Weekend Trip: Savannah, Ga.
Often referred to as the “jewel of Georgia,” Savannah was founded by British General James Oglethorpe in 1733. When planning the city, Oglethorpe did something a little different. He designed it on a grid system that allowed for square parks and open public spaces. Today, twenty-one of the original twenty-four square parks remain intact.
If you are planning to visit this port city soon, there are some things that should be on your itinerary.
Must Do’s…
Take a tour. With over twenty tour companies in the city, you can choose to see Savannah on bike, horse drawn carriage, trolley, bus, or boat. Tours get as specific as Civil War Savannah, Negro History Savannah, Ghost Tours and Savannah Movie Tour.
The City Market is four blocks reflecting the city’s old open marketplace. Here you can watch artists working in their lofts, view exhibits, shops, or dine in the various restaurants.
River Street is located exactly where it says it is. Filled with shops, galleries, restaurants, and pubs, this nine-block area is a great place to take a relaxing stroll and watch the ships.
Must Eats…
That long line you see is not people waiting to get in the latest club, but to enjoy some southern-style home cooking at The Lady & Sons, Paula Deen’s restaurant. From shrimp and grits to Savannah crab cakes, there is something on the menu for everyone. If you have a hard time deciding, there is always the buffet.
You can’t go wrong going where the locals go for breakfast and lunch. Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room has been a part of Savannah since the 1940s, and for good reason. The family-style dining room serves up large portions of southern comfort food.
At the risk of sounding like Bubba from the movie “Forest Gump” (by the way, part of the movie was filmed in Chippewa Square, and you can see Gump’s bench at the Savannah History Museum), The Shrimp Factory serves boiled shrimp, shrimp fry, shrimp bisque; well, you get the idea. There are also other seafood items available as well.
Only two years old, Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House is relatively new to Savannah’s scene. Here you can enjoy such dishes as Low Country Boil and Wild Georgia shrimp dinner.
Resting
Lodging is plentiful in Georgia’s First City as well. From historic inns like the Kehoe House and Ballastone Inn to well-known chains, there is something for everyone’s budget and taste.
While You are There…
About sixteen miles east of downtown Savannah, is Tybee Island. It’s not as developed as other beaches in the area, but it is a popular spot for beach lovers, with its low-key attitude and attractions for the whole family.
Be sure to see the Tybee Island Lighthouse. Built in 1733, it was once was the tallest lighthouse at the time. Now it is known for being American’s most intact lighthouse, all of its original buildings are still intact.
Did You Know…
- Having survived the Revolutionary War, among other catastrophes, Savannah was one of a small handful of southern cities that wasn’t a causality of the Civil War. According to history, the residents promised not to resist Northern Troops if General William Sherman spared their city in his campaign toward the sea. Sherman was so captivated by the city that he presented Savannah as a Christmas gift to President Lincoln.
- Savannah is home to one of the nation’s best-preserved urban historic districts. Over 800 of Old Savannah’s 1,100 historic building have been restored. Mostly in part to ingenious southern ladies in the 1950s, who held a fundraiser in the parking lot of the Davenport House to save it from being demolished, thus igniting an interest in further preservation and creating the Historic Savannah Foundation. The historic district consists of 100 blocks, featuring variety of18th- and 19th century architecture
3 Comments
[...] in Georgia, take a weekend trip to Savannah. You can’t go wrong with these “must sees” and “must eats” from Apryl [...]
Just returned from 5 days/4 nights in Savannah & Tybee Island. We still didn’t get to see all we wanted to see. TS Fay had something to do with that, but the point is there is so much history in this place that I’m not sure you could do it all in a week. We are already discussing a return visit. If you can afford it, stay in the historical district on Bay Street. Otherwise, you’ll be shuttling back and forth, and there is so much to do in the evenings, unlike a lot of places I’ve visited where they seem to roll up the carpet at 5 when everyone goes home. Not New Orleans, but the night life can be just as fun. We did 2 different ghost tours and a dinner cruise and had a blast. Don’t take the dinner cruise for the food, eat and get up on the deck for a enjoyable 1 1/2 hours on the water. Our cruise went to Old Fort Jackson before they turned it around. Tybee Island under normal conditions I’m sure would have been fun, but with TS Fay rolling in the only ones having fun where the surfers. We changed to dry cloths about 3 times in about 6 hours. Had planned to stay another night but decided to head back to the ATL before the bulk of the rain hit. Turned out being good move. I-16 to Macon looks like it’s guiding Fay to the west. Feel free to email me questions and I’ll answer best I can. We took over a 1,000 pics in those 5 days and saw alot and did alot!
[...] of the few is being celebrated this year in Savannah, Ga., (and beyond.) You might have heard of him – Johnny [...]