4 Days and 3 nights in Savannah for first timers, a couple’s getaway went like this…
Where we stayed…
I booked our first 2 nights through Airbnb, we stayed at The Present, close enough to walk anywhere in Historic Savannah, about 15 mins, but far enough away to have a bit more quiet surroundings. Parking was available right in front of the hotel on the street $1/per hour, FREE parking on Sundays!
Our room was very clean, updated decor, a comfortable bed and a nice bathroom, with a large shower. There was a complimentary coffee bar, a shared balcony close to our room entrance, and a larger shared balcony that had a porch swing. There was also a pretty, shared courtyard to sit outside. Rates for this property were very reasonable.
We made a last minute decision to extend our stay and stayed one more night at The DeSoto, nice hotel and great location, we used the valet parking. When I’m away from home I am all about convenience!! I would stay here again. It’s downtown but away from the chaos and loudness of nightlife.
Things we did,
Entertainment:
• Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos-We went on Sat night, started at 8, we got there at 7:45- off season, no wait. Highly recommend doing this! *Reservations can not be made.
•Haunted Pub Crawl-Ghost City Tours- we had Asa as our Tour Guide, he was very charismatic and entertaining.
•The Downtown Delilahs Burlesque Show at the Mata Hari’s Speakeasy, highly recommend this show it’s an hour long and entertaining, we both really enjoyed it. I participated in the music trivia contest that the emcee did in between acts and won 2 FREE drinks!
•Forsyth Park-a 30 acre park, with the city’s most famous fountain, absolutely beautiful, installed in 1858 modeled after the fountains at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Another must see!
Shopping:
•City Market- pretty typical souvenir shops, this is also where the famous Vinnie Van Go-Go’s pizza shop is, we tried to grab a slice but they were closed. We heard great things about their pizza and will be sure to get it next visit!
•River Street Marketplace-I preferred this shopping area over City Market, picked up a couple unique Christmas gifts, some jewelry, and a shawl. Definitely stop in at Savannah’s Candy Kitchen!! The chocolate is so yummy and we got a gourmet candy apple, ir was the best one I’ve ever personally had, my daughter agreed!
They also have a Christmas store open all year long!
Just Drinks:
•@Common Restaurant- Happy Hour Every Day, on Saturday it was from 3-7pm.
•Churchill’s Rooftop Bar-We sat at the bar and ordered boozey coffees to warm up and they were delicious, texactly what we needed.
•Lulu’s Chocolate Bar, think dessert bar, desserts and alcohol specializing in dessert martinis, my favorite 😍
•Vic’s On The River, we sat at the bar, Xavier was our mixologist, he was friendly, gave us great recommendations and actually was to blame for making us extend our stay by a day 😂 We started off with a boozey coffee and boy did he do it up right…it was very cold during our stay so the boozey coffee was a thing for me in between walking from place to place.
•BaoBab Lounge in the Jw Marriott- a must see, and experience. A celebration of African cultures, the decor is breathtaking. We stopped in for just 1 cocktail. We will definitely stop in again during our next stay.
•Electric Moon Skytop Lounge + Moon Deck – rooftop bar also part of the JW Marriott, great skyline views of the city, 2 slides that take you to a lower playground of cornhole and other yard games/activities.
•Collins Quarter at Forsyth-great pop in after walking the park. Just had a cocktail, a delicious one at that, made with lemonade and Empress gin. The food that kept coming by, looked fantastic, we will definitely go back to eat on our next visit. I appreciated they had some lighter, healthier menu options also.
Speakeasy-
•Mata Hari, a little hard to find, but part of the fun, it’s an underground location, speakeasy, very close to Savannah Smiles. You need a password to get in, the doorman may make an exception if you don’t have it 😉
Very cool vibe, they had a solo performer singing. Very vintage decor, older lamps furniture pieces, loved the ambiance here. Highly recommend, leave time for the burlesque show.
Where we ate:
•Jazz’d Tapas Bar~1 of our favorites! Tapas and fantastic cocktails. Logan was our server, she was very attentive and friendly. We selected this for our first dinner spot, we wanted small bites and drinks. You must order the Peach Bourbon Smash!
•Debi’s Restaurant- we went for brunch, fun fact, this is the restaurant Jenny worked in from a scene in Forest Gump. I ordered the grilled cheese and lobster sandwich. Raj had the Chicken & Waffles with peaches and a peach walnut maple syrup and powdered sugar, delish!
•Treylor Park Hitch-this is the spot for the PB& J wings 🔥🔥🔥 we enjoyed these more than we thought we would! And that chicken pot pie, 🔥⭐️🔥😍
•B Matthew’s Eatery- we went for brunch, I recommend making reservations. I highly recommend this restaurant as a must do as well! The restaurant is a beautiful old house, multi levels, service was incredible, the food and drinks were exceptional. One of the best non traditional eggs benny I’ve ever had!
•The Olde Pink House-this is another MUST! Reservations way in advance highly recommended. We stopped in on Monday night, and put our names in for the downstairs speakeasy bar, they offer full menu service there. We had an hour and 20 minute wait, went to a small Irish Pub around the corner, O’Connell’s Irish Pub, and had another… you guessed it … Irish coffee! This pub, was small, cozy and intimate, we loved it!
The Speakeasy downstairs was lit by candlelight. There was a piano player and the bartenders were friendly and very attentive. Food was incredible! Some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. The ambiance was outstanding! You have to experience this place.
•Little Duck Diner-one word, mac&cheese! The mimosas come with a little rubber ducky, right up my alley because I’m a sucker for presentation!
• Orale Tacos-this is your late night stop, tacos were on point! Late night menu is tacos only, and I wasn’t mad about it, they delivered. Expect the line to be long, but it went quickly, waited less than 10 mins for our order!
•Leopold’s Ice Cream- Known as the best ice cream in Savannah, there will be a line, but it moves fairly quickly!
There is so much to do and see in Savannah. The
city is made up of gorgeous oak trees, well-preserved architecture, with so much history all around. You can take trolley tours, visit museums, and there are also historic cemeteries. Did you know Savannah is known as the most haunted city in America? There is a lot of shopping, fantastic dining options, underground businesses, rooftop bars, and many, many beautifully landscaped parks.
I recommend at least a 3 day visit, everything is walkable and only an $8 Uber ride from place to place(not including tip)if weather is not favorable. I enjoyed the city during the day. Savannah definitely offers a night life, after 10pm it turns into a younger crowd and a bit rowdy for me, lol, I’m just getting old I guess! But I’ve decided when we go back, we will have a 10 o’clock curfew!
Restaurant cuisine is definitely a heavy focus on southern fare with menus focusing heavily on seafood, (oysters), and beef. We are excited to go back and work our way through all of the restaurants, definitely a foodie city for certain. We enjoyed our first visit tremendously and plan a return in the next couple of months. There is a lot of exploring left for us to do