Even though I’ve been living in Georgia for 20+ years, I never had the plan to travel down to Savannah. But like they say, you can find happiness in closer areas than you’d think. Savannah was just that — HAPPINESS. Located in the Southeastern region of Georgia (about 4 hours from Atlanta), Savannah is filled with one of the most beautiful architectures, delicious food, and historically important sites. The more we spent time in Savannah, the more the stories began to unfold. Stories of the history, the myths, and sure enough, the ghosts that occupy this classic town.

If you are even slightly thinking about making a trip down to Savannah, this is the sign you’ve been looking for. GO NOW! With the many cities that I’ve had the opportunity to travel to here in the States, Savannah has catapulted to the top of the list–very quickly! As a frequent traveler (pre-COVID), one of my favorite things about traveling was discovering the beauty of each city and let me tell you – SAVANNAH IS THAT CITY!

I have to give credit to COVID-19 for the idea to visit Savannah at a sooner rate than I most likely would have had it not been that I was going stir crazy being in the house. Imagine going from traveling every week to not traveling for months — whew chile! So I looked up places “near me” to travel to by road and BOOM — hello SAVANNAH! It was only about a 4-hour drive from Atlanta so the drive made PERFECT SENSE. I told my husband about it and he was totally down for the trip so it was a GO. With the three-day weekend during Labor Day, it was the perfect time to make the trip down.

In this post, you'll find many helpful tips and things to do to help plan your trip to Savannah, Georgia.

WHEN TO VISIT

While researching online about Savannah, many people considered Spring to be the best time to visit Savannah since the flowers will be blooming and the weather would be manageable, but truly YOU CAN GO ANYTIME OF THE YEAR. If you already live in the South, then you have an idea of what to expect. I do have to mention that if humidity is not your forte, skip the blazing summer months. Having visited in September (Labor Day weekend), I’d highly recommend fall season to be a great time to also visit since the colors on the many trees in Savannah will be changing hues and the weather will be a nice cool breeze. Also keep in mind of holidays being extremely busy (I’ll tell you why later in this post).

HITCH A RIDE OR RENT A CAR?

We drove down to Savannah in a rented car and parked it with the hotel’s valet during our stay. If I tell you how many steps my Apple Watch read to me each day in Savannah–I should have lost about five pounds on this trip (but the EXTREMELY DELICIOUS food in Savannah did not allow for this to happen of course). Be prepared to WALK, WALK, and WALK some more. Ladies, forget the high heels. This is not the trip for that. Savannah is very walkable and there are so many things to see on foot that far outweigh driving around. If you’ll be flying in, the Savannah/Hilton Head International airport is less than 30 minutes from the Historic District so an Uber or Lyft won’t run up a crazy high bill.

PLACES TO STAY

Since the Historic District is where you’ll most likely be staying, I highly recommend staying at an inn or hotel in this area so that you can be close to most, if not all, of the different things to see and do in Savannah, Georgia. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Savannah Historic District which was perfect for all of our ins and outs during our stay. We definitely wore masks in all the public areas (even while walking down the streets). Yes it was hot even in September, but we made it work because you know – “corona.”

IS SAVANNAH A SAFE PLACE TO VISIT?

Staying at the Historic District is your best bet! We felt very safe throughout and didn’t have any fears in us about our surroundings. Mind you now, you should always be ALERT at all times. We had our ghost tour scheduled at 11pm and I felt safe throughout the 1.5 hour long tour walking around the city (with a very large group of close 40 people). Please do keep in mind that no matter where you are traveling to, you need to take precautionary methods at all times and exercise safety. I can’t tell you a city is safe or not based on my experiences because your experience may be different. I can only advise that you stay alert and practice safe traveling methods.

