Savannah Experts
Aug 23rd, 2010, 08:41 AM
#1
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Savannah Experts
I would like to visit Savannah this spring.
On my list of things to see/do.....
ghost tour - Spooky Savannah
trolley tour - Old Town
cooking class - Chef Joe Randall (?)
architecture tour - Architectural Savannah
places to eat....
Mrs. Wilkes
I absolutely love historic buildings, photography, European antiques, and good southern food. I am looking for unique shops, hidden gems, local favorites, etc.
Please help me plan an enjoyable getaway.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
On my list of things to see/do.....
ghost tour - Spooky Savannah
trolley tour - Old Town
cooking class - Chef Joe Randall (?)
architecture tour - Architectural Savannah
places to eat....
Mrs. Wilkes
I absolutely love historic buildings, photography, European antiques, and good southern food. I am looking for unique shops, hidden gems, local favorites, etc.
Please help me plan an enjoyable getaway.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
Aug 23rd, 2010, 09:01 AM
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OK.. first of all, I am in no way an expert on Savannah. They will be along later, I am sure :- )
The Trolley tour looked like the most fun.
A cooking class sounds fun..but not with someone like Paula Deen (imo- scary fat bad southern food)
We stayed at the Hyatt on the Riverfront and just spent the days walking.. it is easy, you just start at any point and go through the parks/squares. I don't remember the names of anything these days but there are wonderful cafes and bookstores and art galleries and the Museum is wonderful.. that I remember Telfair.
Have a great time, it is easy.. but remember, it gets warm and sticky early there..
The Trolley tour looked like the most fun.
A cooking class sounds fun..but not with someone like Paula Deen (imo- scary fat bad southern food)
We stayed at the Hyatt on the Riverfront and just spent the days walking.. it is easy, you just start at any point and go through the parks/squares. I don't remember the names of anything these days but there are wonderful cafes and bookstores and art galleries and the Museum is wonderful.. that I remember Telfair.
Have a great time, it is easy.. but remember, it gets warm and sticky early there..
Aug 23rd, 2010, 09:46 AM
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I'm not an expert either, but I visited Savannah in March, 2010.
I found that in Savannah, more than some other cities, it is very worthwhile to take an introductory tour. Without doing so, in a short stay you are not likely to discover that in addition to its antebellum buildings the city has neighborhoods of colonial and Victorian architecture.
One of the best values in Savannah is the Owens-Thomas House. A ticket to the house includes admission to two fine art museums.
B. Mathew's Eatery, 325 East Bay Street, is an excellent restaurant for meals at reasonable prices. The PEI mussels, lamb shank, and pork osso buccco are especially recommend.
I found that in Savannah, more than some other cities, it is very worthwhile to take an introductory tour. Without doing so, in a short stay you are not likely to discover that in addition to its antebellum buildings the city has neighborhoods of colonial and Victorian architecture.
One of the best values in Savannah is the Owens-Thomas House. A ticket to the house includes admission to two fine art museums.
B. Mathew's Eatery, 325 East Bay Street, is an excellent restaurant for meals at reasonable prices. The PEI mussels, lamb shank, and pork osso buccco are especially recommend.
Aug 23rd, 2010, 10:36 AM
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There is a GREAT clothing consignment store in Savannah - Cherry Picked. It's the best store of its type I've ever seen.
Also the rooftop bar at the Bohemian Hotel is fun to go to. The hotel might be nice, too -- it is in an old building right on the river.
700 Drayton is in the same chain as the Bohemian. I recommend their restaurant but haven't stayed at the hotel. A friend told me it was his favorite place to stay.
Also the rooftop bar at the Bohemian Hotel is fun to go to. The hotel might be nice, too -- it is in an old building right on the river.
700 Drayton is in the same chain as the Bohemian. I recommend their restaurant but haven't stayed at the hotel. A friend told me it was his favorite place to stay.
