First things first, 24 hours in Savannah isn’t enough. Realistically, any city founded in the early 1700s that has been preserved that well is going to require time. Thankfully I knew that going in, otherwise I would’ve been super disappointed!
The Collins Quarter exterior
One place that stood out from all my research on Savannah: The Collins Quarter. Because brunch. I was arriving into Savannah on a Monday afternoon, so it was my first stop. You know the saying ‘eating with your eyes’? Well I’d basically been doing that since I found out about the place, so I practically wolfed down my Swine Time Beni (their take on eggs benedict). Is it enough food for 1.5 people? Yeah. Did I eat the whole plate? Oh yes. When in Rome, you know?
Inside The Collins Quarter
Swine Time Beni…so good!
My next stop was the Wormsloe Historic Plantation, because I just had to go see that drive. You know, the gorgeous driveway in the movie The Last Song? Yeah. It’s Oak Lane from Wormsloe.
Wormsloe entrance gate
Wormsloe Historic Site and Plantation is just that: a former plantation that is now maintained by Georgia State Parks. You pay an entrance fee to go in and can drive down the mile-long Oak Lane, walk a few trails and learn about what colonial life would have been like in the 1700s. There is also a museum onsite, but I got there an hour before closing so I took the self-guided route.
Oak Lane..goes on for a mile!
After walking over an hour in Wormsloe, I was sufficiently warm and dusty. I drove to my Airbnb, checked in and freshened up before heading out to Tybee Island to catch the sunset…and about 200 sand fleas.
Tybee Island Lighthouse
Full disclosure: I only saw Tybee Island for about two hours and it was not what I expected. Tybee has been a filming location for lots of movies and shows and while the dunes and beaches looked the same, the restaurants and homes definitely didn’t. It was much smaller than I’d expected. That said, the sunset was amazing from Alley 3 and I probably could’ve fallen asleep on the beach it was so peaceful.
Timing worked out weird and between my barely being hungry and the hour-long wait at the restaurant I’d planned on going to, I ended up grabbing a quick salad and calling it a night.
The next morning I got ready, checked out and grabbed breakfast at Friendship Coffee Company on Wilmington Island. I’d need fuel for the amount of walking I was about to do!
Breakfast Burrito at Friendship Coffee
Day two was actually much heavier than I’d expected. I found a blog post with a Savannah Squares walking tour, where you see all of Savannah’s 22 squares. The walk says it’s about 4.5 miles, but between one thing and another I ended up clocking around 7.5 miles. Let’s be honest, I strayed from the path many times…there is so much to see!
First African Baptist Church, the starting point of my walk.
Belford’s in Savannah City Market
Nathanael Greene monument at Johnson Square
I guess I expected there to be more description at each square – like a plaque or something – but there wasn’t, so much of the day was me meandering, basically looking at pretty buildings and squares. It was pretty, but I would have appreciated an audio guide or actual human tour guide to help me out. Mental note for next time, I guess!
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
Whitefield Square
There was this weird hour span of time where I realized I was famished and my phone was going to die before I finished the path, so I frantically found lunch and whizzed through several squares. I ended up going back to my car to charge my phone and re-parked it closer to the end of the trail so I wouldn’t have to trek all the way back again. Never, in all my travels, have I felt so silly. I had a backup battery in my car, I just forgot it! Seriously, #bloggerfail.
I reached Forsyth Park, the end of the tour, around 4 pm, at which point I was parched, hungry and needed to get on the road again. Never underestimate the power of the sun to tire you out, those huge trees only provide so much shade!
Fountain at Forsyth Park
Looking back, I enjoyed Savannah. I was actually incredibly stressed and tired during my entire time, which probably held me back from absorbing as much as I could. Despite that, I enjoyed my 26-ish hours there and am certainly looking forward to going back!
Have you been to Savannah? Where should I go when I visit again?
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Thanks for this! I haven’t been there in sooooo long.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
I would love to go here! the sunset sounds amazing and all the places to eat! my kind place x
Right?! You should go someday!
Hello, I’m Brit!
*Sigh* Where, do I start?!
I LOVE Savannah! I’ve been there twice and it just feels like HOME every time I go. I really enjoyed reading your post, as it pointed out some things that I haven’t seen/done yet. You’re giving me great ideas for my next visit!
I love Forsyth Park; my sister got married there, right in front of that beautiful fountain. Did you check out the perfume garden? It’s in the middle of the park, I believe. It’s a special, closed off area where they’ve grown particularly fragrant flowers and herbs. Very neat.
I enjoyed the squares, but felt the same as you did. Beautiful and lush, but it would have been cool to have more plaques about the history of each square. Haven’t made it to Tybee Island yet, but it’s on the to do list, along with that gorgeous plantation you’ve pictured!
My favorite thing to do there was to walk down the River Walk and watch the ships and barges come in from the ocean. The River Walk also has cute candy shops and a few cool bars.
Another excellent thing we did was we did a haunted pub crawl (called Tara Haunted Tours). It’s basically a walking tour of the most historical/haunted bars in Savannah. It’s totally not cheesy, and was actually very informative, as the guide was something like a 7th generation Savannah native, so it was like a historical tour of the whole city while you got to walk around with your drinks!
Favorite restaurants were the Moon River Brewery (great local brewed beer and amazing food) and Goose Feathers (a little deli/bakery that makes fresh, tasty sandwiches (and other fare) and pastries. I stopped at Goose Feathers twice in one day once, for breakfast and lunch!
Now that you’ve had the full walking tour of the squares (I did my first visit, too), there is a wonderful thing called the DOT, which is a FREE transportation bus that takes you around the major landmarks. It’s not a tour bus, so there’s no one telling you about what you’re seeing, but they give you a map. And more importantly, it’s a free way to get around the major landmarks in the summer without walking hours and hours in the heat. One of my favorite things about Savannah is it is a very walkable city, but in that humid, Southern heat, sometimes it’s nice to be driven around 🙂
Wow, that was my very own blog post about Savannah, almost! I love the city so much and it makes my heart sing when I see people enjoy it as much as I do! I really enjoyed reading your post.
Hahahaha I love that you put so much thought into this. I wanted to do the DOT and so much more, but with just under 24 hours there I opted not to. It’s on the list for next time!
Thanks for reading 🙂
Looks like a lot of fun! So many gorgeous photos too!
Thank you so much!