SAVANNAH
& TYBEE
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DOWNTOWN
SAVANNAH
The south end of Forsyth
Park is home to Savannah's best known and only whole foods store - Brighter
Day. Next door, check out what's happening at The Sentient Bean,
Savannah's best coffee shop serving coffee and community since 2002. Tennis courts and B/ball are just across the
road. Forsyth Park is famous for its many 'Ultimate' tournaments,
doggie clubs, free music events and, of course, the
fountains. Grab a mug o'latte and head north on the parks main drag.
On the right side of the park is located The Mansion in the Park, a
recent addition to the hotel scene. Part of the building
used to be the Savannah Morgue. People used to be dieing to stay
there, now they just have to pay a lot of money. Cross over
Drayton and you are now in downtown Savannah. Everything "south
of Gaston may as well be in Jacksonville". Stay on Bull St. all the
way to the river. The first square you enter is Monterey and
location of the Mercer House. Built by Johnny Mercer's Great
Grandfather and famous residence of Jim Williams.... say no more. Stay on
Bull. The next square is Madison. Worthy of interest is the Green-Meldrim House open to the public most of the time. Chippewa Square
is next and pretty much marks the geographical historic center of
Savannah. Look for Gallery Espresso - a fine selection of tea's,
local art, and wireless internet makes it a popular pop culture
hangout. If you want a pie and a pint, go across the road to the English
owned pub The Penny Farthing. A great place to stay here is The
Foley House B&B, very 'Savannah'. Keep heading north on
Bull. Past Juliet Gordon Lowe House, the girl scout mecca and
on into Wright Square. One of Savannah's oldest squares,
it is also the burial place of Chief Tomachichi, buried here in 1739.
One more block and you are on Broughton St... the main drag downtown.
Undergoing a lot of restoration and revitalization at the moment, as well
as trying to maintain that small town feel, this street has some
interesting shops and galleries. Walk up one side and down the other, won't
take long. In between Broughton and River street is City Market with
Vinnie's Pizza and The Billiards Bar, plus a whole lot of bits and
pieces worthy of exploration. Don't be in a hurry to get to River Street..
it is quite disappointing unless there are tall masted sailing ships in
port.
Worthy of
checking out:
Architectural
Tours of Savannah - We don't know much about
architecture, but Jonathan Stalcup does. Let him give you a better
appreciation of a great little city. www.architecturalsavannah.com
Creepy Crawl
Tours - Pub crawl with a few yarns thrown in. Meets at the Six Pence
Pub. The guide walks backwards the whole time. Voted
best walking tour.
The
Irish Times - The best pint/pub in Savannah. On Whitaker, north of
Broughton.
Leopold's
Ice Cream - 80 years in business and going strong. The best ice cream
in Savannah, located on east end of Broughton St opposite The Marshall House Inn.
Ships
of the Sea Maritime Museum - on MLK Blvd, near the
Visitors Center and at the west end of Broughton St. Nice old building
housing a great collection of ship models. Everything from slave ships to
'Ironclads' and paddle steamers. Also a great 10ft model of the SS Titanic
in mid-disaster. This is what Savannah is about.
Telfair
Museum of Art - Another great building, housing Georgia
O'Keefe and Native American art among many many others. Includes the
history of Savannah in art. Special traveling exhibits often show-cased.
Civil
Rights Museum - Showcasing the very important African
American contribution to Savannah, the South, and ultimately the whole
country.
Melon Bluff - Not in Savannah, but along the coast and a great place to
check out if heading south.
Places to stay -
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ON
THE ROAD TO SKIDAWAY NARROWS
Savannah's
Backdoor - Isle
Of Hope - Wormsloe
Plantation -Bethesda
Boys Home. About 9 miles southeast of Savannah, on a bluff overlooking the
Skidaway River, sits the charming settlement of Isle Of Hope
with a story reaching back to the founding fathers of Savannah and
Georgia. Century-old oaks shade formal and natural gardens. There are no
condos or street lights. The architecture of the settlement is a
mixture of Greek Revival, Victorian, Neoclassical, and fishermen's
cottages. Park the car and take a walk with camera in hand. It's a treat.
