SAVANNAH – Undoubtedly, the most beautiful city in Georgia and which makes you think that Georgia is much more than Atlanta!
Hope everyone is doing great. I am glad that I could allocate some time to pen down this long pending post – Our visit to Savannah.
Let me try to describe Savannah without any superlative adjectives. But then, it’s impossible. Savannah is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited, brimming with interesting history. We had 3 days to spend in Savannah and extended it for another 2 days, as 3 days were not enough to soak up the city’s charm, delve into its history and enjoy everything it has to offer. Though Savannah has been consistently ranked as the top tourist destination by the Travel magazines, the city doesn’t feel so touristy. The city has trolley tours and other attractions like every other travel destination but that doesn’t stop one from enjoying its innate beauty.
Wormsloe Historic Site
History of Savannah
Savannah’s recorded history begins in 1733. That’s the year General James Oglethorpe and the 120 passengers of the good ship “Anne” landed on a bluff high along the Savannah River in February. Oglethorpe named the 13th and final American colony “Georgia” after England’s King George II. Savannah became its first city. The plan was to offer a new start for England’s working poor and to strengthen the colonies by increasing trade. The colony of Georgia was also chartered as a buffer zone for South Carolina, protecting it from the advance of the Spanish in Florida.
Under the original charter, individuals were free to worship as they pleased and rum, lawyers and slavery were forbidden – for a time.
Upon settling, Oglethorpe became friends with the local Yamacraw Indian chief, Tomochichi. Oglethorpe and Tomochichi pledged mutual goodwill and the Yamacraw chief granted the new arrivals permission to settle Savannah on the bluff. As a result, the town flourished without warfare and accompanying hardship that burdened many of America’s early colonies.
Savannah is known as America’s first planned city. Oglethorpe laid the city out in a series of grids that allowed for wide open streets intertwined with shady public squares and parks that served as town meeting places and centers of business. Savannah had 24 original squares; 22 squares are still in existence today.
Don’t forget to bring your walking shoes, as Savannah is made for strolling! And don’t forget to check out the local places to eat!
Things to do in Savannah
We wanted to enjoy a relaxed vacation with Little R and hence we planned our day leisurely. Savannah is 2.5 hours away from Jacksonville and hence, we decided to start in the late afternoon on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Our plan was to wander around the streets of Savannah and its squares, eat like local, admire the architecture and hang out in the parks. We planned the trip with the interests of Little R – parks, trolley tours and strolls.
Day 1 Evening:
Our initial plan was to visit River Street and stroll in the city market. And end our day with the dinner at The Olde Pink House or at Treylor Park. The Olde Pink House is an upscale romantic dinner spot and is bit pricey. If you are foodie like us, then you should check out The Olde Pink House and Treylor Park.
Alas, we need to change our plan on our way to Savannah because of Tornado. We had a heavy downpour through out our travel. We cancelled our evening plan and decided to rest in the hotel. The 2.5 hours drive took almost 4 hours and we checked in around 7 in the evening. We stayed at The Holiday Inn in a nearby city – Port Wentworth. It was 20 minutes away from the downtown of Savannah and was economical. But, next time, I would like to stay in the city of Savannah! We planned our trip at the last minute and every inn in the city needs prior registration. We quickly stopped at Tandem Coffee & Spirits and grabbed Irish Coffee and Red Pepper Hummus. When we decided to visit Savannah, I noted down the best local joints to eat. Little R loved their Hummus and Pita. That says it all!
Day 2: Wormsloe Historic Site, Bonaventure cemetery and Savannah Squares
We started early from our hotel on our second day and our first stop is Wormsloe Historic Site. It’s one of the beautiful places I have visited – A breathtaking avenue sheltered by live oaks and Spanish moss leads to the tabby ruins of Wormsloe, the colonial estate of Noble Jones (1702–1775). Jones was a humble carpenter who arrived in Georgia in 1733 with James Oglethorpe and the first group of settlers from England. Wormsloe’s tabby ruin is the oldest standing structure in Savannah.
We visited the Tabby ruins and the Museum. And clicked photos. Wormsloe is a great photographic spot and don’t forget visit in your best looks.
Wormsloe Historic Site
Wormsloe Historic Site
We visited Bonaventure Cemetery as it was close by and was suggested by my fellow travel bloggers. I am glad that we visited it and the cemetery was beautiful with curving pathways, lots of trees and grassy areas. It was initially named as Evergreen cemetery and was designed in a traditional Victorian way. There is a walking Cemetery tour. Although a cemetery, it was common for families to meet and picnic here while still providing a place of comfort and solace for the bereaved friends of relatives of those buried there. On our way to Cemetery, Little R fell asleep and that gave us both a quiet time to explore cemetery and capture some of its beauty.
