At the beginning of the summer, our family took a week-long trip to Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia. While we were out and about, I gathered a list of a few of my favorite things to do in Savannah.
I’ve been to Savannah before with my mom for a long Mother’s Day weekend. We had a blast, but 2 grownups travel way different from 10 adults and 2 toddlers. So, be prepared, but my 19 Travel Tips and Treasures around Savannah comes with a slant towards avoiding the heat and lugging along a toddler or two.
Savannah is the perfect couples getaway weekend, girlfriends trip, business meeting spot, or just a long weekend visit – Spring and fall are the best times to visit when the crowds are lower and the weather makes you want to stroll around and shop, eat, walk, and play all day!
Also, here’s our menu and grocery plan for the week at the beach. We tried to keep our costs down and stay a little healthy with a few fun family snacks thrown in the mix.
19 of my Favorite Things to do in Savannah, GA and Tybee Island
- Factor’s Way – I don’t really know why this area fascinates me, but this series of bridges tell a story. It is on these bridges that the “Factors” or negotiators would walk back and forth between the buyers and the sellers. It’s like a visual representation of the New York Stock Exchange, but in the South, Cotton was king and outside of a few other cash crops like tobacco, These guys had their hands full negotiating, buying and storing to sell to merchants arriving in the Savannah River.
- Washington’s Guns – It was a big surprise to me, but this town has seen a lot of military exchange. These cannons, or “guns” as they are referred to, were captured from the British during the Battle of Yorktown and George Washington himself gifted them to the Chatham Artillery who protects Savannah.
- Cotton Exchange – at one point this cotton exchange building and the team there set the price for cotton around the world. Georgia is known for its plantation lands and while it’s a hard past, it is a piece of their history. But, you’ll have to come visit to find out how surprisingly anti-slavery they were over the years. But, right here on the river was the center of the cotton industry for many years. And the lion out front is said to guard the traders.
- Savannah Candy Kitchen – in the middle of the City Market is this 2 bay store. As you walk in you are offered a sample of homemade pralines being stirred and poured right in front of you. A fudge center is also inside this store along with a popcorn coating by hand. The original store on River Street is now a warehouse where cakes, candies and other confectioners are made. It smells just like sitting at the counter in your grandma’s kitchen at Christmas.
- B&D Burgers – when and I visited several years ago, we made this stop on a foodie tour. We enjoyed our alligator bites so much we went back later for a burger and I’m pretty sure I put jam and goat cheese on a burger. It was a perfect stop for our family this trip. Inside what appears to be an old warehouse, it has a great inside bar and burger feel and then an outside patio where you can play yard games and enjoy live music from time to time. I recommend the Wormsloe burger with a fried green tomato and pimento cheese. I love that my husband knew my order before I did, just from reading the menu.
- Chu’s Department Store | Tybee Island – This place has such a fun story. Mr. Chu came over a representative of China to the Chicago World’s Fair and stayed. He opened this department store that really does have everything. Like you could wait until you got to the beach to buy anything you need…just a thought. We hit it up for all the random things we forgot, like bath soap.
- Splash Pad at Ellis Square – this square was once a big parking garage and then the city took over it and now its a square again. But, they put a water splash pad in when they replaced it and it’s such a fun place for kids to play.
- Charleston Shoe Company – this was a fun surprise and discovery in City Market area. I’ve never seen these shoes before but I was smitten. Frankly, I just discovered 2 pairs of shoes in my closet that are very similar. But, their shoes looked super comfortable while still being super stylish. Definitely a summer, casual shoe.
- Zunzi’s Sandwiches – the South African inspired menu has all the locals and bus drivers talking. They were voted one of the best sandwiches in all 50 states. Its a neighborhood sandwich hut where you want to stop.
- Savannah Bee Company – The main office and showroom are on Wilmington Island where you can tour the beehive boxes in your own beekeeper hat, but on Broughton St. in downtown Savannah, you can escape the heat and sample the honey or miel. They also have a fun little play area for littles. It was a perfect stop with Little Man to let him out of the stroller to move about for a little bit.
- Old Fort Jackson – we went for the cannon firing because I’m a nerd like that. But we got a whole lot more – medicine lecture, checkers game in soldier’s quarters, interesting view of life at Fort Jackson and the history surrounding this place and its usage as a fortress for Savannah military. It was interesting for adults, but I’d probably hold off if you are wrangling a little kid. But, they do have a big canopy that marks the outline of the old barracks so it does provide a nice shaded area. Once it went off, the cannon firing was cool.
- Great Harvest Bread Co. – this was a Yelp find, but I”m so glad we found it. I might even suggest getting a kids meal if you are a grown up. I had the half soup/ half sandwich meal and it was perfect. The ham and brie was just the right kind of vacation food. It is located near Wormsloe Plantation in a neighborhood shopping center. I recommend getting the Dakota Bread. Kids eat free on Wednesday evenings with an adult meal. If I lived close this would be a place we came a couple of times a month or where I would meet friends for lunch.
- Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven Museum – it really is amazing how much military history is on this island. Natural barriers were capitalized upon and used during the American Revolution, War of 1812, Spanish American War, and Civil War – up to WWII. This lighthouse is the tallest of the Georgia lighthouses. You can tour the keepers home and see what life was like for these families, learn a little more about the rising tide phenomenon, and climb the 175 steps to see the view at the top. It’s worth it, but it will test your body a little bit!.
- Paula Deen Store – buy something and take your picture with her. There is a life-sized cut out between the store and the Lady and Sons Restaurant. Definitely a historical landmark stop.
- Mabel’s Cupcakes – right on Ellis Square. I remember my mom and I ducked in here for an afternoon treat and one to go for later that day. Simply good cupcakes.
- Coco’s Sunset Grille – they bring in shrimp caught daily to their piers and serve in their restaurant. Or, you can go out on a fishing excursion and they will cook your catch along with friends and hushpuppies for $9.99.
- Dolphin Mike’s Tours – while they can’t guarantee that you will see a dolphin, they will surely chase them and help you seek and up-close view. This was my favorite thing on our whole trip. The wind in your hair over the ocean and we saw nearly 30 dolphins. It was so cool.
- Peaches at Scuba Steve’s market – they also sell wild-caught shrimp as well. This stop is right on the edge of Tybee Island and Savannah where you turn off onto Wilmington Island. We didn’t see them every time we drove by so when we did, we bought a bushel. I mean how can you have fruit at breakfast without a Georgia peach?!?!?
- Savannah/ Hilton Head airport amenities – Starbucks is set up for mobile order, which is nice because there was always a line and I ordered while we were sitting at lunch so I could have a treat while we waited at our gate. Their bathrooms are large and have a great changing table area. They have a nursing room at Gate 12 for mamas. They serve Leopold’s Ice Cream in multiple places in case you didn’t get enough on your trip. And, the atrium when you walk in usually has a person playing live music. If I had been here by myself, I would have gone and picked up my Starbucks order and sat in the atrium with the music playing and a good book.
Savannah really is a full taste of the south. The hospitality is in full bloom, the flavors are deep, the walking in breezy but if you get there too late in the summer, it gets hot. We had a weirdly hot time of year because of some weather patterns, but Spring and Fall are great times to visit and take it all in.
Have you been to Savannah? What were your favorite things to do? Did you discover any treasures that I missed?
