Savannah

[meldan98]

My husband and I have been talking about taking a short vacation with just the two of us and we've been talking about Savannah. We both really enjoy Paula Deen and southern food and hospitality, so Savannah just seems like a neat place to go. I'm finding it challenging to plan a vacation that isn't a Disney vacation, so I'm hoping any of you might have some suggestions. I'm also really liked the movie and book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I've done some research, but there are so many different tours and tour operators, I'm just overwhelmed.

[Melanie]

Love Savannah! Love Charleston more, but love Savannah.

My husband and I went for a long weekend over 4th of July last year. Stayed in the SpringHill Suites downtown, and it was the perfect location. Easy walking distance to everything, which was great if you like to just wander and take in the Riverfront area and all the squares.

We did a carriage tour one morning, which originated from the City Market area. I believe the company was Carriage Tours of Savannah. Highly recommended! They will point out the Forest Gump and Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil areas, as well as a home that was supposedly the influence for the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.

We also ate at Lady & Sons. Heart attack! Just kidding. I'm sure it was because we were there over a holiday weekend, but if you want to eat there, make sure you get there very early and get in line for reservations. I waited about 2 hours for a 2pm lunch reservation.

We are history buffs, so we visited a few forts in the area also, and we took in a minor league baseball game.

If you like southern hospitality and Paula Deen, you won't be disappointed in Savannah. It's fun to break away from Disney every once in a while.

[Dulcee]

We LOVE Savannah (my younger sister is actually named Savannah so that should show you the love instilled by my Mom).

First thing to know is River Street. River Street is a road that runs down along the Savannah River, a major shipping line. The whole walk is lined with restaurants and shops. We spend hours down here every trip. Shops range from tacky vacation mementos to high end jewelry and clothing. If you drink stop in at Wet Willy's. They make all frozen drinks but be careful one can make you pretty tipsy. (I'm particularly fond of the call a cabs )

In the city take time to walk the squares, they're gorgeous and full of history. The locals are interesting but you'll meet all kinds from all economic backgrounds so be ready to side step the people in suits on the same block as the homeless. I highly suggest doing a walking tour, its really the best way to see savannah. We've always been fond of ghost tours for a good amount of history, local legend and fun. Pirate house is a fun first time restaurant, it caters to tourists so the prices do tend to be a bit higher but the atmosphere and history are fun.

There are some great restaurants in city market, along with some great shopping. If you want to hit paula's restaurant get there EARLY. Its a buffet and they only seat so many people and it gets crowded fast.

Our favorite destination is actually the barrier island that protects savannah. If you have your own vehicle and some time drive out to the coast, about a twenty minute trip through some gorgeous marshes and fishing towns to Tybee Island. You'll also run into Paula's brother's restaurant on your drive out there. Good food without the line's at Paula's. You can't beat the dive restaurants out here and the shrimp is always a notch above what you'll find in Savannah, probably because it was brought directly in from the docks. Check out the North Beach Grill out in the parking area for the North Beach. It looks like a total dive but the food is to die for.


PM if you have any other specific questions. We spend two weeks out there each summer and love it more every time we go.

[Melanie]

You'll also run into Paula's brother's restaurant on your drive out there. Good food without the line's at Paula's.

We also ate there, and enjoyed it very much! Live alligators and all.

We didn't get as good a vibe on Tybee Island. It's very different than NC and SC beaches, and something just seemed off. We didn't stay there though, so I can't really judge.

I should restate about our meal at Lady & Sons. I got there about 8am and waited in line for a couple of hours. When I finally got to the podium, lunch reservations were up to 2pm-ish. You really do need to get there early.

And our favorite bar on River Street is The Warehouse.

Have you considered visiting Charleston?

[disney obsessed]

Love Savannah! Discovered it the same time my family discovered Disney World. We would drive from Pittsburgh to Savannah the first day and then travel on to Disney the second. Have stayed both in the historic district and off I95 where the hotels can be cheap. The next exit past the turn off for Savannah, going south, has a great selection. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of it right now. The downside is that you will need to drive to everything and it is about a 15 min drive into town.

Vinnie Van GoGos is a pizza place/dive bar on Market Square. On the corner of Montgomery. Best pizza I have ever eaten. The city is a great mix of bohemian atmosphere and great history. The art school also gives a great opportunity for interesting shopping and art venues. The Lowe house is there for Girl Scout enthusiasts. There are a lot of bed and breakfasts in the historic buildings downtown if that is of interest. Tybee Island is nice. I especially like the southern end of it.

During the spring the city is drapped in wisteria mixed with spanish moss. Looks like Walt did it himself.

[TheDuckRocks]

Mel, was the wait time for Lady and Sons on week day or over the weekend? We are going down to Hilton Head in a couple of weeks and wanted to drive over for lunch one week day. Wow, as I have mobility issues this is really going to put a crimp in our plans.