THINGS TO DO IN SAVANNAH

EAT LIKE CALORIES AREN'T A THING

I kid you not, literally EVERYTHING we ate in Savannah was AMAZING! Ask my husband and he’ll rave on and on about the delicious meals we ate. Have you ever been somewhere and the food was just mediocre? Well not in Savannah, honey! This is another reason to come dressed in comfortable clothes because bellies will be stretched! I mean my goodness, EVERYTHING WE ATE WAS PERFECT! To top it off, the price points of each meal was reasonable. If you’re a foodie like myself, go ahead and put Savannah on the must-taste list! Don’t worry about the calories, because you’ll be walking it off all day as you stroll through the many squares of Savannah.

Here are the restaurants we tried and recommend in Savannah:

The Collins Quarter: This was my favorite restaurant of all simply because of the details in design and the overall vibe of the restaurant. They have two locations: one in Forsyth Park and the other in downtown Savannah. We visited the one in downtown Savannah on Bull Street. Upon arrival, the line was literally out of the door! We knew we wanted to taste the hype and went ahead and placed our names on the 1-hour wait list and boy was it WORTH IT! It’s located right next to Chippewa Square so we strolled around and relaxed while we waited. Take a look at their website and you’ll see why many people are in line for this delicious spot. From the tile flooring, the little real flowers on the tables, to the eclectic vibes you get when you’re indoors, I already know that your phone will be on snap mode for the gram. I ordered the Short Rib Hash while Akin ordered the english breakfast which they call Leo’s Big Breakfast. When I tell you that not only is their presentation SPOT ON, but their food is damn good too! Don’t forget to order their Spiced Lavender Mocha! It had the right amount of lavender without being overpowering.

The Cotton Exchange: This restaurant is not so cool in terms of the vibe when you enter, but it’s worth sitting down to eat for sure. Once again, because it was Labor Day weekend in Savannah, the wait was more than 30 minutes. It’s an older restaurant located right on the famous River Street with it’s old-town vibe. The meals were delicious and huge portions. I’d also recommend the Georgia Peach Sangria!

Huey’s: This restaurant stole my heart when I saw Beignets on the menu! I mean come on!!! Who would have thought that my love of New Orleans beignets will meet me again in Savannah?! And I’m here for it. OK aside from the warm beignets, we were actually light on the meals at Huey’s because we were still full from brunch! We ordered their delicious French Onion soup, tasty mild wings, and their barbeque shrimp. For drinks, we got the Malibu Bay Breeze and Akin’s classic Old Fashioned. Oh and let me not forget the DELICIOUS cornbread they gave us as a complimentary token.

Leopold’s Ice Cream: MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS! If you think you’ve had homemade ice cream before trying Leopold’s –think again! It’s iconic for a reason and so worth the wait! I felt like it was the year 1950 on a hot summer day and I should have roller-skated down to the shop. With so many flavorful options to fit your buds, I went with the caramel swirl and yes, it was everything I had imagined and more! Definitely add this ice cream shop to your itinerary for Savannah! It is 100% worth the wait! Also quick tip: if you’re not into waiting in line, you can place a to-go order and be in and out within minutes! You can even order a pint online and have it shipped to your door. Don’t tempt me, Berta!

There are so many other restaurants you can choose from and have a bite of the richness of Savannahian food. We could only fit so much in our bellies during this two and a half days trip, but let me tell you. If I could have tasted a little of this and a little of that from each restaurant, I would have traveled to heaven and back. Honorable mentions that were on my bucket list include the Olde Pink House, Treylor Park, and Mrs. Wilkes’s Dining Room. The reviews online frequently include these when in search of the best places to eat in Savannah — so hey – if you have the time, make the time to try them out!

WALK THROUGH THE STREETS OF SAVANNAH

Pics or it didn’t happen, right? Trust and believe that even if you are not a photo-opportunist, you will find at least one thing that intrigues you while on this trip. I had previously never been to a city where I found myself wanting to snap literally everything I could and that’s simply because it was BEAUTIFUL and unique to the city. There isn’t a “perfect” road map on where to start and end in Savannah. You make your own route in the Historic District which adds to the adventure of figuring out which street to walk through next. There’s always something to see on most streets in Savannah along with all 22 squares located throughout the city.

