The Perfect Weekend Trip to Savannah
Savannah, GA is perfect for a weekend getaway. It is full of charm, rich history, great food and a thriving art scene. See how we spent our weekend in this beautiful Southern city.
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Savannah had been on my list of cities to visit for quite some time. Courtney and I were both fully vaccinated from Covid-19 by May, and I was ready to travel again! Savannah has great weather in May, and I really believe this is the best time of year to visit. The weather was nearly perfect all weekend – not too hot and not a drop of rain.
We left early Friday morning, and were able to spend part of three days exploring all that Savannah has to offer. A long weekend is the perfect amount of time to spend in this beautiful southern city. In this post, I’ll cover everything we did during our trip (and some of the things we didn’t do). Hopefully you’ll feel inspired to make a trip of your own!
Preparing For Your Trip
My approach to trip planning is far from an exact science. Murphy’s Law reigns, especially when on vacation! Even the most perfect plans never pan out. I don’t fight fate to stick to the plan. Vacations can be much more enjoyable when you plot out a happy path, but then keep a big backlog of activities. You can swap them out depending on your mood, hunger, sobriety, or even availability once you get there.
Mapping the City
My first step in trip planning is to do my research and list out everything that I want to do while on the trip. This includes all the restaurants I want to eat at, bars I want to drink at, art galleries, museums and other attractions I am interested in seeing.
With my list, I then map out the locations using Google Maps and save each item to a list. This way, if I ever want to find a restaurant or attraction near me, I just pull up my Google Maps and I can see everything I’ve saved. Creating a new list in Google Maps is pretty easy, but the steps differ depending upon the device you’re using.
- With an iPhone, select the “Saved” menu at the bottom of the app,
- Then “+ New list”,
- Type in the name and description
- Save it
Go back to the “Explore” menu item and use the search bar to look up each item on your list. When you select “Save” you should see your new list as an option.
The end result will look something like this:
If you don’t have time to do your own research, here’s what’s on my Savannah Google Maps List. My list isn’t public, but if you send us a message I will be happy to share it with you :).
Restaurants:
- Vic’s On the River
- Churchill’s
- a.Lure
- Maple Street Biscuit Company – Savannah
- The Olde Pink House
- The Grey
- Leopold’s Ice Cream
- The Collins Quarter
- 700 Drayton Restaurant
- Elizabeth’s on 37th
- North Beach Bar and Grill
- The Sugar Shack
- The Crab Shack
- The Deck Beach Bar and Kitchen
Coffee Shops:
- The Coffee Fox – Broughton St.
- The Grey Market, Savannah
- Blends a Coffee Boutique
- The Gallery Espresso
- Savannah Coffee Roasters
Bars:
Shops:
- 13 Secrets Jewelry Gallery
- City Market
- Signature Gallery of Savannah
- Kobo Gallery
- The Paris Market, Savannah
- Wright Square Vintage & Retro Mall
- The Gift Shoppe by Polka Dots
- Mamie Ruth | M. Liz Jewelry Studios & Boutique
- ShopSCAD Savannah
Hotels:
- The Alida, Savannah, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
- Perry Lane Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Savannah
- The Marshall House
- Mansion on Forsyth Park
Attractions:
Where to Stay
Now that you have everything you want to do mapped out, you have a decent idea of the area you’ll be spending most of your time. You probably have a few hotel options mapped out as well. Savannah has some beautiful historic inns located either on the Riverfront or in the Historic District. The Riverfront and Plant District are closer to more bars and restaurants, but if you want to stay closer to attractions, the Historic District is probably a better bet for you.
Regardless of the neighborhood, there are plenty of options to choose from. Ideally, you should be making your hotel reservations a couple months in advance. Savannah is a pretty big tourist city, so you definitely need to plan ahead. Courtney and I decided at the last minute to make the trip to Savannah. So, with just two weeks to go, we had to balance everything we wanted with what was still available.
