[Jdmiata]

Anyone know of a really good hotel in the historic section ? Are there any tours of the city ? Things to do and see ?
Thanks.

[Rapscallion St Croix]

Originally Posted by Jdmiata

Anyone know of a really good hotel in the historic section ? Are there any tours of the city ? Things to do and see ?
Thanks.

We like the Marshall House.

[KayakerNC]

Personally, I'd go with the Hyatt Regency Savannah. Right on the river, close to all the river shops and attractions. Be sure to stop at the Visitor Center and pick up tickets for at least 2 days on the trolley tours.
Definitely dine at the Lady & Sons. The buffet is a bargain..and it is delicious.
If you don't have a tape/CD of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, get one, you'll enjoy revisiting some of the squares and historical buildings.
Great place to visit, have fun!

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by KayakerNC

Personally, I'd go with the Hyatt Regency Savannah. Right on the river, close to all the river shops and attractions. Be sure to stop at the Visitor Center and pick up tickets for at least 2 days on the trolley tours.
Definitely dine at the Lady & Sons. The buffet is a bargain..and it is delicious.
If you don't have a tape/CD of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, get one, you'll enjoy revisiting some of the squares and historical buildings.
Great place to visit, have fun!

To the OP;

Hard to beat the Hyatt Regency for location, but you might also look at the Andaz Savannah (which is also a Hyatt property) for a more 'boutique' feel in the historic area and if you like Paula Dean, you'll like the Lady & Sons.

I would also add The Olde Pink House...as a must dine though.

[Rickg]

Hotel Savannah GA | Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront
Bohemian hotel,

[John_W]

As KayakerNC posted, the Hyatt Regency is as close to the action as you can get. I watched that place get built. It hangs right out over River St., that's the cobblestone street with the tracks running down the middle.



On the right side looking westward toward the hotel is the Savannah River, the dividing line between Georgia and South Carolina. On the left is several blocks of buildings that are 3 stories tall. They were cotton warehouses in the 1800's. They have been converted for commercial use. The bottom floor faces River Street and they are usually bars, restaurants and gift shops. The top floor faces the opposite direction, which is Bay Street and they contain everything from a Flag Shop to Real Estate to Attorneys.

My first job when I got out of the Army in 1972, I was stationed in Savannah at Hunter AAF, was working for Southern Railroad as a switchman. We use to make deliveries to Dixie Sugar Factory which was about 5 miles east of River Street, and that was only way to get there was to bring the train right down that way. Back then there was very little parking. The river started maybe 10' from the tracks, so it was not uncommon for people to park cars all along the tracks and we would to run into the bars looking for the owners of the cars to move. Later in the 70's and 80's they dredged in more land and made parking lots and that took care of the problem.

Savannah has the second largest St. Patrick's Day Celebration in the US. There is usually about 300,000 people downtown in a city of 150,000 on that day, to watch the parade and drink a lot of green beer. I went once and that was enough for me. I almost owned one of those bars on River Street, as it turned out I opened a Record store instead.

An Irish Pub who had great business decided to buy the bar next door to eliminate competition. It turned out to be more hassle and they barely broke even because they didn't invest in any entertainement or food, etc. They listed for $65,000 and I looked at it with an appraiser and offered them $35,000. They didn't own the building, it had lease and there wasn't much good will to buy since they had run the business into the ground. They didn't accept my offer and then 3 weeks later called me back to say they accepted, sorry I already moved on. My plan was to make it a comedy club, as it turned out, the fellow who did buy the place made it a comedy club and I went there many times, he did a great job.

I liked Savannah a lot, probably lived there for 10 years all together in the early 70's and then much of the 80's. Haven't been back very much since then. When I look at maps I can see they it has really grown. When I was in the Army I lived in a trailer out off of Skidaway Drive. There was a bridge next to my trailer park that went to an island but nobody lived there and nobody ever went across. Then in the late 70's and 80's it was developed into Skidaway Island. It a beautiful place with low country type homes and a golf course. It's sort of a mini Hilton Head. In fact when I would travel to Hilton Head back then, there was hardly anything there. Enjoy your trip.

[KayakerNC]

[QUOTE=John_W;1408172]As KayakerNC posted, the Hyatt Regency is as close to the action as you can get. I watched that place get built. It hangs right out over River St., that's the cobblestone street with the tracks running down the middle.



Great picture.
And looking to the right you can see the River Tour Boats. Another fun thing to do.

[KayakerNC]

Savannah's 6 Hottest Rooftop Restaurants & Bars

"SAVANNAH’S 5 HOTTEST ROOFTOP RESTAURANTS"

Looks interesting.

[Jdmiata]

Thank y'all for you input.

[Carl in Tampa]

If it is open, Ft. Pulaski (operated by the National Park Service) is very interesting for those interested in American History in general, or the Civil War in particular.

Built to defend the Savannah River entrance from the ocean , the construction was under the direction of a new West Point graduate named Robert E. Lee. Equipped with cisterns for water, and with grounds for maintaining livestock for food, the fort is surrounded by a moat, and is designed for withstanding a siege.

At the outbreak of the Civil War the fort was seized from U.S. troops and became a Confederate fort.

It probably would have been able to withstand the bombardment of Union armies except for the fact that at the time of the attack on the fort, the Union forces were using rifled cannon for one of the first times. The rifled cannon had a longer accurate range than the defending smooth bore cannon in the fort, so the Union forces simply sat out of range and demolished the forts' defenses.

I recommend visiting the fort. However, the NPS website for the fort says it is temporarily closed due to severe weather conditions. I'm sure you can inquire about it being open just before you go.

Fort Pulaski National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)