Savannah Georgia
If you’re looking for old-world southern charm, with loads of history, Savannah, Georgia is the place to go. Here are some of my top recommendations there:
THE PIRATES HOUSE
Established in 1753, The Pirate’s House is the oldest standing building in all of Georgia. Originally an inn for seafarers, today, it currently operates as a restaurant. Each room has its own character and stories. Visiting an authentic house of ill-repute may be enough to garner a visit, however, the dining is pretty good too! While they have a full dinner menu, I recommend the lunch buffet, which features many of the same southern traditional foods.
MRS. WILKES’ DINING ROOM
Trust me, not everything I recommend will involve food. However, anywhere you can get all you can eat southern food is a must. Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room is no exception. Historical, delicious, and full of southern hospitality, add in a visit to Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room as one of your things to do in Savannah. Currently only outside dining is available, and is first come first serve.
TROLLEY TOUR
Get off your feet for a little while and see the city with the Old Town Trolley Tour. These tours are a great way to get a ton of history of the city as well as have easy hop on and hop off at any stop. It was on this tour that we learned how British General Oglethorpe established the city in 1733 with his own set of prohibitions (more on that below.)
GHOST TOUR
Come aboard the Trolley of the Doomed to explore the Ghosts & Gravestones tour of Savannah. This tour was a lot of fun, informative, and yes, ghostly. Being a centuries-old city, it’s certainly filled with ghost stories. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, it’s great fun with a surprise at the end. Because of the nature of this tour, I wouldn’t recommend for younger children that are easily scared.
WALK THE WATERFRONT
Simply walking the waterfront can be an enjoyable experience for families with teenagers. We watched giant cargo ships glide through the Savannah River. We explored trinket shops, took pictures with historic markers and statues.
GIRL SCOUT HOUSE
Even if you don’t have a current or former Girl Scout doesn’t mean you should skip the Girl Scout House. The birthplace of founder Juliette Gordon Low is filled with Savannah and Girl Scout history. Plus, its store is the only place you can buy cookies year-round!
FORSYTH PARK AND GARDEN SQUARES
At the center of Savannah lies a great park filled with lots of green space. Additionally, there’s an arboretum filled with a variety of trees. Also, the whole city is filled with block squares filled with greenery, historical statues. It makes Savannah a very walkable and educational city.
CEMETERIES
The cemeteries in Savannah are legendary. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, features some of the Savannah landscape and cemeteries, reading like a suspense novel. In fact, it is a non-fiction book The Bonaventure Cemetery is featured on the cover. Colonial Park Cemetery is home to a few more historical figures and a few ghost stories.
LEOPOLD’S ICE CREAM
We all scream for Ice Cream, right? Leopold’s Ice Cream is a Savannah tradition since 1919. Now run by Stratton Leopold, the youngest son, whose full-time job is a Hollywood producer. Leopold’s is now home to many Hollywood memorabilia, in addition to tasty ice cream. If you’re a fan of Girl Scout Cookies, I recommend the Samoa Sundae!
PROHIBITION MUSEUM
One of the surprising things to do in Savannah is the Prohibition Museum. We were pleasantly pleased with how well done this museum is. Spread over 2 floors, with interactive characters and demonstrations, the Prohibition Museum is chock-full of history, some of which surprised even the adults. A speak-easy is at the end of the tour. Don’t worry, they serve homemade sodas for the minors.
Get your Prohibition Museum Tickets here. Or combine with a Trolley Tour above
I promised I’d let you in on what else Oglethorpe prohibited in the founding of Savannah. On the trolley tour, we learned that General Oglethorpe banned Catholics, lawyers, liquor, and slavery. Unfortunately for him, none of those lasted. But it was a fun fact we learned.
We were pleasantly surprised by how much fun our teens had in Savannah. Would you like us to assist you in booking a trip to Savannah for you and your family. Please reach out to us.
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