What to do in Savannah GA in 24 hours

When building our two weeks Southern U.S. road trip itinerary from Raleigh, NC to Florida Keys (see related post: Things to do in Raleigh with kids), I was mapping out the best stops on the way South. Savannah GA was a no-brainer: it is famous for amazing historical mansions, gorgeous squares and Southern food. Plus, it is located right next to HW 95 on which we were to drive – no detour necessary.

We had only 1 day in town so what to do in Savannah in 24 hours?

The first item on your list of things to do in Savannah should be a visit to one of the historic houses open for public tours. We decided on Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters. It is a beautiful Antebellum mansion, which once welcomed General Lafayette himself. The house presents to its visitors life on a plantation 200 years ago.

Through exquisite decorations and art work you will learn the stories of incredible riches (the “marble” columns in the grand hall are actually not made of marble but wood painted as marble because it was more expensive to hire a good painter than to order the actual marble columns, and your guests would notice that)

On the other hand, Owens-Thomas House has plenty of artifacts telling the poignant stories of slavery. The guided tour and self-guided experience in the basement offer an excellent educational experience.

The second item on your list of things to do in Savannah in 24 hours should be strolling around historic downtown and seeing as many of its squares as you can. There are no two similar squares, each has its own character. Some have fountains, others have historic monuments.

Ellis Square has shooting fountains for kids to play in.

If you are a fan of “Forest Gump” movie you should definitely stop by Chippewa Square – the site of Forest Gump’s famous bus bench. The bench itself was a movie prop and it is now housed in the Savannah History Museum, which in itself is a true gem with a variety of great exhibits spanning almost 300 years.

If you have time also explore the biggest park in the city – Forsyth Park.

The third item on your list of things to do in Savannah should be a self-guided mini food tour. I am calling it a mini tour because we are talking about 24 hours in town so options are limited to a 3 meals and may be a couple of tea/coffee/dessert/snack stops.

Here are the yummy places to eat in Savannah:

Alligator Soul – the Savannah institution for fancy Southern dinner. To be honest, we were disappointed in this restaurant (compared to a blast we had with southern food in Raleigh, NC): the prices are too high, the portions are too small, everything is spicy even though we asked for mild dishes and not a single dish stood out for us in terms of flavor except, may be, the watermelon gazpacho. Alligator Soul is also very dark and feels gloomy since it is located in the basement. That said, the place was packed and you definitely need to book a table in advance. May be there is something about this restaurant that I don’t get, personally, so I leave it up to you to decide whether or not you’d like to check out this one.

Lulu’s Chocolate Bar – this place offers a unique concept: house made desserts paired with specialty cocktails. We did not try the cocktails but white chocolate and raspberry crème brulee was great. Regardless of the name not all desserts here are chocolate so you would be able to find many options for yourself even if you are not a fan of chocolate.

The Gallery Espresso – gourmet coffee shop that also has a huge selection of specialty teas and light lunch items and desserts in a bohemian atmosphere. Their cheese cake is divine!

Chocolat by Adam Turoni – Adam Turoni takes chocolate lovers to chocolate heaven, if such thing exists. His artisan chocolate creations are a work of art and the store itself is a work of art too. It is designed as an antique library and when you are inside it you have a feeling of being transported to a world of beauty and decadence.

I don’t have breakfast place to recommend in Savannah as we did not go out for breakfast. We stayed at our favorite Hampton Inn which always offers free delicious breakfast (they even up-graded it this summer with freshly squeezed juices and freshly made smoothies).

Speaking about Hampton Inn, there are two of them in historic downtown. Both are beautiful and have quintessential Old South charm (we got lost and arrived to the wrong hotel first, that’s how we were able to explore both ;-)) No matter which Hampton Inn you choose you will be a walking distance from all the attractions in downtown and both hotels come highly reviewed by travelers. Here are some promo codes for you to save on your Hampton Inn in Savannah stay if you decide to follow in our footsteps (Hampton Inn is part of Hilton Portfolio of hotels):

• use promo code LWP on Hilton’s website to save 50% on a Sunday night stay when you book 3 nights weekend getaway.
• you can also save up to 15% if you book in advance on Hilton website.

Booking.com

Things NOT to do in Savannah, GA

I have to be honest with you, Savannah was a bit of a disappointment… There is so much hype about it and we expected a perfect “Southern Belle”, when in reality the town has some issues.

1. Don’t romanticize Savannah and come with high expectations. There are some shady characters in the streets, sometimes they congregate on the benches in those beautiful squares you would want to visit. There is lots of police everywhere and just in one early evening (between 6 and 8 pm) we saw 3 incidents involving police intervention. It is the first town we ever visited that has hotels with locked doors even during day time. You cannot just walk in the hall without a room key. To me this is an indication that the town is not very safe.
2. Don’t forget sunscreen and insect repellent, especially in summer.
3. If you can, don’t travel to Savannah in summer unless you are OK with extremely high heat and humidity.
4. Don’t snooze when crossing the streets or driving. We noticed very aggressive driving patterns in Savannah, more aggressive than in many other places we have visited before in the U.S.

That said, you cannot deny Savannah’s significant role in the history of the U.S. There are few places in the country where every street, square and house has so many stories to tell. I think it is important for kids to visit Savannah for educational purposes, even for just 24 hours.

If you have more than 24 out in Savannah, check out this Long Weekend Savannah itinerary.

If you have some time in Georgia check the following link for some ideas for first time visitors to Atlanta. Kids will especially like to do a scavenger hunt for tiny doors in the city.

If you found this information about what to do in Savannah in 24 hours useful, please do me a little favor and share this information with others, for there’s a good chance that it will help them with their travel plans. 🙂 Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram where I post many more cool photos and videos about our trips than I could include in a blog post, and organize some nice giveaways!

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