Savannah, Georgia: what to do and where to stay!

Jul158
Jul158 Posts: 481 Member
in Chit-Chat
I currently live in DC and I am planning a five day trip to Savannah, Georgia. Since I am flying there and will not have a car, where is the best place to stay to walk to different attractions? I've heard about the North Historic District, is this a good, centrally located place? Also, what are your top three things to do and see in the city?

Thank you so much for your help and suggestions!

Replies

  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    I've been a few times, all I can say is bring an appetite, there are a ton of great places to eat there. Paula Deen's restaurant being at the bottom of that list.

    Any hotel on the river will put you in walking distance to the most places.
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
    Yay! I'm excited you are coming to this beautiful city. Put on your walking shoes and bring shorts. We hit 80 degrees yesterday =)
  • Hirgy03
    Hirgy03 Posts: 332 Member
    Definitely stay in the Historic District, preferably in one of the bed and breakfasts if you can! My fiancee and I went there in October and will definitely be heading there again. If you are in the historic district, you are well within a 5-10 minute walk of about anything you want to do. The bar scene, restaurant scene, shopping, etc. is all right there. We ate at a place called Elizabeth on 37th, Great food and great atmosphere (its worth it just to hear your waiter describe the menu for the night, trust me!). A ghost tour for your first time in Savannah is also a must.
  • Jul158
    Jul158 Posts: 481 Member
    These are great suggestions! Thank you for your help!
    Any ideas for tours/touristy things to go see? especially anything on the water would be great! What is your favorite thing to do for the nightlife?
  • kerriberry74
    kerriberry74 Posts: 62 Member
    I'm kinda jealous... I went out there a year ago with my best friend for a long weekend and loved it. For things to do, it all depends on what you like. We had very low funds, so there were a lot of things that we couldn't do, some of the home tours ect.(it was so low that the plane tickets were of the buy one get a companion ticket for $99 variety and we both used hotel/airline points for the hotels), but one thing that had to be done was a ghost tour. The one that was recommended is led by a guy named Robert- he leaves from Wright Sq. at 9pm (I can send you the link to his page if you're interested).

    Again, it depends on what you like, but one thing we did do was rent a car for a day and drove out to Bonaventure Cemetery- which is absolutely beautiful- and then on to Tybee Island and had lunch out there (the Social Club- fish tacos and sweet potato fries- yummy!). I'm from WI, so there was no way I was going to be that close to the ocean and not go there. The concierge at the hotel arranged the car and got us free pickup/drop off (would have been like $12 otherwise).

    For food, all we did was ask at the hotel where the locals eat and we were not disappointed. The 2 that really stick out are the Oyster Bar- it's right along the riverfront, and Mrs. Wilkes Boardinghouse- it's cash only & unless something changed in the last year, they only are open for lunch. We were told to go there & skip Paula Deen. I don't know about the nightlife- my friend does not go out- but that is something that you could ask about when you check in.

    Also, just wandering around can lead you into different places- my friend talks A LOT and got us invited to the temple for a naming ceremony with lunch afterward and we ended up getting to wander around in a Masonic building. Hope this helps a little at least and have a good time!
  • purpledelight
    purpledelight Posts: 134 Member
    The hilton desota in the heart of the historic district is awesome
  • snoopytwins
    snoopytwins Posts: 1,759 Member
    You can climb the Tybee Island Lighthouse and Museum. I enjoyed it even while hugely pregnant with my boys.
  • Hirgy03
    Hirgy03 Posts: 332 Member
    Where you stay will be heavily influenced by how much you want to spend, as will where you end up eating.

    But, if you don't mind spending a few more dollars, you can do some quick research on Historic Savannah Bed & Breakfasts and quickly come up with lists of places in your range (I would highly recommend this, and I'm not a bed and breakfast guy). We stayed in one of the veranda suites at the Kehoe House. It was incredible.

    I've heard the same thing as somebody above posted about avoiding the Paula Dean place (though we ate at her brother's place, "Uncle Bubbas", which was a good setting for a brunch of good seafood). The historic district and the riverwalk there are all you would really need to do though.

    It also depends a lot on how long you are going to be there. I would highly recommend leaving yourself a day just to walk around the different residential areas adjacent to the historic district as the architecture, fauna and landscaping combine to make something even a redneck schmuck like me can appreciate. We both really wish we had scheduled another day just to do that, and to hit a couple more of the restaurants while we were there.

    I've heard great things about Tybee, but that is another spot that we weren't able to squeeze in this last time. But we will be hitting that next time, and Yes, most definitely yes there will be a next time. You are gonna love it.

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