Believe it or not, we've never visited Savann*h! We've been to Hilt0n Head several times, but never made our way over to Savann*h. I've been doing lots of research on where to stay, what to eat, what to do, but I thought it would be great if any of you could give us your tips on traveling to Savann*h.
So, I need your help:
~ where to stay? I know we want to be in the historic district. I've read review after review and am now so confused. Any firsthand reviews you can give me?
~ where to eat? I know about the L@dy and S0ns, but any other places we must try?
~ what to do? Trolley tours, etc. Are they worth it? Will the weather be too cold to enjoy it? Anything else fun to do that doesn't cost a lot of money?
I can't wait to explore this neat city and eat some delicious food! Another fun thing we'll get to do...hang out with the jennababe! REALLY looking forward to this time away!
I know ya'll will have a great time! I have never been there, but I want to go.
ReplyDeleteI've been several times and it is a GREAT place to visit. If you can swing a night here, http://www.eastbayinn.com/
ReplyDeleteit is TOTALLY worth it. You will feel like such royalty!!! And it is right in the heart of downtown only a block from the water. It would be worth it even if you had to stay somewhere cheaper the remainder of the trip. I've consistently heard Lady and Sons is Overrated and for that reason have never been. It's homecooking and I've heard it's like paying an arm and a leg for KFC. As for places to eat I have not been to any there on the water front that were not good. It's just such a nice place to be with everything in walking distance. Take comfy shoes for all the cobblestone streets. Some areas can be treacherous. Have fun!
Planters Inn next to Pink House. Wonderful. We had a big four poster bed. It's still a hotel but it's in a perfect walking area. Go next door for a big splurge dinner. Or just go downstairs to their bar area for coffee/cocktails by the fireplace. they usually have a singer too. Lady and Sons is worth the trip in my opinion. If you are willing to sit on another floor it's a shorter wait. The same buffet and staff. I think it's so yummy. We did the tour of houses on our own after reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It was fun to see the houses first hand. We visited the museum and watched the movie on Savannah first so we had more background on the city. It's such a lovely place to visit. Also, had breakfast at the cafe that is in the book. SO YUMMY! A must! Have fun.
ReplyDeleteYay for a getaway for the two of you! I have no suggestions, we've never been, we keep hearing it's beautiful! :)
ReplyDeleteHow fun!! I LOVED Shavannah when we went this summer! We ate at L&S's and walked around. It's was blazing hot so we didn't get to do a ton, but it's beautiful! We did spend some time with Jennababe while we were there too! :)
ReplyDeleteI love Savannah. J and I went about 2 years ago over Christmas. We had considered doing a trolley tour, and on our first day in the city, we noticed a few couples doing walking tours with their very own tour guide. That night at the hotel we googled info about this and found a guide for the next day. She had a license for giving tours through the tourism office in town, and for $50, we got the BEST tour. We got such a personal tour, got to ask as many questions as we wanted, and walking was neat because you really got to see the city better. I would highly recommend it. Here's the woman who gave us our tour:
ReplyDeleteGail@discoversavannahtours.com
This man referred her to us. He was the one we originally wanted a tour with:
exploresavannah@gmail.com and his site http://www.exploresavannah.com/
Whatever you do, I am sure you'll have a blast :)
We went to Savannah back in October. We stayed at the Catherine Ward House B&B and loved it! We at Alligator Soul and The Pink House for dinner...both were delicious. We ate at the Gryphon Tea Room for lunch and it was great as well. We did the pub crawl ghost tour and had a fun time...it starts at Sex Pence Pub. We rented a scooter and took it to Tybee Island...fun, but kind of nerve-wracking taking the scooter the whole way. Have a great time & let me know if you have any other questions.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was going to be my suggestion...hang out with JENNA!!! :) River Street is fun to walk and make sure you get a praline. Yum!
ReplyDeleteI live in Savannah and love it, like, WHOA.
ReplyDeleteStay at The Azalea Inn & Gardens: http://azaleainn.com/; my husband is the chef there and it is phenomenal.
