USA Travel: Savannah, Georgia – Activity Recommendations

engagedabroad

4 years ago

Reading Time: 5 minutes

This post covers our recommendations for Savannah, Georgia USA.

In 1773 General James Oglethorpe landed along the Savannah River and named this area “Georgia” after England’s King George II, marking the 13th, final colony. Savannah became the colony’s first city.
Savannah is known as America’s first planned city due to its grid layout and wide streets intertwined with shady public squares and parks.
Savannah had 24 original squares of which 22 are still in existence today.
Connections to slavery: The “Lowcountry” of nearby South Carolina offered rich soil and a suitable climate to cultivate cotton and rice. Slaves were brought to these plantations through the port of Savannah. Today many who remained formed the Gullah culture of the coastal communities in Georgia and South Carolina.
With the introduction of the cotton gin, Savannah transitioned into a commercial port and cotton prices were set at the Savannah Cotton Exchange.
During the Civil War, General Sherman and the Union soldiers marched into the city but didn’t want to destroy it due to its beauty. He offered the city to President Lincoln as a Christmas present.
During the Reconstruction period, the freed slaves who remained in Savannah built community and Savannah became one of the most historically significant African-American cities in the nation.

37th Street to Victory Drive
Artsy neighborhood with galleries, boutiques, entertainment venues and restaurants

The Paris Market & Brocante: modeled after a Parisian sixth arrondissement and named “the most beautiful coffee shop in Georgia” by Architectural Digest
The Coffee Fox: Boughton Street retro-chic cafe
Mirabelle: vintage 1800’s era building set across from St. Johns Cathedral, gourmet chocolate shop
Collins Quarter (Forsyth Park): styled after Melbourne’s historic Collins Street, spiced lavender mocha is a special
Fox & Fig: premier plant-based cafe & coffee shop with extensive bakery

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The Collins Quarter: styled after Melbourne’s historic Collins Street, café experience that pairs specialty coffee with innovative cuisine
The Grey Market: New York City bodega meets the convenience of the Southern lunch counter

The Olde Pink House: iconic restaurant set in a 1777 mansion serving classic Southern cuisine
Vic’s on the River: old cotton warehouse overlooking the Savannah River and Historic River Street, sophisticated take on traditional Southern cuisine and our fresh; local seafood selections
Garibaldi Cafe: romantic eatery offering upscale Italian cuisine & seafood

Leopold’s Ice Cream: “Top 10 Ice Cream Parlors in the World”
Joe’s at the Jepsen (Jepson Center for the Arts): German chocolate brownie torte

ShopSCAD: retail gallery for artwork created by Savannah College of Art & Design students, alumni and faculty
Savannah Bee Company: speciality honey; mead and honey tastings daily
The Paris Market and Brocante: design concept filled with antiques, housewares, gifts & jewelry.
Pelindaba Savannah: premier grower of organic lavendar products
The Salt Table: Unforgettable 2020 Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice Award, hundreds of salts, seasonings, dips, sugars, vinegars & Georgia-grown specialty goods

Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist: popular wedding location, one of the largest Roman Catholic churches in the South
Sorrel-Weed House: Antebellum-period architecture, thought to be haunted
Savannah Theater: 1818 theater is the oldest in the USA
Mercer House: 1868 Italianate Villa-style mansion
Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters: 1819 mansion and adjoining slave quarters
Lucas Theater: 1921 theater with Greek revival, Adams-inspired, Art Deco and Neoclassical periods, favorite for vaudeville acts
The Pirates’ House: an inn for pirates converted for use as a restaurant today, mentioned in Robert Louis Stevenson’s book “Treasure Island,” and the oldest structure in Georgia

Old Trolley Tour: 16 stops through historic Savannah for a delightful orientation to the city
Telfair Museums: art, history and architecture at Jepson Center, Telfair Academy and Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters