A Trip to the Hostess City of the South
Updated: Aug 23, 2021
Hello friends, and welcome back to my new blog and website. You will find that I absolutely love to travel, and I would like to share some of the itineraries I put together.
I planned to visit historic cities up the eastern coast of the United States. I was initially going to start in my home state of Florida by visiting St. Augustine first. Unfortunately, COVID quarantined my travel plans. I ended up canceling my trip to St. Augustine twice.
After that, I decided to start with a city I have visited several times. Suppose you are looking for the southern charm that takes you back in time to cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and examples of architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries. In that case, you should add this city to the top of your list. It was a city so beautiful with its lovely green squares and mossed covered oaks that during the legendary “March to the Sea,” it was spared by General Sherman and given to President Lincoln as a Christmas present.
Have you guessed what my favorite city to visit is? If you figured out it was Savannah, you are correct!
Be sure to click on links for the complete itineraries for each day.
One of my absolute favorite things to do is travel. Maybe it is because when I was younger, I did not have the opportunity to do so. Now I seem to be trying to make up for the lost time. As much as I love to visit all the different destinations, planning the trips is just as fun.
I start by making a list of things to do in the city. A good starting point is the TripAdvisor website. I like to read reviews and see what other visitors have to say. I organize by putting all the popular things to do on post-it notes. That allows me to arrange and build my itinerary for each day. I will sometimes add some restaurants that I want to try, but most of the time, I pick places as I follow my itinerary for the day.
Day 1 Itinerary
A great way to get familiar with a city is to take a tour. I always like to do this on the first day to get acquainted with the city. A hop-on, hop-off trolley tours are always a good option. On day one, I visit two of the iconic locations in Savannah, Forsyth Park and Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist.
The itinerary takes you for a walk from Forsyth Park to the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. You will first go to Monterey Square, where on the southwest corner of the square is the Mercer-Williams House. You will also pass Calhoun and Lafayette Squares. Along the way, you will walk past Clary’s Café, which is one restaurant I recommend. So, if you are feeling a little hungry, stop in for a late breakfast or lunch. Be sure to walk into the Cathedral and be uplifted. Make sure you take a camera as you will want to take some pictures. After a tour of the Cathedral, hop back on the trolley and finish your tour of the city. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore. Go back and visit any places that caught your interest during the tour.
Click here for the entire day one itinerary.
Day 2 Itinerary
For day two, you pick, shopping or squares? Whatever you decide, you will walk east towards The Pirate House. The itinerary for day two takes you through several more squares.
Franklin Square is where the First African Baptist Church is located. You will also walk through Ellis Square to Savannah’s largest square, Johnson Square. Then onto Reynolds Square, which is best known for being the square with the Ol’ Pink House Restaurant. From there, it’s Warren and Washington Square. Once you’ve passed Washington Square, a great place to stop for lunch is at the historic Pirates House. After lunch, the itinerary takes you towards the river, where you will see three historical landmarks.
You will complete your day by walking down along the river. Wander through all the shops and maybe pick out a restaurant to come back for dinner. Finally, walk up to E. Bay Street via River Street Access, and you will be right there at the Old City Exchange Bell and The Cotton Exchange Lion Fountain.
Click here for the entire day two itinerary.
Day 3 Itinerary
On day three, you will explore one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries. Bonaventure Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, east of Savannah. With its gothic statues, hanging Spanish moss, and dramatic trees, this beautiful graveyard creates an unforgettable experience. After your cemetery tour, grab a little lunch.
Savannah plays a large role in Girl Scout’s history. Juliette Gordon Low was the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA. In the afternoon, you’ll see her birthplace, the Girl Scout first headquarters, and the Andrew Low House, which was her home until she passed away.
Click here for the entire day three itinerary.
Day 4 Itinerary
If you are lucky enough to plan the fourth day in Savannah, it will be a day of art, history, and architecture. Start off at the Owens-Thomas House, built as a beautiful Regency-style mansion in 1819 for Richard Richardson. A tour of the house, along with its adjacent gardens, carriage house, and slave quarters, gives you a look at the complicated relationships between the most and least powerful people in the city in the early 19th century.
Stroll through the Colonial Park Cemetery on your way to lunch at the Six Pence Pub. The cemetery served as Savannah’s main public cemetery from 1750 to 1853. After lunch, head to the Telfair Academy. It is a stately two-story mansion built in the Neoclassical Regency Style.
The museum has three nineteenth-century period rooms along with nineteenth-and twentieth-century American and European art.
Depending on your timing, you might also want to visit the Jepson Center. Unlike Telfair Academy, this museum is housed in a modern-style building. It’s filled with art, activities, and education opportunities.
Click here for the entire day four itinerary.
I also put together the 4-Day Itinerary that you can print out and take with you when you visit Savannah.