We ultimately ended up staying at The Alida in The Plant District. This area near the end of the Riverfront is still a bit “up and coming”. We were able to get a nice hotel room with great amenities at a pretty reasonable price. Some locals told us that it might get a little dangerous at night, but I think those days are long gone. We never felt unsafe walking around in this area. Because of all the bars and restaurants, there were always plenty of other people around.
If you’re looking for something more historic, I recommend The Marshall House. It has a great location and reasonable prices. You may miss out on some of the amenities of a more modern hotel, but Savannah’s history is one of the best things about the city. So, if that’s what you’re looking for I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by The Marshall House.
Making Reservations
Even more challenging than finding a hotel two weeks before arrival, was making dinner reservations. Many of the most popular restaurants were booked months in advance on the weekends. So, if you have your heart set on a few particular restaurants, you definitely shouldn’t wait to reserve your spot.
Most of the restaurants had online booking through OpenTable. If OpenTable said they were full, I tried calling to see if they expected any extra capacity. None I spoke with were able to accommodate us. We even tried to “walk-in” to see if there were any no-shows and were told to expect a 2+ hour wait. For lunch, many places don’t take reservations. You can consider this good or bad… but definitely something you should plan around.
A couple restaurants on my list still had reservations available. We ended up booking dinner at 700 Drayton Restaurant and a.Lure. Read on to hear more about our experiences at both of these restaurants. If time is on your side, I would try booking The Olde Pink House or The Grey.
What to Pack
It’s no secret that Courtney and I pack very differently, so we are going to break down what we each brought with us. You’ll see, even after practice, Courtney is the habitual over packer.
What Courtney Packed
Courtney tries to always use her amazing Cotopaxi bag. This helped keep items wrinkle free and organized for the weekend trip. Savannah is about a 5 hour drive. We left early in the morning, so Courtney chose to wear comfy joggers, a denim shirt, and sneakers. This was the perfect travel outfit with the long drive. The morning we left was chilly, but we knew it would warm up during the day and as we drove south.
Once we arrived in Savannah and checked into our hotel it was a beautiful mid 70’s. Courtney threw on her go-to versatile romper and same sneakers. We planned on a lot of walking the rest of the day. The romper is cute enough to walk around all day and pop into restaurants, bars, and art galleries. It’s also comfortable enough for several miles of walking. Friday evening, we had dinner reservations at 700 Drayton. We knew this would be the nicest restaurant for the weekend. Courtney packed this easy dress and paired with her favorite wedges. They are comfortable enough for several miles of walking. Courtney’s dress was an easy, packable choice that remained wrinkle free, but was not very bra friendly. You may want to use a stick on bra with this dress.
Saturday was a jam packed day full of walking. To be comfortable all day Courtney wore these shorts and white tee. It ended up being a super sunny and beautiful day, so this hat and sunnies came in handy sitting on rooftop bars. Saturday evening we headed to a.Lure and Courtney wore her favorite midi skirt and wedges again. After dinner we attended a walking ghost tour and the wedges held up to a lot of walking again.
Sunday was Tybee Island day. We grabbed a quick breakfast and we were off. Courtney wore her swim suit most of the day covered with this top and jean shorts. A little caution on the cover up, it is one size fits all. Courtney knotted it at her waist to make it work, otherwise it would have been like Grandma’s nightgown.
What Caitlyn Packed
For many trips, all I need is this bag, in black. It has traveled around the world with me and been my go to for a long time. It is the perfect weekender bag or carry on for a longer trip. I keep everything organized with these packing cubes and a small laundry bag. When traveling, I always pack versatile items so I can take the least amount possible and get the most wear out of each piece. I choose a color scheme to stick with so coordinating shoes and accessories is easy.
For Friday, I wore this simple silk slip dress paired with my favorite cashmere sweater. We had a cold start and a long drive. Both of these pieces were comfortable to wear all day and easy to go from casual with sneakers to heels in the evening. Throughout the day, I paired the slip dress with my go to white sneakers. For our dinner at 700 Drayton I wore my favorite heels. Sadly my favorite Joie heels are no longer available, but I have and love these too. I always carry my favorite wallet as my clutch, it too has traveled the world and held up. It keeps everything organized and simple. Mine is no longer sold, but this is the current similar version.
