Savannah, Georgia
Destination: Savannah, Georgia
submitted by - Karol Blink Bursch Travel Rochester
We stayed at the Fairfield by Marriott. It was very convenient location off I-95. Tour pickup was available at the hotel. A short distance from the well known restaurant The Shell House, a Crab and Shrimp place. If you were flying into this city, I would suggest the Marriott Riverfront or the Hyatt Regency also on the river. These are centrally located and within walking distance to many places to sightsee, etc.
Savannah is one of the best preserved historical cities in the US. It was originally a colony started by James Oglethorpe for people in Europe that were in debt and destined to be jailed. This was their other option. Savannah was the first completely planned community of 24 city squares around which neighborhoods were built. Twenty two of these exist today with most of the original buildings from as far back as the 1700's. These charming city squares are surrounded by extraordinary architecture and gardens. Do you recall the Forrest Gump bench? These scenes were filmed at Madison Square where the white church tower showed the drifting feather. Also, the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was filmed in Savannah, maybe because the city has the reputation for the most haunted in America.
This is the home of Paula Dean and Boys. Needless to say, most people want to have lunch at this famous place. Tell your Trolley driver…and they may be willing to make an extra stop so you get your reservation early on. We stopped at 11:30 and were told it would be 2:30. Since it is more about hype than food we opted for another place. BBQ is big in Georgia and two very good choices are Johnny Harris and Blu-smoke.
I think people that are interested in learning about historic America will love this city
We loved taking the Old Town Trolley Tour, All-day On and Off. They make 15 stops around the city and another trolley comes along about every 10-15 minutes. We had a blast going around from 9-5. There are night tours called Ghosts & Gravestones, but they were fully booked. We also took a drive out to Tybee Island. What an unusual place it is. A real throw back to an uncomplicated early life style. Take a look at the internet site for Mermaid Cottages and you will get a sense of what I am talking about. We were in Savannah during a slow time of year. I am sure it would be a good idea to have tickets for tours in advance if visiting at a busier time.