Wow, a month in Savannah?! I spent 3 days and was bored out of my mind. The only reason I would spend more than a couple of hours here is for the woman. It really is a beautiful town, but any dude is going to run out of things to do here in a hurry.
I live here and the area in the Historic district may be laid-back and everything, but any other part of Savannah is crime infested (Eastside and West Savannah mostly). So when you're out and about, watch yourself and travel in pairs.
Tybee beach is fifteen minutes from Savannah -- nice beach with warm water! There's a shuttle that picks up at the visitor's center and some hotels for ten dollars roundtrip.
About eighteen months ago, on the way to Florida, I drove into Savannah looking for laundry to do my washing. Driving past the historic and quaint downtown, several blocks up, I found myself the hinkiest and dinkiest laundromat I've ever seen outside of Syria. The brothers were there to greet me. I guess a white woman and a doggie don't come around too often. The grocery door next door with its bulletproof counter sold the cheapest box of detergent I've ever seen. Well, I wish I could have seen a lot more than the laundry, but I was on limited time. But just twenty minutes driving through the historic housing areas and a little more time in the center of town, from an aesthetic point of view, I recommend. Sweet Savannah! Ring a ding ding, baby.
I'd have to agree that the original poster gives short shrift to Savannah. It's a city by anyone's definition, and although the historic center is relatively compact, it would take more than two hours just to walk around it.
The city is interesting for its carefully laid-out streets interspersed with pleasant squares, many of them with fountains and oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. There are good walking tours just about year-round (I took one in January) and even the corny ghost-tours are worthwhile. There's also an importanct Civil War-era fort nearby (can't remember the name off the top of my head), as well as antebellum manors worth seeing.
Finally, the riverfront teems with life in the evening, with decent restaurants and bars. So it's hard to argue there's "nothing to do."
Savannah certainly isn't a major destination on the scale of New York or Boston, but it's one of the most pleasant places in the Southeast and should be on any travel itinerary for this area.
It does not take two hours to see Savannah! I was there for a whole week and didn't get to do all the things I wanted to. It's so worthwhile to go. I had a fab time and would go again in a heartbeat.
It is the prettiest town I know, and underneath lies a spooky charm flavored with Voodoo and lots of old hauntings. Try a ghost trolley tour (bit cheesy at times, but good for stories). A horse drawn tour was also great -- sit up front and the driver may let you drive! I did two nights and am going back for longer next year! Read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the real Savannah!
I go to the Savannah College of Art and Design and I love Savannah. As far as the city goes, it offers ALL the things that older tourists could hope for (boutique shops, b&bs, parks, resturants). But spend a couple days there and you will find that it also offers plenty of activities for the young (or young at heart) travellers. Almost weekly sports games and festivals are held in Forsyth park, a plethora of bars and clubs, Tybee Beach. Worth a visit to see it first hand regardless of your age. Hint for the younger crowd: hit up Pinky Masters bar for local flavor.
I grew up in Savannah, helped restore River Street, have lived all over the U.S. on business, and I leave Atlanta now every chance I get to enjoy a real city/community that has all the partying for any age and all the shopping, history, and beauty that planet Earth has to offer. If it had a mountain with snow for skiing, there would be no reason to ever leave. Yes, there's some humidity and bugs, but life isn't for wimpy people. Savannah keeps all their firsts (everything from Jingle Bells to The Girl Scouts) on the down-low though, because change is an evil word there. Yes, it has become touristy, but as long as that money pours into keeping the more than three hundred-year-old city clean and repaired I can tolerate it. Just twelve weeks ago I was fishing and shrimping (only an $8 license for the fish and you can use a cast net). While doing so, a sand shark was thrashing around on one side of the boat while gators were lingering a few yards away. Dolphin were breaching and we…
If you're planning to visit Savannah and love food and cooking a visit to 700 Kitchen Cooking School is a must! It's a hands-on cooking school with small classes that's housed in the Mansion on Forsyth Park, a very eclectic and luxurious hotel located across from Forsyth Park in the historic district. My girlfriend and I recently attended a class with Chef Darin and loved it! I wasn't sure I would get into it but I knew my girlfriend would be disappointed if I didn't join her. Chef Darin's passion for cooking and ease of explanation made it very easy to get excited about coming home and mixing it up in the kitchen! I can't wait to go back and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting the city -- classes are about three hours in length and cost $90. It's a great way to meet people from other areas and of course you get to enjoy all the amazing food you prepare in the class!
What a load of rubbish Geordie Racer. Since visiting Savannah, I have found it one of the nicest places I've ever been to. I highly recommend the place. It has a lovely relaxing and laid back way of life. The people are friendly the streets are pretty. I spent a week there and would have stopped there for ever.
Highly recommend.
Savannah is quite old, much older than Atlanta, and very beautiful. Especially in the Historic District, which is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. There are many gorgeous historic homes to visit, four forts (Pulaski and Jackson are the BEST!), a long venue called River Street which is at least 30 years old, full of wonderful restaurants--Savannah is world renown for her Southern cuisine--shopping areas, bars and a sweeping view of the Savannah River. Tybee Island beach is 14 minutes away by car. There are numerous lovely parks and squares, two huge malls for the avid shopper--this is a tourist paradise, whether you are an international traveler or from the US. This city is TOPS on the tourist lists, great food, gorgeous historic sites, biggest cathedral (French Gothic & also historic) in the South East, beach resorts, everything from 6 star hotels to quaint B&Bs -- just GO, you'll LOVE IT!!!
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