Weekend Getaway to Savannah...What to do?

[choirchic]

If there are any DISers out there who've ever been to Savannah, I'd love your input...I'm looking for Must See or Fun places to go, see, do, or eat. Also, if you've ever heard of or stayed at the Thunderbird Inn, I'd love to know what you think! Thanks!

(PS - we're two 30 somethings with no kids...)

 

[amykay9377]

Hubs and I went to Savannah back around 2005 (I think) and we loved it. We stayed by the Interstate at Country Inns, so I can't tell you about the Thunderbird (we drove by it, tho).

We got to Sav Saturday afternoon and stopped at a little Tshirt place right by the hotel and got a tee for my DD (who was at Grandmas at home ) and then took off towards Sav. TRUST ME when I tell you that DOWNTOWN and HISTORIC Savannah are two totally different places! We got so lost!

Anyway, once IN Sav, we went to the Visitor Center and parked there and got tix for the Old Town (Green) Trolley Tour - if you purchase your tix after 4, you get the next day free (or at least that's how it was when we were there). We did a lot of sightseeing, checked out the Sav museum area inside the visitor center and then eventually headed back to our hotel room (hey, it was our anniversary!)

The next day, we got our name on the list for The Lady and Sons, and then walked around the area until it was lunch time. OH MY GOD, her food is sooooo good! After that, we trolleyed more, got some AWESOME maple fudge from Savannah Sweets on River STreet and ate it by the river.

I can't think of specific places we went, but we fell in love with teh entire city and plan to go back soon (just not at the same time we went last time - it was 104 degrees the day we went!!!)

Oh, and I think you can pick up the trolley right at the Thunderbird - I remember trolleying through the parking lot...

 

[anniemae]

When we went, we took the hop-on hop-off trolley from the visitors center. It is a great way to get around the city. We also did a ghost tour at night, since Savannah is supposed to be one of the most haunted cities.

We ate at Mrs. Wilkes kitchen. It is family style and very good.

The waterfront is beautiful to stroll around and go into some of the local shops.

 

[Golf4food]

I would recommend starting with Tripadvisor.com can going through their reviews. Find the restaurants you like the sounds of, check menus online if you care, and make a list of places you'd like to eat. All sorts of options.

For sightseeing there is the main visitors center - a good place to start. Trolley tours are quite popular. You can also do a lot of walking between the various parks and the riverfront. There are river boat cruises. Many old cemeteries. If you are driving you can visit some outlying areas such as the beach on Tybee Island, some old forts, old plantations, etc.

 

[plutolovr]

We stayed at the Thunderbird a few years ago when we took my DD to college there. It's not in a central location and it's right next to the dorms that Savannah College of Art and Design use. However, the motel is kind of cute and our stay was not bad, but that was 3 years ago.

 

[DisneyLover83]

We did the on and off trolley that starts at the visitors center as a previous poster mentioned. It is a great way to see a major part of the city without all the walking, plus you can get off and look around anywhere you like! We also went to Tybee Island and walked around one day, stay away from the Crab Shack though, it made both of us sick.

 

[Tina]

I was just there in October with a friend on our way to WDW. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Historic District, so I can't comment on the hotel you're interested in. Our hotel was very nice though and a perfect location. We also did the trolley tour (green/orange ones), but when we were there, the last trolley stop was at 4:30pm, so please check it out before you plan to do what was recommended by AmyKay above.

We also ate dinner at Lady & Sons and thought the food was great, but was not impressed with the restaurant itself. They packed us in like sardines. The tables were so close and full that it was hard to actually get out of our corner to go to the buffet, which was set up in one of those portable buffets on wheels at the end of the room. I thought that was strange, but we were on the 3rd floor. Maybe the setup is different on the other floors.

We were there just a few nights before Halloween so we did a ghost tour (pub crawl), which was just ok. (Tara Tours). Our tour guide was a little too busy complaining about the the Girl Scout troop she had on the previous tour to be very entertaining. But the sights were very interesting and it was Halloween, so that made it fun. Savannah is a really cool, old city.

One night out that we really enjoyed was dinner at the Moon River Brewery. I was interested in going after seeing them on Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. It was only about a block from our hotel. I had the best burger I'd ever eaten there. It was a great little place and I would love to go back. Great service and a lively, but not rowdy, crowd. They also let us head down to the basement to take a peek at where some of the really scary stuff happened during the ghost show filmings. I didn't see anything while I was there, but I was shaking all the way down the stairs and back. LOL

 

[Fionasmommy]

We were there about this time last year. We didn't visit long enough to do much, but we stayed at the Marshall House and it was lovely.

ETA: I wanted to add that we also went to the Lady & Sons; we did the lunch buffet and it was pretty bad. I was there with my best friend and our eight year old daughters, and even the kids wouldn't eat anything. But I have heard that if you order off the menu it can be really good.

 

[anniemae]

Oh, I forgot to recomment the Pirate House restaurant. It is so cozy and authentic, and is haunted. Google it for the web site. We had a lot of fun there.

 

[choirchic]

Wow everyone...thanks for the replies!