Saturday was a full day, I think we logged more than 8 miles of walking! I wore this midi dress all day, for breakfast, lunch, rooftop bars, dinner, and ghost tour. It was comfortable, cool, and super cute paired with my Birkenstocks, this simple bandana I used for a headband and my sunnies. For dinner I switched to sneakers because we had the walking ghost tour afterwards.
Sunday we tried to fill as much as we could before we had to head home. Our goal was to venture to Bonaventure Cemetery and then check out Tybee Island. I wore this swimsuit most of the day. I love the classic, chic style because it easily pairs with jean shorts, a slip dress, or a simple wrap that could be used as a towel. I did end up wearing this cover up, but truthfully it looked like a big potato sack and wasn’t nearly as cute as I hoped. It had pockets and was comfortable, but wasn’t what I had hoped for. On Sunday, I pretty much only needed a swimsuit and sunglasses to wrap up our perfect weekend in Savannah.
Day 1
We left early Friday morning so that we could make the most of our time in Savannah. It helps that Courtney and I are both early morning people… We were able to get an early check in at our hotel, so we went straight there and dropped off our bags and car. Savannah is really walkable, so we didn’t use the car again until Sunday.
We had a dinner reservation that night, so until then, we wanted to grab a late lunch and explore the city on foot. Our hotel was in The Plant District. We wanted to see the Historic Downtown first, so we made our way through the city stopping to admire all the beautiful squares. I have never seen a city with so many lush green spaces. The squares are so well maintained and make Savannah so beautiful and unique.
We ended up on Oglethorpe Avenue. It is a picturesque, two-way street divided by huge oak trees adorned with Spanish moss hanging from their branches. We couldn’t wait for lunch any longer, so we found a restaurant right on Oglethorpe Ave.
Lunch at The Collins Quarter
Surprisingly, there was only a short wait for The Collins Quarter. We were able to sit outside which was very welcome on a nice day. Everything on the menu looked so good (we were also very hungry)! It was difficult to decide what to order. Courtney decided on a fully loaded avocado toast and I ordered a grain bowl. While we were waiting for our food, we saw several orders of Bananas Foster French Toast come by. So, we had to order a side of French toast. It was the perfect fix to keep us going throughout the afternoon.
After lunch, we walked around a bit more to see some of the classic Savannah buildings and houses. We were interested in one of the house tours offered throughout the city, but they were all sold out for that afternoon. They told us to come back in the morning and get in line for entry. When we arrived the next morning, the line that had already gathered would have us waiting a couple of hours. This is not how we like to spend our vacations if we can avoid it… so we quickly moved on to the next activity.
We stopped for drinks at a couple rooftop bars, one at The Perry Lane Hotel and another at our hotel, The Alida. The Perry Lane Hotel’s rooftop bar, Peregrin, was definitely a scene. If that’s what you’re looking for, it’s a great spot with great drinks. We preferred the rooftop bar at The Alida, The Lost Square. It was less crowded and we had enough space to properly lounge.
Dinner at 700 Drayton Restaurant
We took Uber to and from dinner at 700 Drayton Restaurant. Uber is widely available throughout the city, although this is the only time we opted not to walk. The setup for 700 Drayton Restaurant is like a large house with each room setup with a few tables for diners. Upon arrival, we were quickly sat at our table in one of the rooms. It had a large fireplace and some eclectic art and light fixtures. I think they were trying to juxtapose the modern art against the historic and classical building. It’s a good idea… but I think they may have missed the mark a bit. Some things just felt out of place. But, we weren’t there to admire the art, so let’s get into the menu.
I will admit, I am very critical of restaurants, but even Courtney was disappointed by the dinner at 700 Drayton Restaurant. They have a fixed menu option called “The Savannah Experience”. We were promised a culinary tour of Coastal Georgia Low Country, so we had high hopes! Unfortunately, every dish that came out was the last thing we would have ordered from the menu. Not only were the dishes not our favorite, but they weren’t even executed that well. Needless to say, we won’t be going back on our next trip to Savannah.
