Summer vacation is alive and well again! We spent 5 days in Savannah, Georgia and it was HOT, but fun and relaxing! Planning a family vacation is a serious job for me. I want to make sure that I know enough about the town I’m visiting, but still view it like a tourist. So research is key! I spend hours prior to vacations searching blogs and websites to plan things out. Today I’m sharing my research in my Savannah Travel Guide.
Savannah Travel Guide
Where to Stay in Savannah
There are plenty of hotels at every price range in Savannah, so you can find something to fit your needs. I personally pick hotels based on the actual hotel, then the area in which it’s located. Call me a hotel snob, but I want to stay in a nice place and require a glass shower door. Yes it’s a crazy requirement, but I HATE shower curtains. We also focused our search on Marriott Properties as we are trying to gain status with a hotel brand right now.
Perry Lane Hotel
We stayed at the Perry Lane Hotel at and I LOVED IT! It’s a Marriott Luxury Collection Property and the cutest boutique hotel I’ve stayed at in a while. They have several room options to pick from. We booked a double queen room as it was the standard room that allowed a crib. If you are traveling with kids make sure the room you are booking will allow a crib. Some of the rooms at this property don’t allow a crib.
The room itself was super clean, had great decor, an amazing bathroom (with a glass shower door) and a small sitting area. There was plenty of storage and hanging space in the room too. The room functioned well for us as we spent a good amount of time in the room with a toddler.
The property also offers several restaurants and bars including The Emporium Kitchen & Wine Market, The Wayward Bar, and The Peregrin Rooftop Bar and Pool. It also offers complimentary coffee and tea in the morning and a champagne reception every afternoon and evening. And you can get as many glasses as you like 🙂
JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District
While we didn’t stay at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, we spent a lot of time here. I can’t speak to the hotel rooms, but the property is fabulous. The grounds are beautiful and it offers so many restaurants, bars and live music options. It’s a great place for families to take in the river, eat and let the kids run around and play. The only drawback of this property is there is no pool, but they have a small fountain kids can run in.
Where To Eat
There are plenty of options for eating in Savannah, but you need a reservation. It’s hard to walk in and get seated right away at a restaurant. Plan ahead and make a few reservations, you can always cancel them.
Here are a few restaurants we like. All worked well with a toddler too!
We didn’t eat at these restaurants, but I found them through my research and they looked pretty good to include in this Savannah Travel Guide.
What To Do in Savannah
Savannah is known for its historic landscape, southern charm and haunted grounds. I personally saw no ghosts when I was there, but did see a ton of trolleys, tour buses, and walking ghost tours. Did you also know that Savannah is an open container town, meaning you can walk around with alcoholic drinks. Crazy concept for this Chicago gal, but it worked in that town. Here are a few things to do in my Savannah Travel Guide.
Visit the Squares
Savannah has 22 historic squares located across one square mile of the downtown area. Each square is unique and offers a sitting area, beautiful scenery and statues. Chippewa Square might be one of the most famous, it was where Forest Gump was filmed.
Guided Tours
We didn’t do any guided tours, but the town was hoping with them. They have something for everyone in Savannah and you can find all the tours here. I personally would do a nighttime ghost tour.
Forsyth Park
This is Savannah’s oldest and large public park and the most beautiful. This park has a restaurant, playground, splash pad and fountain. We spent a lot of time here and it’s great for kids. It reminded me of a smaller version of Boston Commons. The trees were absolutely stunning.
City Market
You can find galleries, restaurants and small shops in City Market. It’s about two blocks long and is for pedestrians only. It’s nice to roam freely in the street. You can probably spend an hour here on your way to River Street.
Jones Street
If you want to see some classic southern houses head over to Jones Street. The houses are beautiful and the doors are even better. Each home is uniquely decorated and adorned with fresh flowers and plants.
River Street
This is where we found the most crowds toward the end of the week. The street is adorned with small shops, local restaurants and plenty of souvenir stores. The main draw is the Savannah River, where you can see giant ships passing through with their cargo. Getting down to River Street is a little hard. Be prepared to walk down super steep stairs or a cobblestone path. The JW Marriot is also down in this area and really enhanced the area.
Leopold’s Ice Cream
Leopold’s Ice Cream is famous in Savannah and the line at the shop is outrageous and long. People go wild about this ice cream. I’ll be honest though I wasn’t that impressed with the ice cream. So you are going to have to judge it for yourself.
Broughton Street
The main shopping district in Savannah is Broughton Street. There are little local stores and large retail stories. You can probably spend an hour or two max on this street depending on how many stores you go into.
Byrd’s Cookies
Now Byrd’s cookies are something I can provide my seal of approval on. These cookies are small and so good! My favorites are the chocolate chip cookies and shortbread.
And that wraps up my Savannah Travel Guide!
Travel is back in fashion again! Check out these travel guides for more exciting places to visit. And don’t forget to get the perfect travel bag for your trip.
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