SAVANNAH, GA
THE FIRST GRIDDED, PLANNED CITY IN AMERICA
Ben and I traveled to Savannah, GA around 3 years ago thinking that we may move there. We arrived in the evening at our Couchsurfer’s house. He lived by the Fox Loxy Cafe. The cafe was great, but it was the only thing open within walking distance. We drove around a few blocks and utterly gave up. We were likely just tired and overwhelmed with house hunting in Georgetown and Charleston that same weekend, but we did not like what we saw in Savannah. After a few of my friends made weekend trips there, I realized that we needed to give it another shot, and I’m so glad we did. This city is wonderful for a weekend trip. It still doesn’t compare to Charleston to me, but hey, that’s home to me now.
WHERE TO VISIT
Here are all of the places that I would advise you look into if not visit. They are the highlights are the city. I’ll explain in more depth below.
highlights
To me, you’ll want 3-4 days in the city to really do it right and relax too. Here are the highlights of the city, but make sure to take a full day at Tybee Island.
FORSYTH
PARK
Walk through the whole thing. It’s beautiful and there are always people or kids playing music. Also, look for the schedule of farmers markets to check out in the park.
WORMSLOE
PLANTATION
This plantation is around 20 minutes south of down town but so worth the drive. Give yourself a few hours to drive through the oaks, and walk all of their paths.
WALKING &
ghost TOUR
Get tickets on Groupon because you’ll spend less than 50% of regular pricing. Take a walking tour so you really get to see the sites. The bus tours all go to the same places, so if you decide to ride, purchase from the cheapest. I would do this on your first day so you get an overview of the history in Savannah. Also, you’ll get to hear about all of the locations famous movie were filmed.
WALK
RIVER STREET
It’s very touristy, but there was a festival and live music, so it was fun to see. The cobble stone is also very beautiful. I enjoyed ready the signs along the river explaining the founding of Savannah.
LEOPOLD’S
ICE CREAM
I’m not typically a fan of touristy places, but when I heard #1 ice cream in the US, we had to try. It really was delightful, especially in the hot sun. I wouldn’t say it’s the best I’ve ever had, but you’ll have to be the judge of that.
eat at the olde
pink house
It’s worth the hype. Even the locals say that it’s the best in town. Get the BLT salad, and either make reservations, or walk up right at 5pm to get an outdoor seat. I preferred the outdoor seating, and the food was AMAZING.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHEDRAL
We didn’t go inside because church was in session, but it was gorgeous from the outside, and we heard even better on the inside.
bonaventure
cemetery
We drove through instead of walked it because we’ve seen lots of cemetery’s over the years. It’s absolutely massive, and I would recommend walking around to see the beautiful ornate gravestones.
IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME, HERE IS A LIST OF OTHER FUN THINGS TO DO AROUND THE AREA.
City Market (sample everything) - free
The Jepson Center (See Bird Girl)
Juliette Gordon Low’s House - $15/person
Walk all of the squares (there are lots of great maps on Pinterest) - free
See the Marshall House - free
Savannah Theatre (see a movie or get a photo)
Walk around the old houses - free
See 507 E Saint Julian Street (It has a creepy story to it)
Take a dinner Riverboat ride - around $50/person
Walk Jones Street in the historic district - free
getting around
There are trolleys that run around the city that are free. If I was there for longer, I would have rode around for a few hours before exploring. We were able to walk everywhere because it isn’t that big downtown. We did have a car to get to Wormsloe and Bonaventure. You can take an Uber or Lyft there.
WHAT NOT TO FORGET
Comfortable walking shoes - you’ll be walking lots of miles, so be comfortable
Camera - some of the sites are just beautiful, and you may want to take pictures of the cemeteries to see if you can catch orbs.
Sun hat - they are all the rage right now, so wear one
Swimsuit - Tybee is a great beach, so don’t forget it
WHERE TO STAY
We can’t really help you with this because we stayed at one of the RV resorts 20 minutes from downtown. If you are up for camping, Savannah Oaks Resort was AMAZING! It even had a pool. I would recommend trying to find an Airbnb downtown.