DON'T eat at The Lady & Sons (as was said before, it's very overrated: good food at an insane price), but if you want a good Southern meal, go to Mrs. Wilkes: http://www.mrswilkes.com/; you will have to wait in line for probably an hour to get in, but it is worth it, I promise. If you like seafood, hit up Uncle Bubba's Oyster House: http://unclebubbas.com/; try the grilled oysters even if you think you don't like oysters.
As far as tours go, definitely do a walking tour; I would suggest The Ghost Talk/Ghost Walk: http://www.guidebookamerica.com/news/ghost_talk/index.htm or the Haunted Pub Crawl: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60814-d586463-Reviews-Haunted_Pub_and_Club_Crawl-Savannah_Georgia.html.
Hope this helps!
go to tybee and eat at the Breakfast club. They have the best waffles and omlets!
ReplyDeleteI've heard that Lady and Sons is kind of a zoo. We went on our anniversary trip to Savannah almost 2 years ago and had a great time. We didn't do Lady and Sons because I had just heard mixed reviews and heard that it wasn't really worth all the effort. But I'm sure if you eat there the food will be great!
ReplyDeleteWe had an amazing dinner at Alligator Soul and TC still talks about it!
The Olde Pink House is kind of a class touristy restaurant, but it was also good.
Make sure you eat breakfast at Clary's! Delicious!
Another good breakfast spot was on the riverfront and it was called Huey's. They had the best French toast I've ever eaten. It's a New Orleans style restaurant. We also had beignets while we waited for our food. Delicious!
I highly recommend doing a trolley tour. You could walk forever in Savannah, so it's nice to see things on the trolley. We chose a tour that allowed us to get on and off the trolley as we wanted to. That way if the trolley stopped at something we wanted to see more of, we just hopped off and waited for the next one. We enjoyed it a lot and I was SUPER pregnant, so the sitting break was nice.
We stayed at the Hilton in the historic district and it actually felt really far away from everything that we wanted to do.
When we go back, I'll probably do a cute bed and breakfast or stay at a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express near River Street. We stopped into the Holiday Inn Express to use the "facilities" during all of our walking and it was really nice. Especially since you're rarely in the room.
Wow- shouldn't have written you in a novel in your comments. :) I should have emailed you.
Have a great time on your trip, Faith!
I second Mrs Wilkes... well worth the wait. If you like Pizza you must try Vinnie Van GoGos... AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteThe Pirate's House is great too. I know, it sounds touristy and it is, but the food is great.
We've stayed in a few B&B's and love The Forsyth Park Inn.
Giiiirrrrll, you are going to have the best time! It was one of our best couples only trips! I'm a huge Paula fan so eating at her place was a treat for me and absolutely d-lish. Mrs. Wilkes was just as good if not better and I loved the fact they had the entire place say the blessing together before we ate! We had lots of fun doing an evening ghost tour, visiting the home of the lady who started the Girl Scouts, taking a guided tour through the historic district, walking the riverfront, having our picture taken on the bench Forest Gump sat on while waiting for the bus in the movie, and going through a church that was a stop on the underground railroad. Whatever you decide to do though, you'll have a great time! Looking forward to hearing all about it.
ReplyDeleteThe Kehoe House is a nice B&B. If you want something a little less pricey, I'd go with the Mulberry Inn (Holiday Inn property, I think) or the Historic District Hampton Inn. Be sure to get in line way, way early for Lady & Sons if you really want to do that. (I don't think it's worth it, but that's up to you.) Alligator Soul and Bistro Savannah are good restaurants. Vinnie's for a slice of pizza -cash only. Vic's on the River is also a good nice place, and I love Cha Bella, which is organic, etc. The trolley tours are fun, as are the horse carriage tours. You also might want to tour The Mercer House, which has some amazing antiques in it.
ReplyDeleteI have stayed in the Doubletree hotel that is within walking distance to River Street, City Market, etc. We did a trolley tour and my husband and I both enjoyed it. There are some tours where you can get on & off at your convenience - so if you want to eat lunch or stay at one of the historical sites longer you can just catch the next trolley with your "day pass". I can't remember where all we ate but I have heard great things about Garibaldi's. For something cheap, we ate lunch at Barnes BBQ and it was good.