With
his wife and two kids, Noble Jones was on that first boat to
arrive in the 13th and last British Colony in the winter of 1733. Along
with a couple of other hardy chaps he was given 1500 acres of land to grow
crops, Mulberry bushes for silk production, but to also build a fort to
guard over 'The Narrows' from sneaky Spanish marauders. Noble Jones was a
physician, carpenter, surveyor, rum agent, constable, and military man with
a keen interest in agriculture. Remains of his second fort/tabby house are
still viewable at his plantation Wormsloe Historic Site.
It's on the road to Isle of Hope. The driveway is a most impressive
1.5 miles long and flanked by some 400 huge live oaks. The grounds also
house a small museum and there are plenty of trails to hike. Well worth
checking out. Closed Mondays.
Bethesda
Boys Home is the oldest orphanage in The United States, dating back
some 250 years. Ferguson Ave runs along the edge of grounds which also
house a working farm run by the boys. The brick arch at the entrance was
rebuilt in the 40's with bricks from the old swimming pool.
Skidaway
Island State Park Located on Skidaway, on the other
side of the Narrows. A great park with excellent camping facilities and
nature trails. The best camping accommodation in the area. Awesome hiking
trails that will take you through hammocks, salt marsh, and pine forest.
Great birding and wildlife viewing.
UGA
Aquarium & Institute of Oceanography on Skidaway. Nice little aquarium and home to many species caught right here in
Wassaw Sound, including turtles, terrapins, lobster,
sharks and all manner of other fishy subjects. They also run many programs
for school groups with on-site accommodations. A fantastic resource and
research facility.
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ON
THE ROAD TO TYBEE ISLAND - HWY 80
For a glimpse of
the real Savannah, have dinner at Johnny Harris Restaurant
on Victory Drive. The dining hall is a throw back to a bygone era
and still a favorite place of many Savannians. Keep driving along
Victory and soon you will come to Thunderbolt, over looking the The Wilmington River on the
right hand side of Hwy 80. Check out Thunderbolt Museum. The museum is not open very often,
(Wednesdays only between 2 and 4) but does contain some great photos of
the way life used to be. Thunderbolt was a major shrimping dock back in the
70's and home to Savannah's Italian community. Still has the vibe
despite it's condo calamity. Tubby's Tank House serves good food
and beer. Across the bridge, on Isle of Armstrong, you'll find Desposito's...a
local favorite and the freshest seaf0od in town. Open for dinner most
evenings. Very overrated is Uncle Bubba's
restaurant on Hwy 80/Bryan Woods Rd at Turners Creek. It ain't cheap and
it ain't Paula Dean...it's Uncle Bubba! but
you may bump into Paula Dean - give her a pat on the back and say
"well done, lovey".
Bonaventure Cemetery.
On the Wilmington River, near Thunderbolt. At one time a 500
acre plantation and more recently made famous by the book 'The Garden of
Good and Evil'. John Muir camped here on his walk to the Gulf and
said "it's beautiful". Be respectful, dead people live
here. Free but Closes at 5pm.
Fort Jackson. Islands Expressway, 5 minutes from downtown
Savannah. Not just another fort. Well actually it is just another fort,
but it is off the beaten track and worth checking out. On the bank of
the Savannah River, a nice quiet spot for a picnic and some great
birding opportunities. Lots of re-enactments take place here through out
the year.
Oatland
Island Education Center. Islands Expressway 10 minutes
from downtown Savannah . Set in a beautiful island hammock with loads of
great nature trails, Oatland is known locally as the Savannah Zoo. It now
homes the last of the indigenous animals that once roamed free across
Georgia including wolves, bison and panther. Some great raptor bird
aviaries
also. Only $3 admission...well worth it.