[TheDuckRocks]

Love Savannah! And also love Charleston!
If you are flying in and renting a car you might want to consider spliting your stay between the two. The driving distance is a little over 100 miles and takes about 2 hours.
The Shrimp Factory on River Street is excellent and has an amazing dish - Pork Filet Au Pouivre and their house salad is wonderful.
The freshest seafood I think we've ever had is just south of town in Richmond Hill at Love's Seafood. No matter how many times we go there we always order the same thing, Georgia White Shrimp for me and the mahi for my DH.
If you do go out to Tybee Island be sure to make a stop at The Crab Shack. Tacky crazy and a pond of the ugliest alligators I've ever seen and they have a cooler of food that you can feed them if you would want to - not me. They are well corraled in a fenced area.
There is free parking at the visitor center and a number of trolley companies run tours from there.
Have a wonderful time, this area is a truely great place to visit.

[Melanie]

Mel, was the wait time for Lady and Sons on week day or over the weekend? We are going down to Hilton Head in a couple of weeks and wanted to drive over for lunch one week day. Wow, as I have mobility issues this is really going to put a crimp in our plans.

Kay, I'm fairly certain it was a Saturday, AND it was 4th of July weekend. I know my aunt had been there a week or so prior just driving through Savannah and decided to stop, and she didn't have a problem at all just stopping by and getting seated immediately for lunch. I just wanted the poster to know it's a possibility. You should be fine this time of year though, especially on a weekday.

[TheDuckRocks]

Thanks, Mel. We usually go to Savannah once or twice during a Hilton Head stay, so we will just drive by and see what happens. If it doesn't work out for us this trip we are going again in Nov. and we will try again.

[Dulcee]

We didn't get as good a vibe on Tybee Island. It's very different than NC and SC beaches, and something just seemed off. We didn't stay there though, so I can't really judge.

Your post made me laugh. The reason we choose Tybee (we actually spend our two weeks on Tybee and do day trips into Savannah and Charleston) is because its so different. Tybee lacks the sophistication of the Carolina beaches. It has a real beach attitude, similar to the beach town I'm from in Jersey. Probably the reason we love it so much...

If your looking for a real laid back, barefoot sort of weekend its the place to go.

[Melanie]

Your post made me laugh. The reason we choose Tybee (we actually spend our two weeks on Tybee and do day trips into Savannah and Charleston) is because its so different. Tybee lacks the sophistication of the Carolina beaches. It has a real beach attitude, similar to the beach town I'm from in Jersey. Probably the reason we love it so much...

Proof that it's all what you grow up with and are used to.

[meldan98]

Thank you for your suggestions.

One more question and it is weather related. I'm from Northern CA and we have zero humidity in the summer and it might get to 105-110. How humid is it in the summer? Is it unbearable? I know 110 with no humidity is much different than 90 with a lot of humidity.

[disney obsessed]

The southeast is very humid in the summer. If you have been to disney in the summer it will be very similar.

[joonyer]

The southeast is very humid in the summer. If you have been to disney in the summer it will be very similar.

This means you will sweat a lot when you are outdoors.

[Melanie]

And that area has lots of insects as well.

[GA girl]

I have lived in Savannah my entire life. I would suggest staying at either the Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express on Bay Street. They are both located within walking distance to just about anything you would want to do downtown. I second Vinnie Van GoGos pizza and The Crab Shack. Love's seafood is good, but is pricey to me. There was a scene from Forrest Gump shot there. River Street is a nice place with lots of shopping and good restaurants. They usually have special events going on the first Saturday of every month. Most of the tour companies offer the same type tours.
If you do any walking after dark be sure to stay in the tourist areas, there are some pretty scary areas downtown.

[meldan98]

Dumb follow up to the bug comment...are there any fireflies?

[GA girl]

I the middle of the summer I have seen a couple of fireflies in my backyard. We do have really big flying cockroaches.

[joonyer]

I the middle of the summer I have seen a couple of fireflies in my backyard. We do have really big flying cockroaches.

Ah, yes. . . . The palmetto bugs! They're really exciting when one flies into your hair.

[TheDuckRocks]

We just returned from a day trip to Savannah while staying at Hilton Head Island and we had a great time.
We got to Savannah about 9:30 AM and went directly to The Lady & Sons and got 1 PM lunch reservations.
We then went over to the Visitor Center and took a 90 minutes trolley tour of the historic district. Hop On/Hop Off of the trolley was included for the rest of the day for our $15 price. The 90 minute tour ended at City Market and we enjoyed looking in the shops and taking a short three block walk over to L&S's for our lunch reservation.
We arrived about 15 minutes early and looked through the gift shop before going to the waiting room. We were called in right at 1 o'clock for our table. My DH and I decided to eat from the buffet and our DD ordered the chicken pot pie. The food is standard Southern country cooking - fried chicken, lima beans, black eyed peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, mac n cheese, etc. Using the word "standard" when writing about Paula's food does not really do it justice, I'm sure it must be the "buddaa" but everything was so extra good. The sweet potatoes and collard greens were to die for. I have no idea what the secret is to her pecan pie is but it has to be the best I've ever eaten and I make a mean pecan pie. After lunch we walked around a bit and then jumped on a trolley and went back to the Visitor Center where the car was parked.
We had a wonderful day in Savannah and look forward to going back again and again. I would choose a different trolley company than we took (the blue ones - Oglethrope) as they don't run as many trolleys as either the green and brown ones (Old Town Trolley? more costly) or the white ones (Old Savannah Trolley? same price as the blue). The lesser number of trolleys they run equals greater wait times when waiting to use the on/off feature. We counted 6 green/brown ones and 4 white ones stopping in the time we waited for a blue one to arrive at the stop.