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous!! Mom, Joy, and I have said for years that we're going to take a trip to Savannah. You guys need this trip...I know you will have a wonderful time. I'm going to watch the comments for ideas for when we DO go. :)
ReplyDeleteLove you!
I've got nothing for you cause I've never been either! But, FUN! Yay for a road trip!
ReplyDeleteSo jealous!!! I LOVE Savannah! We went there on our honeymoon and plan to return for our 10 year anniversray! I have also been there on a girls trip with my mom and sisters! Eat at L&S just because it is Paula Deen's...you MUST order the Gooey Butter Cake, delicious! You MUST eat at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House...yum yum yummy and cool family style seating! Also try to eat at the Six Pence Pub where Julia Roberts filmed "Something to Talk About." Do a tour of homes, they are awesome! Visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, gorgeous! At some point I want to do a ghost tour but have not had the chance, dinner boat cruise is cool too...you have to walk down the Riverwalk and look at the HUGE ships! Have fun!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen in Savannah, we always do Priceline and go for a 4 star and are never disappointed!
ReplyDeleteI may get shunned for this, but my Lady and Sons experience was not what I hoped it would be. But my Marc by Marc Jacobs experience was. $29 rain boots!
I also cannot recommend Oglethorpe Trolley Tours enough- so impressed! It's $29/piece but is a 90min, uninterrupted tour. You also can call them up the entire day once you buy your ticket and they'll come pick you up on a shuttle anywhere and take you where you want to go. So great!
Have fun!
I would highly recommend staying at The Marshall House. It is fabulous and very centrally located and includes a fabulous free breakfast and afternoon beverages. The service is amazing there! You can walk everywhere. We loved Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House, The Old Pink House, The Pirate House, Uncle Bubba's Oyster House on Tybee Island (be sure to get the key lime pie). Be sure to visit the River Walk and have a praline at River Street Sweets. We took two trolley tours that were wonderful. One was a general tour of Savannah and one was a night ghost tour. We also liked Belfords and Shrimp Factory. There are wonderful art museums and walking around the parks and old homes is fun. You will have a wonderful time!
ReplyDeleteNever been there, but would love to go! Glad that I read through the comments...I would have made The Lady and Sons a required stop, but looks like that's not the best pick! Have a great trip...tell all about it when you get back! :)
ReplyDeleteI found your blog through your moms blog! I am a NC nonny who loves Charleston and Savannah! Can't remember where we have stayed in Sav. though so I'm not much help...sorry. Have a fabulous time though. Been reading through some of your posts this morning! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteLady and Sons is definitely worth it. The trolley tour was also really worth it too, a great way to the sights of the city when you're short on time. We also really enjoyed Tybee Island, which is very close to Savannah (well, about 20 miles). We ate at the Crab Shack there---great food, fun atmosphere, and great views.
ReplyDeleteWe love Savannah! I would recommend staying downtown close to the River front, so that way you can walk to most of the shopping & restaurants. We stayed at the Hyatt it was great, not 5star but nice! One place that is excellent is Goose Feathers its more of a breakfast/Lunch Cafe place, our hotel did not offer breakfast, so most times we walked there and had breakfast! Savannah Candy Kitchen is a must! Its on the riverfront! The Lady & sons for us was not worth it at all! The hype & food wasn't that great..esp since we had to wait in line for a couple of hours in the morning just to put our name in for dinner that evening! Although they did have fantastic Sweet Tea? We did a ghost carrige tour, and I would recommend that! They told us lots about the History, with a few ghost stories mixed in! Also its worth the drive out to TyBee Island! And if you like Seafood The Crab Shack is wonderful! 40 Estill Hammock Road
ReplyDeleteTybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-9857
I've had friends recommend Mrs Wilkes Dining house, i've not been there but heard its great! Hope this helped out somewhat!!
Forgot to mention ..Shopping go to Paris Market!! You will not be disapointed!! LOVE LOVE that store!
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