Recommendations for Savannah, GA Trip

Hubby and I are planning a four day trip to Savannah. We need specific recommendations on hotels, restaurants, tours, etc. I read all of the old threads on Savannah, but didn’t see too many specifics. We love old houses and grave yards. We’re big on sea food. Although we will be driving to Savannah, we’d prefer to stay where we can walk to everything. I’m a smoker and a hotel with balconies would be a major plus - I don’t smoke around my husband. THANK YOU! :smiley:

We’ll read MITGOGAE before we go. . . .

Are you going to eat at The Lady and Sons?

I’m just curious…

One place I would recommend is down on the riverfront area, The Shrimp Factory. You can get a nice view of the riverfront and I will go out of my way to have the She Crab Bisque for lunch. Portions and price are better at lunch and they bring you a cruet of sherry you can add to taste. Yumm!

Otherwise I would strongly suggest avoiding the touristy places (i.e. the Pirate House) for obvious reasons. But you should go to the Candy Company on riverfront for the fresh pralines. Fresh are unbelievably delicious!

Frequenting Savannah at least once a year, I can’t recommend any. Not that they’re no good, I just can’t tell you any that stand head and shoulders above the rest. I also can’t tell you any to stay away from, other than some overpriced places like the Chart House and the aforementioned Pirate’s House.

Having said that, your two restaurant rows are on the riverfront and the City Market, a block or two away from Bay Street, the main corridor near the river. The one place that Tucker-Babe always wants to go is Tapas, in the City Market. If you don’t care much for that style of restaurant, though, it probably won’t appeal to you.

The other place that we like is The Crab Shack, on the way to the beach. Yep, it’s touristy, but it’s one of our favorites. We’ve never been to “Lady and Sons,” but any time Savannah is mentioned that name comes up. The last time we were there, we decided to check it out (it’s near the City Market, but not actually in it). There you have to get your name on the waiting list several days in advance. And while they do have a “real menu,” most people go there for the buffet. Getting on the waiting list is not for the faint of heart, as people do line up in advance, as their website mentions. While I have no problem with waits normally, the thought of a long wait just to be in line for a seat for a buffet was not something that appealed to us. And I don’t know that I would have been able to tell that Paula Deen’s fried chicken was any better than the Colonel’s. But that’s just me.

Oddly, in my opinion, you see more locally owned places near Tybee (the beach), and I seem to recall that you find some more reasonably priced places there (about 15 minutes from downtown).

You might want to check out Food Network’s website for Rachel Ray’s suggestions for Savannah. Or not, I checked out the place she stayed at and even if High Tea is included, $400 per night is high.

My wife & I enjoyed the carriage tours that take you around downtown and give you the history of the area. We also really enjoyed the Haunted Savannah walking tour.

I have lived in downtown Savannah since October, so I have somewhat of a feel for the city.

Hotel-wise I would recommend the Hyatt on Bay street. They do have some rooms with balconies, and either river or city side veiws. You will be able to walk to just about everything you would want to see (except the beach). You may want to do a historic savannah trolley tour to get your bearings. For the ticket cost you either can do the tour straight through (90 min) or get off at stops and reboard a later trolley throughout the day.

As far as restaraunts I would not waste my time or money going to The Lady and Sons. The food is mediocre and expensive, the service and atmosphere are rushed and crowded. I like Jazz’d for tapas type dining, for fine dining we loved The Sapphire Grill, for pub style casual dining Moon River Brewing Company and for brunch a little place called the Firefly cafe.

Hope this helps and if you have any more questions as you are planning your trip I will do my best to answer them!

From this thread, which I can’t believe is still there:

Although, apparently, the restaurant is now Casbah. Maybe I was misremembering at the time.