Savannah, GA (any advice?)

[Boomer]

I have always wanted to go to Savannah but have not made it yet. We are starting to think about a little roadtrip soon in that direction.

Does anyone out there in TOTVland have any suggestions or advice that they would not mind sharing about what not to miss in Savannah? Restaurants? Tours? Where to stay?

(Of course, I do know that I will have to be very, very careful to know where Mr. Boomer is at all times if we are in Savannah. I have written here on TOTV before about how I know deep in my heart that the only woman he would ever leave me for is Paula Deen. I think she might be around there sometimes so I will have to be so very watchful. Mr. Boomer actually stops what he is doing to stare, hypnotized, at the television if she is on there luring men with all that butter and cream and sugar. But I really want to go to Savannah so I will have to take my chances I guess.)

Anyway, I hope there is some advice out there about that wonderful city. (I think I can handle Paula Deen if the situation presents itself.)

Boomer

[conn8757]

Boomer - I love Savannah and have gone for the weekend several times to meet our relatives that live in N. Ga. Paula sold her restaurant to her sons. It is still a long wait at the restaurant -an hour or two, but you can pick up your beeper and go somewhere for a stroll. drink, or carriage ride. The open bus tour is a must. The river tour was not that interesting to me. The sixteen (I think) squares history is very interesting and the tour guides on the open bus are very chatty southern gossips (my favorite). I take it everytime we go. We get off at an English Pub (can't remember the name, but it is very distinctive) for lunch -then you can get back on for free to complete the tour. They are all like that. If you were a girl scout, the history around Juliette Low's husband is interesting as our the rumours of why Savannah was spared burning during the civil war. My husband is a Georgia Bulldog so he was most interested in which square UGA (the mascot) poops.
We have seen Paula Deen at her brother's restaurant Bubbas. She signed one of my cookbooks there. She is very charming and down to earth in person. They had just gotten off their boat (her hair was windblown, not too much makeup) and she looked wonderful. Bubba's restaurant sits down in the low lands about 20 minutes out of town. We like it a lot. We usually eat at both for the experience. Our absolute favorite restaurant is only open weekdays for lunch, Mrs.Wilkes boarding house. It is the absolute BEST.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60814-d436974-Reviews-Mrs_Wilkes_Boarding_House-Savannah_Georgia.html

We usually stay on the outskirts of the city (one of the other suburbs) because we are cheap. The waterfront (you can get off the tour bus there too)is a fun place to browse the stores. Paula shows some of the stores on her show when she shops specialties for candy/nuts, etc.
You will love it. I want to go back thinking about it.

[clyd709]

I live in the State of Georgia and yes Savannah is a must especially at this time of year. I would sugest that you stat At The Marriot Waterfront and request a room with a balcony that overlooks the river. I think the previous responder covered almost everything. The ony Restaurant I would not go back to is The Pirate House I found it to be a bit of a Tourist Trap [only my opinion] Right now the Dogwoods and And Azalias [ hope I spelled it right} are in full bloom. Be sure to go on the Trolley and visit the Antebellum Mansions the are beautiful and also go into the Old Grave Yard. Hope you have a great time and I think right now you can get some good bargains.:

[OpusX1]

Savannah is a great town to visit. Our Daughter and her family lived in Savannah for 4 years and our Granddaughter, Wilhelmina Savannah, was born there but that was 11 years ago so it has been a while since we have been.
If you like Bed & Breakfasts there are many great B & B's. A good walking town.Walk around the squares and parks if you can.
If you have not read In the Garden of Good and Evil read it before you go. Then when you are there stroll around Forsyth Park.
Make sure to go to the Colonial Park Cemetery and read some tombstones from 1700 & 1800's. Have lunch at The Crystal Beer Parlor. If you like a low country seafood boil go to The Crab Shack on Tybee Island. The River Front is OK but a bit touristy for us. Lots of great food. Explore the little taverns.

[Carla B]

We've been to Savannah a couple times by sailboat (docked at Thunderbolt). I agree with Conn8757. Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House was the absolutely most unforgettable dining experience we ever had while cruising the waterway. She died shortly before we went back there in 2003 and the restaurant was closed. I'm happy to hear it's been reopened.

Import one ocean and some of the small, one-block square of parks that are in Savannah, to TV, and this place would be heaven on earth.

