Would like the Truth about Savannah
 

I've recently made plans to drive to Savannah from South FL for our 10th wedding anniversay. We plan on staying at the Hampton Inn in the historic district(we loved the Hampton Inn in Sedona) Leaving early on 10/19 arriving the same day and checking out on the 23rd. One of my colleagues just told me that I'm making a big mistake in going to Savannah. That the historic area is "touristy" and "tacky", and if you go a very short distance away from the historic district, you will run into unbelieveably bad neighborhoods. I need some feedback from you guys.

We haven't been there YET, but it's on the list for soon. From all I've read, it sounds like a great destination. It'll be interesting to see what those who have traveled there say. Have you searched here to read past threads?

Must have hit a wrong key as this posted before I had a chance to say that we've never been to Savannah before and we've always looked forward to going. 10th Anniversary is a big deal and I want to make sure that we've picked the right place to celebrate. Thank you for any advice you can give me.

i'm from south fl, and we frequently go to savannah for weekend getaways. yep, we are jaded down here. there are touristy things there, that's for sure, but Savannah is beautiful. not sure where u r from in south fla, but i'm near west palm, to use as an example, if someone expected to stay in palm beach, but landed in the bad part of west palm beach, a mere 1 mile away, they'd have quite the culture shock. same can be true for savannah. do your homework. there is ton's of info here on fodor's of areas to see. historic neighborhoods, walking tours, art museums, theatres, scad (savannah college of art and design) the out islands to visit, as well as areas to not waste your time on.

Bayou Girl, yes I have done research on this site and others and that's why I made plans to go; but this guy was vehement when he told me that I wouldn't like it. He and his wife said that they couldn't wait to leave. Now, I have no objections to "touristy" places..like San Francisco's Fisherman's wharf, NY's Time Square, etc. after all most of our once beautiful travel cities are turning into tacky T-shirt + areas (thinking of Sedona particularly)..so that wouldn't bother me too much..just don't like the idea of what he says is a very small area to visit and a very large area where we shouldn't venture in at all.

I have always had a good time in Savannah. A tour of the homes that are open is interesting. I found "Midnight Of The Garden Of Good & Evil" tour to be fun, even though I had been to Savannah many times. The length of your stay may be too long and you might enjoy the trip more if you add Charleston to your agenda. "Jukebox Journey" , a musical tribute is a great way to spend an evening. They are doing a tribute to broadway music this summer. If you get out of the main district in most cities, you will encounter less than desirable neighborhoods. That being said, Savannah is a beautifully laid out city. Many enjoy the restaurant , The Lady & Her Sons". I have not eaten there. It is owned by Paula Dean. Other suggestions are Elizabeths (have eaten there) and the boarding House, where food is served family style. I don't care for the riverwalk very much. Be sure and read "Midnight In The Garden Of Good & Evil" before making the journey.

I topped 2 threads for you, and I have a current thread on top destinations. Savannah came up many times on that thread, too. I hope you get a lot of responses here. Good luck! :)

here is the website for Jukebox Journey playing at Broadway On Bull Street. the site is savannahtheatre.com. Friends have seen the show and loved it.

We stayed at the Hampton in the historic district a couple of years ago. Great location and nice staff. Would stay there again. Lots of great restaurants in Savannah. For info check: http://www.savannah-visit.com/

We spent a night in Savannah a few years back and loved it! Yes, there are touristy areas, yes there are bad neighborhoods surrounding the historic district (just as in 90% of cities in the US), but the area of interest is beautiful and charming. Just strolling from square to square admiring the landscaping and architecture is worth the trip alone, never mind the food!

Don't worry, you'll have a nice time.

John

Oh, I meant to add that you are probably staying there longer than it will take to "see" the city so you might want to consider a day trip - lots of places of interest within an easy drive. Also, do a ghost walk - fun!

We spent a week in Savannah in March and just loved it. Our hotel was one block from the Hampton Inn, so I can tell you that the location is terrific.

We found nothing whatsoever "touristy" or "tacky" about the historic district, except for the usual gift shops, horse and carriage rides, and trolley tours.

