Our latest adventure was to the historic city of Savannah, GA. We only had about 10 hours to explore, so we wanted to make the most of our quick visit.
We were en route to New York for a visit with the in-laws. Scott found a direct flight from Savannah to Niagara Falls on a discount airline – who knew?
(Need some help packing for that discount airline? Check out How to Pack a Family of Four in One Suitcase)
Does it make sense to drive 3.5 hours in the complete opposite direction of our final destination? It does if you want to save $1,600 in airfare. Discount airlines again for the win!
And as an added bonus, we got to explore a city we’d never been to. That’s pretty insane considering we lived in Atlanta for a little under a decade…
DAY 1
The journey from Greenville to Savannah was thankfully uneventful. The kids were up kind of late the night before, so we knew that naps in the car were imminent.
Lady Luck was on our side. The kids slept most of the way and the last hour and a half they watched a movie. The timing couldn’t have been any better.
We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard Savannah Downtown in the historic district. This was our first time in a standard room with the kids. Typically we try to book a suite or have at least some type of a partition.
But it just wasn’t in the cards for us since we used points. So you get whatcha get and you don’t pitch a fit.
Charlotte of course complained that the room was small. It wasn’t. We had to explain that this is what a regular room looked like so suck it up. There were 2 queen beds for crying out loud. Why is this generation so entitled again? *smh*
We knew all of the historical stuff wouldn’t really appeal to the kiddos so I booked reservations at a fun place for dinner that was roughly a mile away from our hotel.
My husband and I wanted to see the sights so we opted to walk. We made it about 30 feet before the barrage of ‘Are we there yet’s?’ and ‘I’m hooooot’s’ started. In their defense, it was 95° but the RealFeel was 108°.
The Pirate's House
The trek was mildly brutal but we survived! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right? Finally, we’d reached The Pirate’s House. My planning ahead paid off. There was already a line but we were seated right away.
They’ve got a huge menu which is a smidge overwhelming but we got it figured out. Their kid’s menu had the standard fair of fries, chicken fingers and grilled cheese.
There’s also a list of ‘mocktails’ for them to indulge on. My kids’ favorite was the Good Boy (or Girl) Scout which is sprite with a touch of grenadine. And as an added surprise, the menu rips into shapes of a pirate’s hat, earrings, hook & and eye patch.
Would this’ve been a restaurant I would’ve chosen without the kids? Not a chance. It’s very touristy complete with an entire top floor dedicated to nothing but souvenirs.
But our kids LOVED it. They put on their menu-made pirate gear and had a sword fight with their forks. No one was injured. And the hubby & I enjoyed our shared gigantic rum punch.
River Street
So we then proceeded down to the river to walk off our dinner. There was a scenic promenade with a view of the suspension bridge on River Street. The kids were interested for maybe 10 minutes. The novelty had worn off.
Normally we’d make them soldier on but there was a storm brewing across the river. We decided to grab an Uber back to our hotel for a night in of watching Beat Bobby Flay.
It’s not something we typically binge, but there was absolutely NOTHING else on. Oddly enough the kids were into it…
Day 2
The day started off with our kids rising with the sun despite the blackout curtains. We got ready and walked to breakfast about 3 blocks away. There were stops for a few photos along the way mainly to curtail the whining.
Savannah has a ton of squares nestled between the city streets and trees dripping with Spanish moss. After a few photo shoots, we were at a restaurant known for its European-style bakery called Goose Feathers Cafe.
Goose Feathers Cafe
Goose Feathers Cafe gets two thumbs up. The food was awesome and reasonably priced. They also had a kid’s menu that came with everything we needed: waffles & eggs.
Our meals came out quickly which is a plus for our hungry monsters. Miles was already getting restless and climbing the neighboring chairs in the restaurant.
Word of advice: get there early. The line was getting crazy when we left around 8:30 a.m.
Ellis Square
Next stop: Ellis Square. I read that there’s some fountains the kids could run around and play in. We walked there only to find the fountains weren’t on. I guess we were too early. So if you decide to check it out, go later that 9 a.m. on a Friday.
The good news is the Savannah City Market was right across the street. The bad news is that all the stores were still closed. Another swing and a miss.
No big deal. One of the spots that made it on my must see list was Forsyth Park. So we hopped in an Uber and headed that way.
Forsyth Park
Forsyth Park did not disappoint. First of all, we pretty much had the park to ourselves. We walked right up to the giant fountain that’s a fantastic backdrop for your family pictures.
This was our opportunity to take a family selfie. Then a kind of sketchy park patron offered to take our pic. We let him. Sadly, he only managed to include part of the fountain. =(
So much for our Christmas cards. But you get what you pay for. He wanted us to take some of his poetry too but we politely declined. So you may want to be on the lookout for that…
Playground at Forsyth Park
Moving right along past the fountain, you’ll find a large playground. It was great. There’s a side for bigs & a side for littles. I like the small kid side better personally.
We played on both sides for around an hour total before the dreaded “I’m bored” and “I’m hot” reared its ugly head.
Savannah City Market
On a whim we decided to try a carriage ride. We called the company to ask if they had spots left on their 10:10 tour. They assured us they did.
Of course the pickup spot was back at the Savannah City Market. So we Ubered right back to where we started. Whatever.
We arrived to book our horsey ride only to find that someone had gone online and took the last spots on the 10:10 tour. D’oh!
So word to the wise, book your carriage ride online even if it’s last minute.
Savannah's Candy Kitchen
But wasn’t a total loss though. The shops were open at the City Market now so on to buying stuff we don’t need!
After checking out a couple of souvenir shops, we checked out Savannah’s Candy Kitchen.
This place was insane. So. Much. Candy! And ice cream. There were so many candy options to choose from we ended up getting ice cream. At 10 a.m. #YOLO
We finished our ice creams and called for our Uber. God forbid our children walk another step.
Back to our hotel we went and packed up our things. Our flight to a much cooler climate was quickly approaching. We enjoyed our short time in Savannah and would definitely come back.
We didn’t quite have time (or money – save your coin for these!) to take a trolley tour or do a riverboat cruise. Maybe next time, Savanah.
Final Thoughts
Our takeaways from our visit were:
- Visit in the fall unless you like the heat & humidity
- Book your carriage rides in advance because someone else will be you to it
- And make your kids get in shape. Walking is such a great way to take in the city especially down by the river so start training!
Have you traveled to Savannah with your kids? If so, what were your ‘must sees & dos’? Comment down below and we’ll be sure to check them out on our next visit!
