Savannah, GA Tips and Advice Please

[Karnak]

My wife and I have planned a brief visit to Savannah, Georgia, in a few days. Neither of us have ever visited this fair city, and just wondered if any readers on the DIS boards have any advice on resturants, shows, attractions, shops, etc. that we might enjoy.

We will be spending three nights at the Hyatt Regency on West Bay Street, and once I've found our hotel, I would like to be able to leave the car parked while there. I do not enjoy driving in a city that is all new to me. LOL.

Thanks in advance.

 

[NCRedding]

Where you are staying will be perfect for exploring Savannah. It's a fairly walkable city, once you get up above the river front. The visitors center will have lots of info for you. I wold recommend taking their trolley tour to get your bearings. I've done a walking ghost tour at night, not scary (and I didn't believe most of the stories), but it was a good opportunity to hear more info on the city. I also visited the Juliette Gordon Low house with a group of scouts. I know there is a tour of the homes/places mentioned in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" I loved just walking around and peering into the courtyards, gardens, etc.

We ate at the Lady and Sons--owned by Paula Deen--very good food, but the wait can be long. There are a number of cute restaurants along the river front, together with lots of shops--very convenient to your hotel. Have a great trip.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

The Pirate House is a pretty neat restaurant on Bay Street, supposedly a "safe" house where the pirates brought their booty to via an underground tunnel from the river..maybe it's true, maybe not... But they have great food, it is not a cheesy kids' restaurant, actually white tablecloths and napkins! I have lived here a year and really don't have anything to add to what NCRedding stated, except unfortunately Savannah has a lot of crime. Always be aware of your surroundings, I would not go walking through the squares at night, and even tour groups have to be careful. Last week a tour group was robbed TWICE in a couple of days-one of the times was 9:30 at night. I wish it wasn't so...Savannah is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen. Too bad our city officials can't get a grip on this ridiculous crime problem. I live in a gated community with a security guard and make no apologies for it.

 

[I Love Pluto]

I agree with the Pirate House. Don't miss it. Take a trolley tour (the orange & green one was really good but I forget the name of it).

 

[fb309]

http://www.savannahtheatre.com/index.php

A wonderful show............

 

[Maggi May]

I agree, the trolley or the horse-drawn carriage is a good way to tour the city and get a feel for its history. There are lots of interesting shops and gallerys.
In the city market is a little ice cream store that features gelato - an incredibly creamy italian ice cream. I think it's called "Gelatohhh!" or something silly like that, but the ice cream is really, really good.

 

[goofygirl]

I was just in Savannah 2 weeks ago

I also did the Juliette Low House, Paula Deen's, and there's also a ghost tour given in a hearse! It's really cool!

Another must see is St. John the Baptist Cathedral. If you're religious, you can go to mass, if you're not religious, you can tour it when mass is over. It's stunningly beautiful.

There's also nice riverboat tours. I saw the horse carriages but did not go on them. I heard one of the drivers talking, and she said the horse's name was Charlie. (Get it? Charlie Horse!)

I did not notice a crime problem, so I guess I was lucky.

 

[Karnak]

Thanks to all of y'all who made comments that helped us in planning our recent visit to Savannah, GA. (NCReddding, hrh disney queen, I Love Pluto, goofygirl and Maggi May) My wife and I enjoyed our first ever visit to the city, staying at the Hyatt Reency Savannah for three nights (Wed, Thur, Fri, Oct. 18-20), on the bed & breakfast plan, with a river view room on the sixth floor.

We did several things recommended by y'all, including a River Boat cruise, a horse drawn tour, and a trolley ride (yep, the orange and green one). Goofygirls' advice to see the St. John's Cathedral was right on. Beautiful, and the DVD we got there is well worth the dontation.

We did not follow a couple of the meal recommendations made: The Pirate House because it was a bit too far from our hotel to easily visit; and the Lady and Sons because of the block-long line just to make a reservation.

However, we would recommend all of the resturants we did visit: Exchange Tavern, River House Seafood, Windows, Belford's, the Moon River Brewing Co, and the Boar's Head. Our favorite of these was the Boar's Head, with the best crab cake ever encountered anywhere, and a great steak (the 10oz Filet). Just an outstanding eatery.

The warning about crime, by hrh disney queen, was repeated by "Mary" the horse drawn carrage driver, one of the trolley drivers, and a couple of the hotel workers. So, we did take care as to where we went, and when. We had no crime related problems. We were advised that Savannah has hired a new police chief (from LA) who will step into the job very soon.

Savannah is a nice vacation spot, and we loved the old buildings and the crumbly looking bricks, uneven cobblestone walkways, and River Street in general. I would recommend a visit there to others. (Our next city, never visited by us before, will be Key West; probably next year sometime.)

Thanks again for helping make our visit to Savannah a good one.

 

[Aimee K]

I Love Savannah!

I'm glad you went to the River House Seafood. That would have been my recommendation had I seen this thread before you went!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I'm glad I saw this thread. My DD and I are going down Nov. 10-13 for a mother/daughter weekend with some friends! I can't wait to show my daughter around Savannah.

Lori

 

[goofygirl]

Glad you had fun!

 

[CheshireVal]

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency back in August, and even though it was dang HOT that weekend, we, too, had a terrific time. That hotel is really just the perfect location for everything. I loved being able to walk around River Street with a beer in hand (not many cities where you can do that!) and then pop back into our hotel for bathroom breaks.

The seafood along River St. is terrific, too.

 

[Melisa1]

I live in Savannah!!!

Sorry, I didn't see your post before you left to give you some tips but I am glad you had a wonderful time in this beautiful city!!!!