Less than 24 Hours in Savannah

I know I haven’t even recapped our vacation yet, but I can’t stop thinking about our stop in Savannah on the way home. We spent less than 24 hours in Savannah Georgia and we cannot wait to go back! Here’s how we spent these few hours and some places you should check out too!

HOW TO SPEND LESS THAN 24 HOURS IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

We arrived around 5pm and checked into our Riverfront Hotel. If you can afford it, stay on the riverfront. Watching the boats go by is super fun and it makes for completely walkable access to the vibrant downtown area. We stayed at the Marriot which is as the end of the riverfront area. It was a beautiful hotel that seemed to have been recently updated and it was our first bathroom on the trip that we could have all fit into had we needed to LOL.

Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but we are horrible planners. We tend to fly by the seat of our pants and plan vacations just a few weeks out. We also sometimes don’t book hotels until we are halfway to our destination. Idk, maybe it’s just our thing although, it’s not for the faint of heart. But in this case, the Marriott was the best priced hotel available that evening.

SORREL-WEED HOUSE

We also booked a Ghost Tour while we were driving towards Savannah. Mike and Ella went to the Sorrel-Weed house for a tour.  This is one of Savannah’s most haunted houses having had two suicides happen there.   While there are PLENTY of haunted homes and buildings in Savannah, this was recommended by a friend so with little time, we decided this was the pick.    

Once we got there, we all had dinner together at Wet Willie’s on the riverfront and watched people grab their slushies and walk the river.  We saw a few GINORMOUS barges and one dinner boat head out and then headed our separate ways.  With less than 24 hours in Savannah, we had to choose our events wisely.  Olive and I were heading for ice cream and Mike and Ella were heading somewhere darker.  They were headed to the 9pm tour at the Sorrel-Weed House.  

VISITING PIRATES AND MERMAIDS

During the tour, you explore the rooms, hallways, and all the darkest corners of the property. This tour focuses on the lives and stories of those who are believed to still be haunting the house.  Mike and Ella didn’t feel like they saw anything too crazy happen, although looking through pictures, Ella may have seen a reflection and Mike definitely captured a huge orb.  They love things like this so it was the perfect way to spend the evening for them.   

LEOPOLD’S ICE CREAM

While they were trying to be scared, Olive and I headed off to lighter sights!  We headed to Leopold’s Ice Cream, a Savannah staple!  Leopold’s has been open since 1919 and it was worth the wait.  Walking up, there was a line around the front that probably took about 30 min.  There is a cheat – you can order ice cream prior to arriving, but standing in line is where it’s at!  You can mingle, pet animals (as Savannah seemed super pet friendly), read about the history, take in the surroundings and decide on what flavors you’ll enjoy! 

I enjoyed the Lavendar ice cream which was on their seasonal menu (posted right at the front door) and Olive went with tried and true mint chocolate chip!  We loved how it felt so nostalgic and we loved that the servers/scoopers wore old school white hats that they’d decorated with their names.  

WALK THE HISTORIC STREETS

After Leopold’s we walked home and explored the cobblestone streets, a few statues, and of course, the riverfront again.  It felt like we’d been there all day, but in reality it had only been a couple of hours.

OLD TOWN TROLLEY TOURS

The next morning we got up pretty early as we knew we needed to head home, but wanted to fit in a quick bus tour before we left.  We did the Old Town Trolley hop on, hop off tour.  It was pretty perfect for what we were looking for.  There were a few “hot spots” that we wanted to hit, but didn’t want to drive all over town so this was a quick way to hit them all and then head out of town. 

We accidentally picked the trolley up at stop 8 — which I wish they would have told us that stop 1 was literally across the street at the Railroad Museum, but it’s ok.  It all worked out.  You buy a ticket and it’s for the day so you can technically ride around all day.  But anyways, we got started and enjoyed a few stops.  It was a rainy day so the bus was closed off by plastic windows.  Remember that day that the trees fell at the masters?!  It was the following day so lots of rain.  Anyways, there are 15 stops that you can ride through or explore.  

THE PARIS MARKET

We popped off at stop 9 which was City Market and walked a couple blocks over to The Paris Market to grab a bite to eat and some coffee.  If you like things like Anthropologies, vintage goods, antiques, and beautiful window displays… then this is the walk (and store) for you.  We all thoroughly enjoyed this spot as it was “the best cinnamon roll” Mike’s ever had, I got to enjoy a lavender latte, the girls ate some macarons, and we loved the atmosphere. 

BYRD’S COOKIES

When trying to pop back on, we missed the trolley by like 1 min, so we popped into Byrd’s at City Market.  This is a super famous cookie shop you can find multiple places around Savannah.  Lots of flavors, great hospitality and cookie sampling!  We grabbed some goods from here to take home to our parents.  

Once back on the trolley, I don’t think we got off again.  Like I said, we were in a hurry because we were on our way home and still had an 11 hour drive ahead of us.  But, we took in plenty of sights from the trolley and honestly, this was the perfect way to do it on a rainy day! 

ULTIMATE FAMILY ROAD TRIP TIPS

SCAD BEACH (FROM AFAR)

On our way out I was in awe of the SCAD Beach which was basically the shell of an old building (it was dreamy) filled with a lifeguard hut, sand “beaches,” and free space where the students can enjoy a calm and relaxing atmosphere for events and such.  I mean, I was in love and just saw it from the outside.  SCAD can be found throughout the historical district of Savannah and it’s quite impressive.  GORGEOUS buildings and unique uses of spaces made me quickly want to go back and be a SCAD student.  I’m sure you could take a tour of SCAD that would be incredible too. 

But that was it — in less than 24 hours in Savannah we packed in a lot from 5pm to 1pm.  And we were back on the road, but not without one more addition to our trip, a drive across the bridge that brings you over the river into Savannah.  Mike thought it was the one that they used when they visited Savannah in Outer Banks (Netlifx) which we had just finished watching and wanted to add that in.  Not sure if it was or wasn’t but he was happy.  hahah.

SUMMER VACATION IDEA – PCB

So if you are on the fence about visiting Savannah, even for a short while, my vote is DO IT!  You won’t be disappointed.  We’ve been talking about going back since we crossed the bridge on our way out.  It was so cool to see such history and take in such a beautiful city.  If you’ve been, leave me some comments on what we should do next time!