Bonus! Drinks at Mata Hari
The one good thing about our dinner at 700 Drayton, was that our server was pretty great. We certainly couldn’t fault him for the sub-par food… We asked him for his local insights on the bar scene and he told us about a secret speakeasy near the river, Mata Hari. There’s no sign and the door is discreet – you wouldn’t think anything of it walking past. You also need a password to gain entrance, which changes daily. We were able to call our hotel to get the password that day and somehow we found the right door!
Once we were inside, the vibe was very low key. There was a singer on a small stage, but the entire bar was very small. We sat down on a couch and noticed a secret door near where we were sitting. One of the servers noticed us peeking into the door and offered to give us a tour of a secret room. This room doubled the size of the bar and was set up just for burlesque shows! There wasn’t one that night, but I imagine it would be a very good time.
Day 2
We didn’t have a chance to explore Forsyth Park on Day 1, so that was the goal for the morning of Day 2. We made our way on foot so that we could see as much of the city as possible along the way. We also wanted some time for shopping and taking in the views at some more rooftop bars before dinner.
Coffee & Forsyth Park
We stopped for coffee and breakfast at The Gallery Espresso on our way to Forsyth Park. This is a very cool and eclectic coffee shop with a mix of antique furniture and plenty of spaces to lounge. They had a lot of dessert options, but not much more than pastries for breakfast. We knew the Farmer’s Market was in the park on Saturday mornings, so we thought we would grab something more substantial there.
Forsyth Park really is picturesque. We stopped for some photos at the signature fountain. We had already noticed there were a lot of dogs being walked throughout the city, particularly in the squares. This was even more obvious at the park! I got the impression that Savannah is a very dog friendly city. It had me missing “little” Leo – I may have to bring him on my next trip back to Savannah!
The Farmer’s Market was at the very end of the park. It wasn’t as big as we were expecting; there were far fewer vendors than I am used to, even at the small town farmer’s market near me. So, we didn’t find anything else to eat and knew it would be an early lunch that day :).
We made our way back to the riverfront, stopping to view some more attractions along the way. At some point we heard loud music playing about a block away and decided to check out the scene. An Indian wedding party had blocked off the street and were singing and dancing to loud music playing from their cars! They were having so much fun, we stopped and watched for a while until they continued to make their way down the street.
Once we reached the Riverfront, we walked along River Street until we found a rooftop bar to get a better view of the river. We ended up at Rocks on the Roof at The Bohemian Hotel. They were very busy, but were able to find a table. Service was pretty slow, but the views and food were pretty good.
Shopping on Broughton & City Market
Broughton Street is in the middle of the Historic District and is lined with shops. Some brand names that you will recognize and some local boutiques. We walked in and out of several shops as we made our way over to City Market.
City Market is a pedestrian only, two block area sandwiched between two public squares. This area is filled with unique art galleries, boutiques and a few bars and restaurants. We found a few things we fell in love with at the shops here. I bought a print from The Signature Gallery of a watercolor painting of the iconic houses on Jones Street in Savannah. All the artists displayed at The Signature Gallery are local and many choose the beautiful city of Savannah as their subject. Courtney found some very cute and comfortable shoes at Charleston Shoe Company, perfect for exploring the city on foot.
Bonus! Jere's Antique Warehouse
As we made our way back to our hotel to get ready for dinner, we noticed an antique store/warehouse, Jere’s Antiques. We had walked past several times, but hadn’t thought too much about. As soon as we walked in, we were amazed by the wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling antiques stacked up throughout the whole building. It’s mostly large furniture and it really was quite amazing to see the Tetris-like game they were playing with the beautiful pieces.
As we made our way through the store, it just kept going! As soon as we thought we reached the end, there was another room, then another, then an upstairs!! Most of the items had price tags which seemed pretty reasonable (I don’t know much about antiques…). But there was one huge desk that caught my eye with a price tag of $30,000! I did ultimately fall in love with another desk at a much more reasonable price. It was a beautiful French piece with gold and green accents. I feel silly thinking this, but if I were a piece of furniture, I’m pretty sure I would be this desk. I don’t need another desk, so I left it behind. But, I think I will dream of that desk forever.