We then visited The Paris market and we absolutely loved the place. If you have known for a while, then you would have known my love for Paris – one of the destinations in my bucket list. It’s a must visit and we grabbed Croissants, French Press Coffee, Honey Rose Café Latte (SANDY, who hates flavor in his latte, loved it) and Sandwiches for our lunch. Luckily, I had prepared lunch for Little R with my best pal – instant pot and it helped us immensely. I am planning to write a separate post as how to travel with toddlers where I am thinking to share tips for toddler’s food choices while vacationing. We took a stroll in the Jones Street voted as the Most beautiful street in America by Southern Living.
We didn’t plan much for our afternoon. We decided to wander around the streets of Savannah and visit its cobblestoned Squares. We walked around the Squares, grabbed our coffee from The Coffee Fox and clicked photos! You will be amazed by the number of Photographic Spots the city offers. Our favorites among the 22 Squares are Franklin Square, Chatham Square, Chippewa Square and LaFayette Square.
Day 3: Savannah Trolley Tours, Riverboat Cruise, River Street, City Market and Savannah Squares
We started our 3rd day with the Savannah Trolley Tours. We booked our trolley tour followed by Riverboat cruise with Old Savannah Trolley tours. I highly recommend the trolley tours to know about the historic district and its architecture. Moreover, it’s also a great option to see the city with a toddler. The tour is for 90 minutes and provides information about the city, local joints, and other points of interest. I would suggest listening carefully to pick your choices and visit them later. After our Trolley tour, we headed to River Street for out River Boat Cruise tour. The Cruise tour lasted for 90 minutes, and we grabbed our lunch in the boat. They do free refill for your drinks!
We visited Forsyth Park and spent our afternoon under the live oaks and watching people. Little R loved the park. The fountain is one of the beautiful spots in Savannah. It’s one of Savannah’s largest and oldest parks. It’s one of the must -do thing and free thing to do in Savannah.
For the later part of the day, we decided to visit City Market and check out local eateries. Don’t forget to visit Bryd’s Cookies in City Market. They have been in Cookie business since 1924 and their recipes date back to 350 years. We tried all their cookies and bought few packets for our friends back in Jax. Our favorite was Bene Wafers, Almond Cookies (Toddler approved), Georgia Peach cookies, Jalapeno cheddar and Key Lime Cookies.
Our next stop is at River Street Sweets in River Street Market. The shop is known for their world-famous Pralines. We grabbed few Pralines, ice creams and candies. Now, their Pralines have become one of our family favorites. Watch out for the long queue!
We wanted to taste ice cream from Leopold’s Ice Cream shop but then there was a long queue, and our wait time was around 2 hours. We had to reserve for our future visit. We, then visited Bee Company shop and picked Wildflower Honey for our daily breakfast.
Day 4: Savannah Refuge, Tybee Island and Tybee Island Wildlife Refuge
Little R loves birds and animals. So, we planned our 4th day with Refuges and Tybee Island. Savannah National Wildlife Refuge was nearby but unfortunately their wildlife drives were closed due to construction work and renovation. Our next stop was Fort Pulaski National Monument. Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia. The fort served as American’s main defense against their overseas enemies. We toured the fort and spotted Cedar Waxwings, Mockingbird and Blue bird.
Our next stop was Tybee Island. Tybee Island is a Georgia barrier island and is home to wide and clean beaches. It’s a perfect place to escape from the world and unwind oneself. We had pizza for our lunch and explored the town. We couldn’t visit its beaches as it was too hot and Little R was exhausted. We decided to visit Tybee Island in our future visit and explore its beaches.
Day 5: Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge
We woke up early on our last day and visited Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge for birding. We saw few alligators(our first alligator), Wood stork, Cattle Egret, Herons, and few warblers. After exhausting morning, we headed back to our hotel and checked out at noon.
On our way back to Jax, we stopped at Bryd’s cookies and River Street Sweets to grab goodies for us and for our friends. We had no luck for ice cream this time too as there was a long queue at Leopold’s.
We had a relaxed vacation with Little R and loved the city to bits – Cobblestone Squares, Spanish moss, tall trees, and friendly people. Though it was summer, we didn’t feel the heat as the city is covered with trees.
Other Things to do
- Take a Ghost Tour – Savannah is known’s America’s Most haunting city
- Visit Mercer-Williams House
- Visit Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
- Visit Owens-Thomas House
- Visit Telfair Museum
Places to eat:
- Treylor Park
- The Olde Pink House
- The Wilke’s House
- Tubby’s Seafood Restaurant
- Vic’s Coffee House
- The Paris Market
- Kayak Cafe
- River Street Sweets
- Leopold’s Ice Cream
- Tandem Spirit’s and Coffee
- Soho South
We loved the city, and we left a piece of our heart with the city. A return visit is in our future. Savannah really does have it all- an interesting history, exquisite architecture, natural beauty, and intriguing mysteries.
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Thanks,
Karthi