[F16 1UB]

Boomer we loved Savannah. A tour is a must. The last time we were there the tour bus driver jokingly said to come back and see the destruction of the City parking garage. It seemed they'd leased it for 50 years and the lease was up. I just wonder if they knocked it down. As for Paulas sons restaurant, you used to be able to purchase "Tickets" in advance. Yeah the place was packed when we went and we wound up eating at the bar. Order from the menu. Avoid the buffet. And the riverfront - touristy or not is fun. One candy shop has fantastic pralines that makes all their goodies on location. Ahhhh the aroma....

[Boomer]

Oh F-16! Pralines!!! I love pralines and have not had a real one since going to New Orleans in the 80's. I have southern roots on one side of the family. I have never lived in the South but there is something in there I can tell. I loved New Orleans. I loved Memphis. And now Savannah is next on my list.

All the information here is so great. I am thinking about trying to find a Bed and Breakfast like was mentioned here. But I looked some up and do not know where to start. Any advice on a particular one? Or a location to pick or to avoid?

(And, Opus, yes, I read "In the Garden of Good and Evil" and loved the movie, too.)

It sounds like all of you have a soft spot for Savannah. I bet I will, too.

Thank you. And I will be glad to learn more. I will definitely be printing this thread to put with the book I have. I always like information about trips from real people better than from books.

Boomer Belle

[OpusX1]

We have stayed at The kehoe House, http://www.kehoehouse.com/ . More of a Inn than a traditional B & B. It was Very nice. We have also stayed at Forsyth Park Inn, http://www.forsythparkinn.com/. Very nice. Check with the Visitiors Bureau for more choices, http://www.savannahvisit.com/visitors_accommodations.asp?0=3&1=36&k=&x=14&y=9.

[clyd709]

When Dining at Paulas Restaurant I have on different occasions had the Buffet and also ordered from the Menu which I prefer. The Chicken Pot Pie is Deeeeeeeeeeeelicous. But only order one and split it with another person because it is Huge. and comes with all the trimmings Salad,Bread etc. Hope you have a great time in Savannah

[katezbox]

Oh F-16! Pralines!!! I love pralines and have not had a real one since going to New Orleans in the 80's. I have southern roots on one side of the family. I have never lived in the South but there is something in there I can tell. I loved New Orleans. I loved Memphis. And now Savannah is next on my list.

All the information here is so great. I am thinking about trying to find a Bed and Breakfast like was mentioned here. But I looked some up and do not know where to start. Any advice on a particular one? Or a location to pick or to avoid?

(And, Opus, yes, I read "In the Garden of Good and Evil" and loved the movie, too.)

It sounds like all of you have a soft spot for Savannah. I bet I will, too.

Thank you. And I will be glad to learn more. I will definitely be printing this thread to put with the book I have. I always like information about trips from real people better than from books.

Boomer Belle

Boomer,

I, too, think I must have Southern roots. Loved Savannah! We weer their last year for my daughters' bachelorette (yes, old mum came along). One restaurant I really like is The Pink House. It is on one of the squares and is set in an old Savannah home. We also took a walking tour with a guide named Bobby (?) - if you PM me that you are interested, I will find out his contact info for you.

Any time walking around the squares is just the best/ I would also go to the Telfair Museum. The "bird girl" statue from Midnight... is now there and thy have a beautiful collection of art from the Low Country.

We stayed at the Hyatt (good location, low charm), but have also stayed at an inn with my hubby a few years back - liked that better. We also did a nighttime ghost tour - it was a blast!

Kate

(PS after reading your humorous, insightful posts - I'm sure you are in no danger from Paula):pepper2:

[Boomer]

You are all wonderful to share this information with me. I am supposed to be getting tax stuff together for our accountant, Eeyore, but instead, I have been sitting here this evening mesmerized with these links you are posting. I think it is going to be a B&B. Wow! But which one? I cannot stop looking at those websites.

And I love tours. I think a good tour guide is well worth the cost. (Kate, if you run across that information about your tour guide, Bobby, I would be happy to have it.)

Also Kate, thank you for thinking that I have nothing to fear from Paula Deen, but I'll tell you what, I sure know that I had better be careful. That steel magnolia definitely knows the way to a man's heart, but it's sure not through his arteries. I am not kidding when I say that Mr. Boomer stops what he is doing to watch her cook if she happens to be on television when he is around. He stares slack-jawed and glassy-eyed. I swear he does. She hypnotizes him. As far as I know though, he does not TiVo her show...... Actually......maybe I had better check to make sure.

Boomer

[katezbox]

Hi Boomer,

The best tour guide ever is Bobby Davis and his website is www.exploresavannah.com. His email address are on the site.