Aug 23rd, 2010, 01:14 PM
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Savannah is a weird city (son lived there during college and after - 5 years) in that the Historic District is both touristy and authentic and the outlying areas are both homes to regular locals and have some very scary and sketchy (as in gang activity) areas - all within a few blocks of each other. I love Savannah and felt unsafe only once - after I dropped son off at his apartment on the border of one of these sketchy areas and got lost at 11 PM.
Some of the little side streets off Abercorn have some incredible southern architecture and great photo ops.
If you are into modern art, try to wander thru some of the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) galleries - and check out their website (Scad.edu) for any events/exhibits.
Architecture - many of the buildings in and around Historic District were part of SCAD historic preservation major - school took run-down buildings, bought them, restored them - SCAD is a scattered city campus and has had an increasingly positive relationship with the city - at first adversarial but when it became clear that they were not into demoliltion, much improved.
Do not go over weekends surrounding St. Patrick's Day unless you are into drunken mobs and do not want to sight-see. Savannah has the 2nd or 3rd largest St. Patrick's Day celebration in US - hotels are expensive, difficult to book, and the city is a mess.
Uncle Bubba's or the Crab Shack - both on way to Tybee Island have good seafood. The former run by some Paula Dean relative; the latter really is a collection of shacks and gets mixed reviews - can be kind of hokey with the gator pond in the front, etc. I think it is a great trip if one orders the mixed crab boil, sits at a table with a few beers, and throws the shells down the center hole in the table - designed that way. I would not go expecting to have fine dining or order anything else.
Wear practical shoes if walking along River Street - nasty cobblestone street and sidewalk that are dangerous in heels, flimsy sandals. Sit on a bench and watch the ships go by.
Some of the little side streets off Abercorn have some incredible southern architecture and great photo ops.
If you are into modern art, try to wander thru some of the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) galleries - and check out their website (Scad.edu) for any events/exhibits.
Architecture - many of the buildings in and around Historic District were part of SCAD historic preservation major - school took run-down buildings, bought them, restored them - SCAD is a scattered city campus and has had an increasingly positive relationship with the city - at first adversarial but when it became clear that they were not into demoliltion, much improved.
Do not go over weekends surrounding St. Patrick's Day unless you are into drunken mobs and do not want to sight-see. Savannah has the 2nd or 3rd largest St. Patrick's Day celebration in US - hotels are expensive, difficult to book, and the city is a mess.
Uncle Bubba's or the Crab Shack - both on way to Tybee Island have good seafood. The former run by some Paula Dean relative; the latter really is a collection of shacks and gets mixed reviews - can be kind of hokey with the gator pond in the front, etc. I think it is a great trip if one orders the mixed crab boil, sits at a table with a few beers, and throws the shells down the center hole in the table - designed that way. I would not go expecting to have fine dining or order anything else.
Wear practical shoes if walking along River Street - nasty cobblestone street and sidewalk that are dangerous in heels, flimsy sandals. Sit on a bench and watch the ships go by.
Aug 24th, 2010, 01:39 PM
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There are several attractions within the historic district downtown, especially a number of historic houses to tour -- all of which I enjoyed. Would recommend a board search and browsing the attractions listings at Fodor's and Frommer's online. Definitely will recommend staying in this historic downtown area.
Will strongly second Mrs. Wilkes -- just note that they're only open at lunch time M-F from 11 am to 2 pm. The line starts forming at ca. 10:30 am, and it's not a bad idea to be towards the head of that line, as it lengthens notably as opening time approaches. Food's utterly great, though.
Will strongly second Mrs. Wilkes -- just note that they're only open at lunch time M-F from 11 am to 2 pm. The line starts forming at ca. 10:30 am, and it's not a bad idea to be towards the head of that line, as it lengthens notably as opening time approaches. Food's utterly great, though.
Aug 24th, 2010, 03:31 PM
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We loved our Savannah visit a few years ago. I did a lot of research and saved my file. If you'd like a copy, please e-mail me [email protected] and I'll be glad to send it to you. It has info about what we saw and did, as well as history and lots of info.
