When you get to Savannah, culture tours, ghost trails and seafood samplings will have your senses going in so many directions that your head will spin. With the help of the following tips, though, you’ll at least have a better understanding of all that the coastal Georgia city has to offer.
The best time to visit Savannah
We love Savannah year-round, but it’s tough to beat the spring in terms of flowers blooming and music weaving through the moss-draped oak trees. The city’s two largest musical events — Savannah Stopover, which features up-and-coming bands heading to SXSW, and Savannah Music Festival, a showcase of world-renowned musicians of all genres — bookend Savannah’s largest event, St. Patrick’s Day.
If you’ve never experienced 1 million people happily drinking green beer and occupying every sidewalk and square surface within a 2-square-mile space (the size of the historic downtown), you haven’t yet really celebrated the holiday.
There’s also the Savannah Book Festival and Savannah Tour of Gardens that start and end the month of March, respectively. However, if you want to beat the crowds of spring and summer, come during the extended “fall” season (basically November through March), as the city doesn’t really have a winter.
What public transportation is like in Savannah
Savannah is a great city for walking thanks to its small size. However, there are a couple of fun options that become their own adventure, like Pedicabs and the Savannah Hopper, an eight-person golf cart that’s super cheap.
There are public buses that run constantly, mostly keeping to the outer streets of Savannah’s grid layout.
Plenty of cab companies exist, too, and prowl the streets late at night for bar-goers.
Savannah’s Chatham Area Transit rolled out a bike-share program as well, in case you want to explore the city on two wheels.
The best neighborhoods in Savannah
At times, people debate the names, borders, and divisions of neighborhoods in Savannah, which makes it challenging to talk about. However, the truth is, Savannah is pretty much divided into two areas: historic downtown and everything else.
However, part of that “everything else” is the emerging SoFo (South of Forsyth Park) area — quickly being recognized as the creative hub of the Hostess City. Savannah College of Art and Design students and young professionals live here, and the First Friday Art March events encourage everyone to come out and support the local galleries. Some of Savannah’s best neighborhood dining is also in SoFo, such as Green Truck Pub, Foxy Loxy Café and Local 11ten.
