Savannah, Ga.

[fromthebluegrass]

Long-time reader, incredibly infrequent poster -- but you all are a well traveled bunch, so I turn to you for travel advice. What are the must-see spots in Savannah, Ga.? I am heading there on Monday for vacation with plans to see the Mercer House (featured in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil). Where else should we visit? Can anyone recommend any good ghost tours?

Thanks for your help, and I apologize if this is a double post. I did a quick search and didn't see any recent threads. Feel free to link an earlier thread if there is one. Thanks!

 

[ColdCat]

here's a good place to eat (if you don't care about eating healthy)

http://www.theladyandsons.com/

 

[JackReacher]

I stopped through on a trip last year and had dinner at something Pirate themed. In some very old building. Had a great meal. Very good fried chicken and fried green tomatoes.

Lotta fried foods. Shocker.

 

[sportbook]

I'd go to Charleston instead. Savannah is nice but if I was spending a week I'd do about 5 days in Charleston and 2 in Savannah.

 

[User 1019]

The nicest thing about Savannah is that it's about an hour from Charleston. Although it's terribly dingy, it is a beautiful city to walk through, with a few decent shopping areas, a decent amount of good food (of which Lady and Sons was not, IMHO) and a terrible downtown bar scene.

 

[fromthebluegrass]

We'll be down there three full days, and we'll head to Tybee Island Beach one day. I wasn't planning on going to Paula Deen's place since I had heard mixed reviews. I've also been to Charleston before. It's always interesting to get different perspectives, because I have several friends who prefer Savannah to Charleston.

 

[John]

Charleston crushes Savannah every day of the year except maybe St. Patrick's.

 

[playthrough]

My parents moved to Charleston when I was in college and I still hate them for not doing it 10 years earlier.

Savannah's fine though, the main drag downtown is good for a couple nights. If you're a golfer, play Savannah Harbor across the river.

 

[Buck]

What people love about Charleston:

 

[playthrough]

My Dad once had Darius Rucker's cell number, they were members at the same golf club in Charleston and teed it up a few times. For someone as tragically unhip as my Dad, I have always found this mindblowing.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

here's a good place to eat (if you don't care about eating healthy)

http://www.theladyandsons.com/

Or inexpensively.

People generally don't come to the South for pizza, but Vinny Van GoGo's is pretty good. It's a couple of blocks off River Street.

Touristy stuff: The Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts) House is there. A walk through the squares and perusal of the markers there is neat for history buffs and free. If you're into lighthouses, Tybee Island has one. Stop in at River Street Sweets and get some pecan pralines.

River Street has some old world charm. Beware the money pit though (the pralines IMO are worth it). There is a marker on the spot where the slave market used to be IIRC.

Fort James Jackson and Fort McAllister are nearby, if you want to see a bit of military history.

 

[JackReacher]

I really, really wanted to eat at Vinny Van GoGo's. We walked through there before going to the place we had reservations at. Really thought about ditching it and just eating pizza. You can smell that place from blocks away.

 

[Central-KY-Kid]

My wife just booked a three-night stay for us from Sunday March 30-Tuesday April 1.

Trying to get her to at least let us go to Charleston that Wednesday and do the 9-hour drive back home that Thursday.

So far, she has her sights set on a carriage ride and the paddleboat dinner cruise.

We looked at various places at this time, but many Florida beaches were out because of spring break rate hikes.

Actually found a good deal in Myrtle Beach at Long Bay -- and the wife would go to Myrtle, if it was summer -- but the average temperature doesn't bode well for spending much time on the beach.

 

[pressboxer]

I stopped off in Savannah for a couple of days this summer on a trip that included Colonial Williamsburg and the Outer Banks. I highly recommend taking a trolley tour your first day (I went on a blue one, but the orange ones are supposed to be pretty good, as well). Very informative and made it easy to pick out what places to hit during the rest of my stay.

Since it was summer, I spent one of my two nights at a Sand Gnats game instead of checking out the nightlife.

Tybee has so many seafood restaurants it would take weeks to hit them all. On my way in, I swung through Beaufort, S.C., and hit a place out on St. Helena Island called the Frantic Frog that was pretty good.

 

[godshammgod]

My wife just booked a three-night stay for us from Sunday March 30-Tuesday April 1.

Trying to get her to at least let us go to Charleston that Wednesday and do the 9-hour drive back home that Thursday.

So far, she has her sights set on a carriage ride and the paddleboat dinner cruise.

We looked at various places at this time, but many Florida beaches were out because of spring break rate hikes.

Actually found a good deal in Myrtle Beach at Long Bay -- and the wife would go to Myrtle, if it was summer -- but the average temperature doesn't bode well for spending much time on the beach.

Just got back from my honeymoon in that area.

Spent parts of two days in Savannah and ate at Back in the Day Bakery and B. Matthews for brunch. I love that city. Good to know in the future that flights from Boston to Savannah are very cheap.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

Yeah, it's five months later, but since the thread has been bumped, a couple more thoughts: By all means if you're there you should try Vinny's. Just know going in that it's cash only. They have an ATM on site (savvy business move in my view).

Someone mentioned Beaufort, which isn't all that far from Savannah; there are Revolutionary War generals buried in a cemetery there. Or at least, there were. Hopefully they've been spared by hurricane activity. Worth finding out.

 

[godshammgod]

Someone mentioned Beaufort, which isn't all that far from Savannah; there are Revolutionary War generals buried in a cemetery there. Or at least, there were. Hopefully they've been spared by hurricane activity. Worth finding out.

Beaufort is great. We spent an afternoon there walking around, looking at houses, visiting shops, and eating delicious candy. I wish I had known about that cemetery, that would have been cool to see. I didn't see any obvious signs of hurricane damage, so that's a good sign.

 

[Central-KY-Kid]

I'm leaving for Savannah next Saturday. Living just south of Louisville, leaving that evening with plans to make it to Atlanta by 11 p.m. or so.

Could sleep in a bit Sunday afternoon and then get to Savannah by check-in time Sunday.

Staying at the Oglethorpe Inn (formerly a Residence Inn, I think). NOT in historic district. But got a suite for $100 a night during spring break, so we'll take it.

Savannah was not my first choice, but with trip during spring break, beaches were packed and rates were up. Disney would have been packed. I hate the cold, so anything north of Kentucky was out.

We've got three nights in Savannah and I'm trying to talk her into a fourth in Charleston since she doesn't work til that Friday (I'm off).

Doing the riverboat dinner cruise. Have carriage ride tickets (through Riverboat Cruise company).

She is big on nature and photo-ops.

Anything we need to see/do?

 

[TigerVols]

Be sure to eat at The Breakfast Club on Tybee Island.