Savannah, Ga

[cheesekate2005]

Does anyone have ideas or tips for doing Savannah on a budget? We are spending 5 nights in Hilton Head and would like to spend a day in Savannah, but honestly I have no idea where to start! Thanks for any tips! We are heading down there for President's week!

 

[diskidz]

I would definately go on tour. They have old trolley car tours that go around and tell you about Savanah. Paula Dean's (spelling) restaurant is there. If you don't want to wait for a table (it's usually very busy) you can go through the buffet and get it to go. Savanah has wonderful parks. We went about four years ago and loved it. We did a ghost tour and they have a great candy store down by the river.
Have fun!!!

 

[cheesekate2005]

Thanks for the tips! As for the Paula Dean tours, our family is on a gluten free diet, so that is pretty complicated for us. (I would so love to do a Paula Dean thing!)

Do you know what the major highlights of this city are? I checked out the town's website and it looks as if there may be too much to see in one day...is this the case?

Is there any particular tour that would stand out over another?

 

[disneyfan55]

Does anyone have ideas or tips for doing Savannah on a budget? We are spending 5 nights in Hilton Head and would like to spend a day in Savannah, but honestly I have no idea where to start! Thanks for any tips! We are heading down there for President's week!

We have walked around the waterfront and it's pretty neat. There are many stores and shops and the waterfront itself is beautiful. Although we haven't visited yet (most likely on our way home from WDW while stopping in Disney's Hilton Head we will visit Pulaski National Monument near Savannah. It would be free if you have a National Parks pass or a couple dollars otherwise. There are also ghost walks in the evening if you like that. We stopped there on the way to WDW in Sept 2008 and in May. Both times we got there too late to visit the national monument. Hopefully on the way home, a much shorter distance to Savannah from WDW, we will be able to visit there. If you check out the website for Savannah and even the State of GA, there should be a lot of info if these ideas aren't what you're looking for.

 

[Disneyjamie]

If you do not already have lodging, I recommend using vrbo.com for it much less $, and get to stay in some cool places. Ours had a great courtyard.

 

[kilee]

I spent a week in Savannah for work this past summer. It is expensive. Granted I was able to get reimbursed for most everything, but I still couldn't believe how pricey it was.

There was a fee for parking anywhere and everywhere. Even the Hilton we stayed at was $18/nt a to park. The good news, I was not on the river, but at the Hilton De Soto on Liberty Street and the river and all other attractions were within walking distance. (Granted it was a decent walk- but still walking distance).

If you want to stay on a budget I'd check out some of the town squares w/ the monuments, those were really interesting. They'd be free. I'd also go to the National Cemetery (also free). You'll find lots of old headstones and many have dates that were altered to make them "not possible". Dates that had people die before they were born, 2 yr olds who were doctors, ect......

I also did a historical carriage tour--- NOT worth it. Our guide told us more about her life in Puerto Rico and the horses than the history of any of the sites we passed. I did also do a walking ghost tour just before dusk (it was a family friendly one). I learned so much more on that and it was 1/2 the price. There was a home we passed that they told us some history on and it was frequently visited by Walt Disney.

The riverfront was a great place to walk along, but it seemed the shops there were more expensive then those a few blocks away.

I cannot wait to take my husband there, I had such a nice time. Enjoy!

 

[vanyel]

If you do not already have lodging, I recommend using vrbo.com for it much less $, and get to stay in some cool places. Ours had a great courtyard.

I'm going in April for 3 days and rented a house from vrbo.com. Price was great and it included parking. Just a few blocks away from the historical district - for pricing reasons. I'm going with my daughters and we are really excited so thanks for all the info! (even though this isn't my thread )

 

[tommya60]

You might try goggling Girl Scout trip to Savannah Georgia, you should get a lot of responses for inexpensive ideas. Savannah is the birthplace of Juliette Gordan Lowe, the founder of Girl Scouts. Troops make trips from all ocer the US...and post information about those trips, saving tips, most dos etc. We haven't made the troop so I don't have anything specific to recomment, but I thought this might help.

