corner, of varying price points and with many different types of food.
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| We ate and drank our way through Savannah! |
We stayed at The DeSoto Hotel and ate at Edgar's Proof and Provision in the lobby. We stopped there during Happy Hour for $6 well drinks and appetizers before our pub crawl. There were several local people dining there, which we took as a good sign. The service and food delivery were on the slow side, but the fish tacos and truffle fries were well worth it!
Jesse loves Joe's Crab Shack, so we couldn't pass up the chance to stop in there for lunch. As with every trip to Joe's, we drank Hurricanes and split a steampot. Along with offering dessert our waitress also offered to-go drinks, which isn't something you're offered every day!
On our last morning our traveling companions suggested Two Cracked Eggs for breakfast. What a southern treat! They offer creative southern breakfasts and huge (and I mean enormous!) biscuits. They are located on the Factor's Walk, just a block above the river front. We enjoyed our breakfast very much.
We had to stop by Leopold's Ice Cream for a cold treat on a hot day. Leopold's is one of the oldest ice cream shops in the country, with an excellent selection to chose from. They offer ice cream and milkshakes. This was a true vacation indulgence!
During our pub crawl we stopped at McDonough's of Savannah and Ta Ca. We went back to eat at both, with McDonough's offering a full food menu and Ta Ca offering sushi and asian specialties. We enjoyed both places, but our traveling companions were not fans of the pho at Ta Ca. We'd never had it before and enjoyed it, but we had nothing to compare it to. Ta Ca does offer a $7 Mai Tai, which alone is worth a stop!
Savannah has generous open container laws that allow for to-go drinks. If you enjoy a cocktail, it's super fun to grab one and sip and stroll your way through Savannah. Although Happy Hour drink specials are plentiful, the bar trips before and after can really add up so we supplemented with our own alcohol. We found a liquor store near the riverfront and a CVS in the historic district and purchased what we needed to make our own drinks. We then reused cups from previous to-go drinks, filled the ice bucket in our hotel room, and made our own drinks. This saved us a lot of money while still letting us enjoy the fun to-go drinking atmosphere.
Hotels
As I mentioned, we stayed at The DeSoto Hotel in the historic district and loved it. It was a beautiful property with a great rooftop pool, in the perfect location and it was the best value we could find. There are plenty of other hotel options in and around the historic area as well.
Summary
In short, we had a wonderful time in Savannah and can't imagine anyone who wouldn't find something worthwhile to do there. It's a great historic city with plenty to see and do. We couldn't get in everything we wanted to do and are already planning another visit!
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