Dinner at a.Lure
After the disappointment of our dinner the previous night, we weren’t quite sure what to expect tonight. So many of the restaurants that came highly recommended were booked up weeks in advance, and a.Lure wasn’t that high on my list. After peeking at the menu, we started to get excited! They describe themselves as “a new approach to traditional southern and seafood favorites”. Yes! This is exactly what we came for.
A.Lure did not disappoint! The food and the service were both pretty amazing. I think it is still fairly new to the scene, which is why it wasn’t yet on all the top lists. We started the meal with some strong drinks, biscuits (of course) and fried crab cakes. The crab cakes were seasoned so well! I’m trying to replicate them at home – I’ll let you know when I perfect the recipe… I ordered the special, which was a full fish and Courtney had the shrimp and grits. Both were great and very different. We had to hurry to catch our ghost tour, so we ordered cocktails to-go, because that’s what you do in Savannah.
Ghost Tour
I was on the fence about doing a ghost tour. Neither Courtney nor I are that fascinated with the paranormal. But once we arrived, we realized that it’s such a big part of the culture in Savannah, we had to do it. We decided on The Beyond Good and Evil tour by Ghost City Tours because it had so many great reviews. Fortunately for us, they still had room available.
I think Courtney was worried that it would be too scary, but it wasn’t at all. I enjoyed it more for the Savannah history lessons than for the ghost stories. There were several mentions of the book-made-movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. We were fascinated by the story… so that night we decided to watch the movie. I definitely encourage you to read the book or watch the movie before you make the trip to Savannah. It will really bring to life some of the characters!
Day 3
We were ready to start our day early on Sunday! There are limited options for breakfast before 10am. We found a great option that opens at 7am everyday, Savannah Coffee Roasters. We walked, but if you would like to save some time and get a head start on your beach day, you could check out of the hotel, pack up the car and drive to breakfast.
Bonaventure Cemetery
We didn’t plan to spend too much time here, but since it’s (sort of) on the way to the beach, we made a stop at Bonaventure Cemetery. You can book a full tour, which I think would be really interesting. The place is HUGE! We were able to walk off our breakfast with a stroll down a pathway that ended at a lake.
Tybee Island & Lunch at The Deck
The drive to Tybee Island took us through some pretty stereotypical Southern Low Country. I think we were there early enough there wasn’t much traffic, but leaving mid-day, we saw a long line of cars arriving.
There are several public parking lots near beach access for which you’ll need to pay by the hour. There is no free public parking; all public spaces on the island are $3.50 per hour. We were able to use a machine that accepted cards and cash, but we also saw many meters that were coins only. So, you may be able to find a more convenient spot at a coin meter if you are prepared.
The weather was pretty great – not a cloud in the sky! We lounged on our Turkish towels for maybe a little over an hour. We read our books, did some yoga and reflected on our weekend until we were ready for lunch.
We decided on The Deck Beach Bar & Kitchen. It was a little difficult to find because it’s tucked behind some condos. There are designated parking spots for The Deck in the garage for the condos, which is free! But it wasn’t obvious that there was parking available. We were seated quickly, without a reservation. The views of the beach were a bit obstructed… This was disappointing, but we were thankful to still be right next to the beach.
If you are looking for a more traditional Southern Low Country feast for your last meal of the trip – check out The Crab Shack. They have a Low Country Boil with options for your party size. Courtney’s husband makes a low country boil for us every year at the beach, and for us it’s become part of the experience. Low country boil is a mix of peel your own shrimp, corn, potatoes and sausage seasoned to perfection. It isn’t fancy or fussy, which makes it so perfect for the beach!
That ends our perfect weekend in Savannah. We were sad to leave, but knew we would be back soon enough. Do you have any tips to share for our next trip? Leave us a comment below!
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