 

[cheesekate2005]

Thanks for all of the tips everyone! We do have lodging, we will be staying at Disney HHI for President's week and we want to do his for a day trip! It sounds like there can be a lot of great things to do and see without spending a ton of money!

 

[mandylo]

River Street is a good place to people watch and to see some of the large cargo ships pass by. You may be able to see a street performance or two if the weather is nice. We saw a hip-hop group, a saxophonist, and a bluegrass band all in the same day! The shops are not actually that great, IMO. THere is also the Telfair Museum system if you are into that sort of thing. The Telfair Musuem is where the original Bird Girl statue is housed (made famous by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil). You can buy one admission that will cover Telfair, Owens-Thomas House (an English Regency period house), and Jepson (a contemporary art center). They are all within walking distance of each other. Ft Pulaski is also nearby as mentioned by a previous poster. We have an older child (12) that enjoyed it, but our 5 YO didn't care for it. Most of the tours are not worth the money. The only time I would recommend a paid tour is during Halloween. SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) sometimes holds special events so I am sure you can check their website for more details on that. Savannah is a beautiful city with interesting characters. You will enjoy it no matter what you decide to do!

 

[hsmamato2]

River Street candy....fresh candy being made there...mmmmm...... I like Tybee Island which is out past Savannah itself- the old parks and historic district are very lovely

 

[piratelady]

Savannah is a beautiful city with a rich history. I live an hour from downtown and visit often. The carriage tours are pricey and each tour guide tells a brief history of the sites along the way. They are great if you can afford them if not there are walking tours. I have bought several tour books and walked routes myself and that is fun as well.

There is way too much to do in one day but I recommend a visit to Forsyth Park, Colonial Cemetary and any of the Squares, they are all beautiful and full of monuments and history. River street is really nice, a little touristy but in the evenings, especially weekends there are street musicians and sometimes dancers and artists. The Pirates House has good food, a bit pricey and has a mini tour inside, great if you like the ghost stories. The Ghostly side of Savannah is fun and the hearst rides are a riot, the best tour we took!

There are museums and historic sites all over and people are always willing to share a tale or two so just ask.

When on a budget there are hotels mid town if you have a ride to get to the downtown area or try priceline for a good deal. There are often conventions and times of the year that things do get booked so be aware of when you want to go and when things start picking up for tourists. The savannah tourism website often has specials and deals so look there too.

When on a budget pack a lunch and go to the park and visit one of the many coffee shops for a decadent dessert. Some of the souvineer shops have nice things that are not very expensive. Also there are places to park that are free, really. Ask a local for tips. People are generally pretty friendly. As long as you don't mind walking, and that is the best way to see Savannah is walking, you can park for free and see the city too.

I used to live in Charleston SC and it too is a gorgeous city. It is more expensive though and parking is even more difficult but if you can do both it is well worth it. My teens actually let me tell them about our country's history and the role the city played in it and that itself was worth the trip. I guess sometimes seeing and reading about it is two different things.

 

[charming23]

We stopped in Savannah for a few day when we were driving back from Disney last September. It is a beautiful city with tons to do.

I enjoyed the trolley tour around the city as we got to see everything we wanted to without trying to find parking.

We did have lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant and it was very good, pricey but good. There were also some really nice shops across the street from her restaurant.

The riverfront was an enjoyable walk and the Savannah Candy Company is not to be missed. There we also tons of great shopping in that area too.

A cheap place we found to eat was Barnes Restaurant out on Waters Ave (it was on the main road you take to get out to Tybee Island) the food was priced just right and was delicious and fresh.

 

[Danibelle]

I live in this area (about 30 min. from downtown). I second the above postings but do have one addition.

If you are staying at Hilton Head, you can skip Tybee. It is an okay beach but HHI is much nicer!! Tybee to HHI is about a 1 1/2 hr. drive. I would also recommend Beaufort as a beautiful historic town that is closer than either Tybee or Charleston. They have some nice shops, places for lunch, and a wonderful "old time" atmosphere!

Have fun!!

 

[dismom2-3]

Go to Old Fort Jackson...my kids had fun! Not too expensive, interesting and educational. You don't need a huge block of time there, maybe an hour or so?

 

[cheesekate2005]

Thanks!