Fort Pulaski.
On Hwy 80 - 1 mile before Tybee Island. Great biking,
walking trails and picnicking. Lots of birding and good for
telescopic star gazing at night. Great fort construction with plenty of
battle scars and history ....worth a guided tour. You can see alligators in the
moat sometimes.
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TYBEE
ISLAND
The
best way to get around Tybee island and take in it's colorful character,
is by bicycle. Rent bikes and kiddie trailers from Fat Tire Bikes on
the corner of 14th & Hwy 80, next to Sting Ray's restaurant.
Take
a ride along the beach heading north to where the Savannah River empties
into the ocean. That's Hilton Head across the sound, 'Tybee's rich
cousin'. After watching the big ships come and go, the north
beach also has great birding potential... Sandy Bullock lives here and
can often be found crouching low with binoculars in hand. Please don't
disturb her. Talking trash for a moment... John Mellencamp recently moved
to Tybee. If you know what he looks like, give him a wave and tell him
you thought he was great in 'Dirty Dancing".
Cross
over the dunes and you are in Old Fort Screven. No longer a fort, but many
gun emplacements and army buildings can be found. The big old houses of Officers
Row sit atop an old dune ridge, catching a great ocean breeze, but
you don't have to be an officer to stay there anymore. Check out The
Savannah Beach Inn for some cool nostalgia. Just down the way is the Tybee
Island Museum
located in an old concrete gun bunker. For the best view on the island, climb the 150 steps of the
Tybee Island Lighthouse. Walk around the outside of the light with
your eyes closed and pretend you are in a Hitchcock movie. Nobody has
jumped off it yet but I'm sure they will one day.
For
local beach art you should visit Mildred and John at The Gallery
by the Sea situated right next door to The Visitor Center -
all located at the fist light you come to on
Tybee.
Next
to the lighthouse museum is the North Beach Grill which has the best crab cakes in the area.
It is also a great casual lunch spot run by nice people with real chefs. The fish tacos
rock. For the best cheeseburger on the island, and the best
breakfast in the southeast, try The Breakfast Club on the corner
of 15th and Hwy 80. Get there early or you'll be queuing down the street
like they do in Russia. On the back river is A.J.'s bar and restaurant,
on the water with the best sunset views across the marsh.
For
the kids, aside from a great beach, there are a couple of tennis courts open to the public free of
charge, as well as volleyball courts, picnic benches and grills. The Marine Science
Center downtown and opposite the Pier, runs
some good beach programs and has a few fishy exhibits. There used to be
a water park on Tybee, but they built Ocean Plaza Hotel on top of it.
Check
out the new statue in the square downtown...it has to be seen to
be believed... a lesbian mermaid in a cowboy hat riding a psychedelic turtle...welcome to Tybee Island. Also on
the South end of Tybee from 17th St down you'll find good Kite Boarding,
Board Surfing, and Kayak Surfing conditions. Past the rock
jetty is not such a good place to swim as many people drown
here, but it is excellent for boating. Ask about our
Tybee Island Surf Kayak Lessons. High Tide Surf shop - www.hightidesurfshop.com - supplies the locals with
kites and surfboard rentals. In
Tybee Oaks, is Huc-a-poos
Bites (great pizza) and Booze (PBR) - good food,
fun, music,
and the occasional drunken mayhem. Of course the best thing to do on
Tybee Island is go kayaking to Little Tybee Island and the best
trips are with Savannah Canoe and Kayak.
If
you're looking for a place to stay for your group, check out www.theoutdoorinn.com
on Tybee Island. The screened porch offers a fantastic sunset view across the marsh.
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LITTLE
TYBEE ISLAND
Very
similar to Tybee except it's twice the size and nobody lives there.
There are no buildings, roads, houses or public conveniences, which is why we love it so.
"There's
nothing here."
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