I would still go to Savannah, but I would stop for at least a night or two in St. Augustine along the way. I've spent a great deal of time in St. Augustine for work, and there are some kitschy places there, but the city has such an incredible old world charm, history, beautiful views along the Matanzas River, and some great local restaurants and galleries.

I feel safer walking around there at night than I do in Savannah (also a city I frequent for work and grew up near), and I enjoy the laid back atmosphere. I like that once you park in the downtown area you can roam around pedestrian only areas and small little shops and restaurants. For awesome casual Caribbean food on the beach, try Mango Mango's. It never disappoints. For some good outdoor dining with live music, I recommend Harry's Bar and Grill. We usually order off of the appetizer menu and enjoy a few hours outside and then roam around the city. For a unique experience dining on a dock on the water (with trees growing through the dock) off the beaten path, try Caps on the Water. For finer dining, we like La Pentola. There are lots of B&Bs, but I've also stayed in the Hilton Bayfront and it is in a great location as well. If you happen to be there on a Friday night, they do First Fridays downtown with all of the art galleries open late and free trolley rides. We love First Friday in St. Augustine. If you don't stay on the beach, be sure to take A1A over the Matanzas river at sunset to the main beach area (St. Augustine beach, not Vilano beach) and at least park and walk along the shore for a little while.

http://www.floridashistoriccoast.com...n-st-augustine

For Savannah, the city is much larger and spread out. There is a lot to do and see, but you can get a feel for the city in several days. I grew up going there a lot, and as an adult I've traveled there quite a bit for work. It really is a charming old Southern city that shouldn't be missed.

If you have not seen it, watch the movie, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." It is set in Savannah, and will give you a wonderful glimpse of the city.

The movie is a crashing bore, but it did do wonders for the city's tourism.

We had dinner at Caps on the Water when we were in St. Augustine last year. Go at sunset for spectacular views. We really enjoyed the food, service and general ambiance of eating outdoors there.

"The movie is a crashing bore, but it did do wonders for the city's tourism."

The movie was based on The Book.
The Book was about the murder.
It tells the story of Savannah during the 80s. Not so much the historic Savannah that one sees today, but the collection of characters who lived there. Jim Williams was among the first to venture in the, at the time very scary and virtually abandoned, "historic district". I stayed in a private apartment on the other corner of Monterey Square. The owners of the stately home bought it for peanuts and spent decades renovating it, as did most of the folks at the time. The area was more hippie than anything else. Just like the gentrification of abandoned areas gone bad, the hippies and gays move in and start fixing things up. There's absolutely no way any sane person would walk from Forsyth Park to Bay or River Streets in those days. A lot has changed in 30 years.

The Book tells the story of the people around Jim Williams.
"This place is fantastic; it's like "Gone With The Wind" on mescaline"
Yep.

I agree that the movie didn't do such a great job retelling The Book -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUvm4Yd4ebA

A short video about The Book -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwTqq83gp38

On the NYTimes best sellers list for 4 years, 2 months = the longest of any book
http://www.nytbestsellerlist.com/book/bestselling

Published in 1994
(the murder was in 1981)

Here's a GMA video on the occasion of the paperback book release, including Lady Chablis and Sonny Seiler and UgaV :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4cyFq2P5cY

Williams bought the Mercer mansion in 1970 for $50,000 and at the time of that video the house was for sale for $9M

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnigh..._Good_and_Evil

The movie was a glossover of the book, and lost too much, as is often the case. The book really started the tourism boom, not the movie, tho I'm sure it helped. A Savannah accent is difficult to replicate. Sonny Seiler's is natural, but the rest of the accents in the movie were poorly done and distracting. The city is visual dessert, so from that standpoint, the movie would help someone realize what they'd be missing.

I've only been through St Augustine once, so it's impossible for me to compare, but Savannah isn't all that big either. It's historic district is about 1.5 miles from Bay Street to Forsyth Park, north to south, and probably a bit wider, but the very best of the squares were those that ran down Bull St from City Hall to Forsyth Park, getting better and better the closer you get to Forsyth.

I have family visiting SA for two weeks. Oh the horror this thread paints by some! What will they possibly do after the first hour or two? 13 days and 22 hours of their lives wasted? I think they'll risk it!

Well, I wasn't giving a review of the movie, only said it gave a "glimpse" of the city.
The book got rave reviews and the movie not such good ones, but it does set a place and culture that is unique - one where murder is never referred to as murder, but only as the "unfortunate incident." I tremendously enjoy movies and books that portray extreme social eccentricities, especially when I have experienced them and know the movie or book is not exaggerating them. I find them hilarious, but respect and appreciate them at the same time. So, my taste is quirky. I liked the movie - need to watch it again and see how it holds up now.

It's been a long time since I've read the book or seen the movie.........now that I've been to Savannah, I'll have to watch the movie again.

We visited St Augustine in Feb. I have posted a trip report. Thanks for the suggestions.