Kate

[ptownrob]

You might also want to take a side trip coming home, or going up, to Jekyll Island- a wonderfully preserved Victorian resort on a barrier island, not far off of 95 at Brunswick. There are reasonable but smaller modern hotels on the oceanside with beautiful beaches & surf. On the leeward side is the entire village, including a Victorian hotel.

We enjoyed an afternoon there.

[barbjim]

You are all wonderful to share this information with me. I am supposed to be getting tax stuff together for our accountant, Eeyore, but instead, I have been sitting here this evening mesmerized with these links you are posting. I think it is going to be a B&B. Wow! But which one? I cannot stop looking at those websites.

And I love tours. I think a good tour guide is well worth the cost. (Kate, if you run across that information about your tour guide, Bobby, I would be happy to have it.)

Also Kate, thank you for thinking that I have nothing to fear from Paula Deen, but I'll tell you what, I sure know that I had better be careful. That steel magnolia definitely knows the way to a man's heart, but it's sure not through his arteries. I am not kidding when I say that Mr. Boomer stops what he is doing to watch her cook if she happens to be on television when he is around. He stares slack-jawed and glassy-eyed. I swear he does. She hypnotizes him. As far as I know though, he does not TiVo her show...... Actually......maybe I had better check to make sure.

Boomer
I just got back from spending Saint Patricks Day in Savannah Georgia, it was a sea of green for days, I also recommend a tour of some of the historic sites. We had dinner in the basement tavern of the "Old Pink House". There is an upstairs, but downstairs is a bar and tables to dine. I had by far the best fried porkchop I ever had, I would put it up against Paula Deen any day. River Street if really full of young folks and college students trying to outdrink each other, it is a fun place to walk through and see the sites, but I preferred the tours. You can go on a trolley or go to individual houses, etc. We had a great time and stayed in the Historic District. Real friendly folks.

[Boomer]

This is wonderful first-hand information. Exactly what I was looking for. We are hoping to get there in May or June. Thank you.

Boomer

[eremite06]

We will be visiting Savannah next month. Anyone have more first hand experiences and recommendations?

[ajdeck]

I have always wanted to go to Savannah but have not made it yet. We are starting to think about a little roadtrip soon in that direction.

Does anyone out there in TOTVland have any suggestions or advice that they would not mind sharing about what not to miss in Savannah? Restaurants? Tours? Where to stay?

(Of course, I do know that I will have to be very, very careful to know where Mr. Boomer is at all times if we are in Savannah. I have written here on TOTV before about how I know deep in my heart that the only woman he would ever leave me for is Paula Deen. I think she might be around there sometimes so I will have to be so very watchful. Mr. Boomer actually stops what he is doing to stare, hypnotized, at the television if she is on there luring men with all that butter and cream and sugar. But I really want to go to Savannah so I will have to take my chances I guess.)

Anyway, I hope there is some advice out there about that wonderful city. (I think I can handle Paula Deen if the situation presents itself.)

Boomer



All I can say is go to the Piano Bar, our group had a great time. Everything is great, good place to visit.

BUT, we had 40 people from our park go and only two couples had anything good to say about Paul's sons restruant. It was the worse thing of our trip and the only bad thing.

I see most other seem to have had good things to say but you won't here it from anyone in this park. Also, we have told most everyone we would never go back again including the manager that night.

Everyone's food was cold, two couples did do the buffet and said it was ok but not read hot.

Just this groups opinion, and no we all did not go together so it was not a big group to be served but we all did go on the same night. Reason is we all went our own way during the day so our timing was different.
aj

[bxmt54]

We were down to Savannah the last weekend in February and stayed at The Amethyst Inn at Sarah's Garden and was really disappointed in it. It had pretty much rave reviews on TripAdvisor but compared to a lot of other places we'd stayed it was kind of run down and breakfast was nothing to write home about - IMO. Granted we had one of the smaller rooms but it was REALLY tiny!

We didn't eat at Paula Deen's for dinner but we did have dessert there after walking around the riverfront. I had the pecan pie and it was DE-licious - I'd recommend it wholeheartedly. We ate at Tubby's Tankhouse on the riverfront. It's upstairs and you can sit outside and enjoy the nice view of the river and the convention center.

I'd definitely recommend taking one of the trolley tours. The one we took was 90 minutes long and once you finished the tour you were able to get off and wander around and then go to one of the trolley stops and they would take you to another one of their stops or back to your hotel/inn. That was nice - didn't have to deal with driving at all.