Savannah, GA - Ideas?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m spending 2 1/2 days (and 2 nights) in Savannah in about a week or two and would love some suggestions for some not-terribly-touristy things to do. Hotel is on Reynolds Square and I’m not sure about renting a car yet. So far, I want to have to have afternoon tea at the Tea Room, and I will probably visit the famous cemetery just because I am fond of graveyards. Can anyone recommend moderately priced restaurants, things to do, etc.? I like funky shopping areas and galleries as well. Is there somewhere to rent/ride a bike? I’m 45 and I’m traveling with my spouse (we’re lesbian - don’t know if that still matters in GA). Also, what kind of weather might I expect?

Thanks so much in advance!

2

I have been to Savannah many times on biz. My favorite place to eat (if it’s still there, it’s been awhile) is the Shrimp Factory right on the riverfront tourist area. They have a seafood bisque that is really delicious, served with sherry, and a bowl of it will fill a normal person up very easily. So a reasonably priced meal and tasty as hell.

Get a bike and a camera and bicycle around the squares at the center of the city. it’s damn pretty, nothing like it anywhere else, the very prototype of the moss-draped Southern city. Kinda touristy, but hell, it’s fun.

For a non touristy thing, go out to Tybee Island, find yourself a nice spot on a salt marsh, and catch some crabs. Put 'em in a cooler with some salt marsh water, and take 'em home and cook 'em and eat 'em. Freshness really makes a difference with crabs. All you’ll need for them is some clarified butter. Sorry, I cant recommend a place to crab, most of my crabbing has been done in St. Simons Island to the south of Savannah.

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Seems like only yesterday. . . .

4

Non-touristy things to do… Hmm… No clue. I can tell you what my kids and I like to do. (We live in Savannah.) We like to go to Tybee Island. The lighthouse is cool and the pier can be fun. We enjoy Bonaventure Cemetery (but it closes at 5pm so go in the morning… trust me! You can spend all day there and not see it all.) We love Oatland Island Nature Center. And Fort Pulaski is facinating (although a bit touristy.)

Mostly, we like to walk around downtown in the squares (which are GORGEOUS) and stroll along River St. We don’t eat out much… we spend the day then head home to eat. Forsythe Park is pretty and it’s downtown. There are several cute little shops. I know you can rent bikes, but not sure where… there are rickshaws available too.

Tip: The Lady & Sons restaurant is over-priced and over-rated for what is essentially nothing more than canned cream corn served buffet-style and there is always a line around the block. They don’t make reservations so if you don’t stand on the sidewalk and wait, you don’t get in.

The weather today is perfect. They said we were going to have a high of 81, but I don’t think it got that high. Tonight’s low is going to be 58 and tomorrow’s high is supposed to be 79.

I hope you both have a great time! OH!!! One place that I DO love to eat! The Mellow Mushroom on Liberty St. Run by SCAD students (read: “hippies” :smiley: )and is funky inside! LOVE it! Murals on the walls, mismatched plates and dinnerware. The kids in there should be able to give you a lot of good ideas of where to go and what to do while you’re here. They may very well be the most interesting people we have here! :smiley:

5

Thanks so much for the responses so far! (mmm…seafood bisque!)

Are we nuts to not rent a car? How easy is it to get around without one?

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rent scooters instead. very fun

7

What a prescient thread. What would you guys suggest for a more limited amount of time in Savannah? Say, arriving by car at the hotel (not picked yet, not a lot of pet-friendly ones that I’ve found in the downtown district) at 8 pm, then having the next day available? What are the “must see” and “must eat” things that are close enough together without having to spend on hour driving between destinations?

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**Bearflag70 **= Soopergenius.
We’re totally doing this!

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My wife and I did this on our honeymoon in Savannah. We scootered around town for an afternoon and took pics of all the parks. It was very fun! Rental shop right in the historic district.

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Last Thanksgiving Mrs. Ispolkom and I spent a few days in Savannah. I really enjoyed sitting of a morning on the waterfront and watching container ships come in, but I do live a long way from the sea, so that might not be so interesting to others.