It is true that there are housing projects on either side of the edges of the historic district, but you will not be wandering into those.

We found Savannah very romantic, particularly with regard to dining options.

We enjoyed a magnificent dinner (not the buffet) at Lady & Sons. Also highly recommend The Pink House, Savannah Bistro, Vic's on the River, and 17 Hundred 90. All our dining choices were hits (no misses), with lots of other appealing places but not enough time. We don't usually do dinner cruises, but went for the scenery, and the food was truly excellent.

We loved our long weekend in Savannah ! We stayed at the Hyatt, we walked all over town, from Square to Square, went to the museum, book shops, galleries, antique shops and restaurants. I wish we were still so close, I would go back again soon!
Tacky - I guess there might be places that are overly touristy and cheesy but for the main part, it is an old beautiful Southern town and the people living and working there are charming and helpful.
Personally, I think it was a tad tacky of your co-worker to makethis comment to you after your plans are made, unless you specifically asked him for an opinion.
Everywhere you go, there are bad neighborhoods on the outskirts, you would not be going to those neighborhoods in Savannah anyway..
Happy Anniversary ((F))

We had a long weekend in Savannah a year ago and LOVED it. We cant wait to go back again!

Savannah is one of our favorite weekend getaways. Yes, part of the riverfront is "touristy" (I wouldn't call it tacky, though), and yes, there are parts of town that are not not good - just like most towns.

The historic district is lovely, beautifully laid out (if only every urban area had those gorgeous squares!), and filled with good restaurants and interesting house museums.

Go on a walking tour (we liked Savannah Walks http://www.savannahwalks.com/), drive out to Bonaventure Cemetery, wander around Fort Pulaski. I'm sure you'll have a great time.

The tacky part of River St, where there are some t shirt places are old warehouse buildings, some of them dating from the late 1700's. Many of these have been turned into restaurants, hotels etc. Your colleague is full of crap for telling you to avoid this place. You want to visit a chunk of history, visit Savannah.

sparkerlaw,

Don't let your colleague influence your decision. I was in Savannah this past spring and loved every minute of it. I think it's a very romantic city. My husband and I walked from square to square each evening and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful architecture and gardens.

I will say that we did not spend more than 10 minutes on the river walk area. That did seem a bit tacky. But there's so much more to see, and I would not call the history area "touristy" or "tacky" at all.

Of course there will be some bad neighborhoods, but you'll find that in any city. If you stick in the general historic district though, you'll be fine.

Thank you, thank you all. I know I could get the real deal at Fodor's. Yes, I suppose my colleague was a bit callous, but his opinion was so strongly voiced that I just had to bring it to you guys. It's funny Scarlett, he told me that he and his family stayed at the Hyatt and how shabby it was..go figure! Everyone is entitled to their opinions. I remember my very first posting here I had the audacity to suggest The Milford Plaza as an economical place to stay in NY as we had stayed there each year we went to NY and it was fine (for us)..Boy oh boy, was I shot down! The responses were downright cruel (silly me - who knew it was referred to as "Mildew Plaza")? So, there is no accounting for taste..right? We do plan on going and enjoying ourselves. We're also planning a day trip to Tybee Island; and will let you know about our Savannah adventure when we return.

Another vote for you to go. We've been twice and just loved it. DOn't let anyone spoil it for you. YOu can see by all the other replies how much people love it. There will always be people who find places too touristy. They became popular tourist destinations for a reason....they are great places to go.
Happy Anniversay and have a wonderful time in Savannah.

I cut myself off too early before! lol

The tacky River St is why Savannah is there. It was a place to park sea ships. It was a good place to build a town.

Cotton was sent to Europe from there. Ships coming to Savannah to buy cotton would drop off their "ballast stones". That is what the street is made of there..ballast stone from the old sailing ships.

Slave labor loaded the ships. Savannah was the cotton capital of the USA. Now there are some bars there, a few t shirt places, lots of great restaurants, a few hotels. And lots of history if you know where to look.

Why be afraid of a tee shirt shop when you walk down River St? You are walking down history there.