We stayed at the Thunderbird a few years ago when we took my DD to college there. It's not in a central location and it's right next to the dorms that Savannah College of Art and Design use. However, the motel is kind of cute and our stay was not bad, but that was 3 years ago.

Sounds good to me!

Oh, I forgot to recomment the Pirate House restaurant. It is so cozy and authentic, and is haunted. Google it for the web site. We had a lot of fun there.

I will definitely have to look this up! Thanks!

 

[minkydog]

Does anyone know if any of the Ghost Tours are done by bus or trolley? We're going down there in April and DH & DD16 would be thrilled to do a ghost tour, but we'll have Christian with us and he can't do all the walking. We're going to be staying out at Skidaway Island State Park so I guess if nothing else they could go into town and I could stay there with Christian. I"m looking for things that would appeal to a family with a teen and a disabled child, so handicapped-accessible. Any ideas?

 

[ksumn1]

Haven't stayed at the Thunderbird Inn, but it's very kitschy and gets good reviews on tripadvisor, so i'd go for it. It's very conveniently located to a couple of trolley companies, so that's a big plus. If you're looking for a B&B, try the Galloway house. I sooo want to stay there next trip.

I would reccommend doing a house tour. We did the Isiah Davenport house tour, but you can also do the Sorrell Weed, Juliette Gordon Lowe or the Owens Telfair house tour. I enjoyed the tour but wished we would have done the Owens Telfair house tour instead, it just looks so much grander and has a more distinguised past, architectually. You can do pub crawls and ghost tours but we never did becasue we stayed outside Savannah and I didn't want to get plastered alone, and since I'm a scardey cat, we didn't do either. I would take the time to visit Bonaventure Cemetery, it's so peaceful there and some of the markers are very old and just beautiful.

Take time to walk the squares. DH and I did this and it took us about 2 hours but it was so relaxing and romantic. Plenty of good photo ops everywhere.

We had lunch (not dinner, less expensive) at Vic's on the River and it was absolutely delicious and such a beautiful atmosphere. We also love getting oysters and shrimp form one of the little hole in the wall restaurants on River Street. Lots of dining there. City Market has lots of shops and dining as well, we loved the pineapple gelato at Cafe Gelatohh and the homemade peanut butter cups at the savannah Candy kitchen to die for!!

I would try Tripadvisor for more reviews on restaurants and that sort of thing. There is lots to do in Savannah.

One great tip, if I do say so myself...go to www.SavannahMenu.com and look into purchasing a savanah menu vIp discount card. you get discounts at many area restaurants and attractions. some are buy one entree get one 1/2 off, or a percentage off. A visitor's card, good for 30 days, is just $9.95. Ours paid for itself on 1 meal!!

Have a great time!!!

 

[anniemae]

minkydog-The ghost tour we did was on a trolley. I think it was Grayline Tours, but there are multiple tour companies that do them. For this tour, you just stayed on the trolley, there was no walking or getting on and off. I'm sure the Savannah visitors center or tourist bureau would be able to help you, or go on graylines web site to see if the trolley is handicapped accessible.

They do have ghost walking tours, so when you sign up, just make sure it is not the walking tour.

 

[minkydog]

minkydog-The ghost tour we did was on a trolley. I think it was Grayline Tours, but there are multiple tour companies that do them. For this tour, you just stayed on the trolley, there was no walking or getting on and off. I'm sure the Savannah visitors center or tourist bureau would be able to help you, or go on graylines web site to see if the trolley is handicapped accessible.

They do have ghost walking tours, so when you sign up, just make sure it is not the walking tour.

OH, that is very good to know. Neither DH nor DS14 would be able to do the walking tour, but they can both walk and transfer to buses, etc. They just don't have a lot of endurance, especially on cobblestones.

 

[mickeywho?]

We were in Savannah for the first time this past Christmas. What a beautiful town!

We stayed at the Avia in the historic district (got a great rate). We did a hop-on-hop-off trolley tour and a ghost tour. It was with Old Savannah Trolley tours (white with blue). The daytime tour was great and really helped get the lay of the land - we then spent the next day going back to areas/buildings we didn't have time to visit the day before and then went on the ghost tour with them that night.
My dh picked the tour (arranged it with the hotel) and paid for a tour w/dinner package at the Pirate House. We LOVED the ghost tour - I think this was the highlight of the trip for the boys - we had an awesome guide! Pirate House was - meh - felt like we had to hurry to eat because the trolley was waiting and we weren't thrilled with the quality of the food. We ate the night before at Lady & Sons - none of us had the buffet as it seems quite small and bland. The chicken pot pie was awesome and huge - we split it between the kids and they still couldn't finish. I loved the store and bought a few unique items there - there is also a great kitchen store a block away - spent a lot of money there! A great bakery/cafe across the street from the kitchen store for an affordable lunch or breakfast.
Enjoy your trip! We'll be planning another one soon!

 

[lucas]

Subscribing because dh and I are thinking of going to Savannah this summer. We want to take Amtrak from Deerfield Beach, FL, to Savannah. On the way back we thought it would be great to make a side trip and get off the train in Orlando for a few days at WDW.

Any hoo, I'm looking forward to reading some tips here.