The historic district of Savannah is worth exploring in great detail. It’s really one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S.

We thought Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room was a great treat. It’s a boarding house style restaurant – you sit down at a table with a bunch of strangers and start passing dishes. It’s not fine dining, but it’s good traditional southern cooking, which means you’d want to pass on it if you’re a vegetarian.

Another place we liked was the Gryphon Tea Room, another place run by SCAD.

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Scooters are definitely awesome - easy to park, etc. If you don’t want to take them on the open highway, you can easily arrange a taxi ride to Tybee Island for a taste of the beach, pier, and lighthouse (which I do recommend: It’s a fun and funky little island. Try the North Beach Grill while you’re there.) And there are also free shuttle buses around the downtown area, and a free water taxi across the river between River Street and Hutchison Island. (Even though there’s nothing much on the island, it offers a nice nighttime view of downtown, and the water taxi ride is fun, quick, and free.)

Downtown, I also agree with the restaurants recommendations so far. Also, Moon River Brewing Company on Bay Street has decent food and some pretty nice brews. I like Vinnie Van Go Go’s in City Market for a slice to be eaten outside on the plaza - you should have near-perfect weather for your visit, barring rain. Jazz’d Tapas is fun for dinner and music. Also, check out the rooftop bar at the Bohemian Hotel, overlooking the river.

Other than Bonaventure Cemetery, Tybee, and the squares, I’d recommend the following (in no particular order): Telfair and Jepson museums, Railroad Roundhouse museum, many of the house museums (Greene-Meldrim house, Juliet Gordon Low and Andrew Low houses, Owens-Thomas, etc.) and the museum at the Savannah Visitor’s Center.

Actually, I often recommend that first-time visitors take one of the on-off trolley tours of the downtown district. That way, you get a good overview of the area, hop off at spots you’d like to look at more closely, and spot places you’d like to explore further later.

The Starland district (just north of downtown proper) has some funky shopping, and there are lots of art galleries and such throughout downtown.

And Balthisar, have you considered staying in a hotel a bit further afield? I can recommend some pet-friendly hotels 5-10 miles away from downtown. In downtown itself, though, I know that the East Bay Inn is well-located and dog-friendly, along with the Thunderbird (retro-funky restored fifties motor court,) the Holiday Inn/Mulberry on Bay Street, and the Comfort Suites Historic District (which is a little west of downtown, actually, in a neighborhood that’s slightly sketchy after dark.)

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Whatever you do stay away from Hannah. When I was there I saw here pouring water on a drowing man. :slight_smile:

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Ispolkom beat me to Mr. Wilkes’. I ate there when I lived in Savannah in 1970 (when the meal price went up from $1 to $1.50)(Probably 10 times that now, but it is quite an experience). The waterfront area has been redeveloped into tourist trap shops and watering holes/restaurants but I haven’t been there since 1986 so that may have gone downhill.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=mrs+wilks&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS264US264&q=mrs+wilkes+boarding+house

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Great! I’ve checked those all out. The Thunderbird looks interesting. I’d like to stay within walking distance of any nightlife. Not that I plan to get blasted, but it’s nice not having to worry about finding a taxi. During the day, the scooters actually seem to make a lot of sense (if I can convince my wife she won’t instantly die). I’d prefer not to take out the car, as it will be loaded to the max.

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The City Market area (where The Lady and Sons resides) has some great shopping. The Paris Market is a great store and you can’t open up the New York Times or other high end home furnishing magazine without seeing some article about how great it is (it is a pretty nice little store)…also for gifts to take home: River Street Sweets pralines and the Savannah Bee Company honey…nom nom!

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Yep - and cookies from Byrd’s, preferably in one of their tins with Savannah scenes. I’m very fond of their lime cooler cookies, myself. (Pro tip: If you go to their factory store in midtown - Waters Avenue - they have samples of virtually all of their cookie varieties.)