Here are places to see as you walk the Historic District:

Forsyth Park
Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist
City Market
Jones Street
Telfair Museums
Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters
Mercer Williams House
Juliette Gordon Low (creator of Girl Scouts of America)
Sorrel-Weed House
RIVER STREET

There are a plethora of other sites to see in the Historic District so it’s best to organize your trip in a way that allows you to walk by a majority of the historic buildings. With the many colorful houses, haunted buildings, and ghosts lingering around the city, you’ll want to be sure to carry your camera around in case you spot something intriguing.

ENCOUNTER GHOSTS IN SAVANNAH

Get ready to be spooked! You can’t leave Savannah without hearing about one or two ghosts that are roaming the streets of the city and the many cemeteries around town. We took the Ghost City Tour called Dead of the Night that started at 11pm and finished around 1am and let me say my feet were TIRED! At this point, my Apple Watch had reset into the new day. Akin was also done at this point but I’m thankful he pulled through the night seeing that it was something I definitely wanted to do! Shoutout to Jackie, our tour guide, who did an amazing job with the stories.

RIVER STREET IS YOUR FRIEND

No matter what you do in Savannah, please make sure you add River Street to your plans — seriously, walk the entire strip. We started at the J.W. Marriott hotel which had more of the modern-type architecture. New buildings with contemporary styles. The Starbucks there is unlike any other I’ve seen in Atlanta. When you continue walking down the strip, you’ll get into the more older buildings that reminded me of what I envision Germany to look like (I’ve never been so take that with a grain of salt). The cobblestone streets, along with the narrow alleyways, and very steep stairways (remember when I said no high heels?)!

There are many restaurants and shops on River Street so be sure to stop and take it all in. The Cotton Exchange is located right here on River Street. As a girl who loves sweets, I made sure to stop along the riverfront at River Street Sweets. The smell lures you in and the pralines, yes PRALINES, are the best I’ve ever had. They give you samples too before you buy! Let’s not forget the ice-cream, classic candies, popcorn, and pecans they also have in store for you! What calories?? Best time to go down to River Street is right before sunset so that you can catch the beautiful sunset and watch as the hues cover the buildings and ships on the river. Such a wonderful sight to see!

PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY NICE IN SAVANNAH

Taking a moment to say that most of everyone we encountered in Savannah was nice and friendly. I recall the rainy evening we were met with pouring rain after dinner at the Cotton Exchange on River Street. I’m talking about heavy rain that came down quickly and with a vengeance. We definitely did not want to walk the 1.5 mile distance back to our hotel that night, so we called for an Uber. While waiting, a man in a car next to us came down and offered us his umbrella to use while we waited for our ride. How NICE IS THAT?! May God bless this kind man. When our Uber took longer than expected, he told us to keep the umbrella and he was on his way with his family. I don’t think I had ever come across such great act of kindness before. Moments like these remind us that humanity outweighs the color of our skin. Let’s continue to spread positivity and help others when we have the chance.

TYBEE ISLAND FOR THE WIN

With Tybee Island being the closest beach to Savannah (about 17 miles), it made perfect sense to visit and have a beach day — one we don’t get too often living in the middle of Georgia. We packed up our suitcases and headed to the beach. Mind you now, the rain was going to hit soon as we looked at the clouds, but we decided to still enjoy the 1-hour we had before it started pouring. I loved that every family group practiced social distancing. Akin and I soaked up the sun for some time and entered the warm waters before heading back home.

WOULD I RECOMMEND SAVANNAH?

YES! In a heartbeat. It’s definitely a unique city that has a lot to offer. Two days was enough for us, but the next time I go, I’ll most likely make it a three-day trip since there were some places we didn’t have time to see. Remember to wear comfortable clothes and shoes throughout the trip. The trip to Savannah has been the highlight trip for me this year and it came at the right time. It felt like summer for the first time (considering we had been in lockdown for most of the summer months). Take the trip to Savannah and let me know what you think about it!