A lot of our customers are local, but some are not and there seems to be a lot of 'not so good' information out there. If you are visiting here are a few of our own recommendations to check out during your visit to Savannah and the Georgia Coast.

Places to stay

Mansion on Forsyth Park. (912) 238 5158 They have turned Savannah's old morgue into a very stylish establishment. We hear many good reports from our clients about this place. Check out their cooking classes. Not cheap, but classy.    www.mansiononforsythpark.com

The Marshall House on Broughton St. (912) 644 7896 Great Location, nice people. www.marshallhouse.com

The Presidents Quarters. (912) 233 1600 Premier Historic Inn...very historic

For hotels on  and near Bay and River Street...www.riverstreethotels.com

For a great listing of some fantastic  B&B's in Savannah and Tybee go to www.romanticinnsofsavannah.com

The best way for a family to stay on Tybee is at a beach house rental. Here are a few of our friends and recommendations.

www.theoutdoorinn.com European hostel style accommodation at a great price. Communal kitchen and screened porch with fantastic sunset views across the marsh.

www.fishhousecottage.com is a very comfortable old style Tybee cottage with great art work on the walls, an awesome screened porch and open deck. Lots of character and only a short walk from downtown and both beaches.

www.thelufburrowhouse.com the downtown Savannah house recently and very stylishly renovated.

www.tybeedaze.com

www.heronsnestontybee.com

Not on Tybee, but along the coast and a great place to check out if heading south. www.melonbluff.com

On the Road to Tybee ...Hwy 80

For a glimpse of the real Savannah you need to 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 here. 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 Despositos...a locals' favorite and the freshest seaf0od in town. Open for dinner most evenings. Recently opened and very overrated is Uncle Bubbas 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. (912) 232 3945 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.(912) 898 3980 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. (912) 786 5787 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.

Williams Seafood. A famous local sea food tradition situated just before the Bull River. Burned to the ground  last year. Now home to the casino boat...sounds a bit fishy to us.

Tybee Island

 The best way to get around the island and take in it's colorful character, is by bicycle. Rent bikes and kiddie trailers from Rat Packs on the corner of 14th & Hwy 80, next to Sting Rays 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 any more. Check out The Savannah Beach Inn for some cool nostalgia. Just down the way is the Tybee Museum (912) 786 4077 located in an old concrete gun bunker. Its pretty lame really, but I like it.  For the best view on the island climb the 150 steps of the Tybee 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 (912) 786 5444  All located at the fist light you come to on Tybee. And about a half mile back up Hwy 80 is Sonya Ditmeijer's very interesting Dragon Fly Studio.

A word about 'Tybee Time'. It's a phrase you'll often hear especially if you have a complaint  about service. Don't sweat it, for what ever reason things do take a little longer down south and it's never quite what you expect or may be used to.

Next to the lighthouse museum is the North Beach Grill (912) 786 9003 which, according to those who know, 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 also 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. Tango closed down last year after 5 years in business,but has re-opened as the Bamboo Room...not sure how it is ...go see for your self. And across the street is  George's on Hwy 80 still offering  a  romantic place for a very tasty dinner. On the Back River, near where we launch our trips to Little Tybee, 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 'safe' surf beach, the new and improved Skate Park is coming soon to Memorial Park between 5th & 6th St. There are also a couple of tennis courts open to the public and free of charge as well as Beach Volley Ball courts, picnic benches and grills. The Marine Science Center (912) 786 5917 down-town and opposite  the Pier, runs some great 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. The restaurant 'Ocean Reef' inside is quite under par, to be nice.

Check out the new statue  in the square down town...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 conditions as well as Board Surfing and Kayak Surfing. Past the rock jetty is not such a good place to swim as many people drown here, but excellent for boating. Ask about our Surf Kayak Lessons. High Tide Surf shop - www.hightidesurfshop.com - supplies the locals with kites and surfboard rentals, as well as Jimmy Stephens who makes some wicked custom surf boards - www.undergroundboardworks.com . Seek him out at The Shops at Tybee Oaks on Hwy 80. Huc-a-poos bites (great pizza) and booze (PBR) used to be the local 'rat' hole but, alas, that also burnt down in 06' after nearly 7 years of drunken music and mayhem.

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. There is nothing man-made there, which is why we love it so. "There's nothing here."

On the road to The Skidaway Narrows

Savannah's Backdoor - Isle Of Hope - Wormsloe Plantation -Bethesda Boys Home. About 9 miles south and on the east side 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 (912) 353 3023. 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. Unfortunately, a Sisco truck driver demolished this arch just last year and it awaits to be rebuilt. 

Skidaway Island State Park (912) 598 2300 Located on Skidaway, so 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 (912) 356 3474 - on Skidaway. Excellent little aquarium and home to many species caught right here in Wassaw Sound. Including, but not limited to, 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.

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 and Forsyth Park is famous for its many 'Ultimate' tournaments, doggie clubs, girlie soccer, 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 most recent addition to 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 Expresso - 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 Low House, the girl scout mecca and on into Wright Square. One of Savannah's  oldest squares 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 revitalisation 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  and Vinnie's and The Billiards Bar and a whole lot of bits and pieces worthy of exploration. Do not be in a hurry to get to River Street ...it is quite disappointing unless there are tall masted sailing ships in port.

Things worthy of checking out in this area:

Architectural tours of Savannah (912) 604 6354. 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.(912)238 3843. Voted best walking tour.

Pinch of the Past - Antique salvage store on Broughton. Great selection of brass knockers and knobs...Now just a piece of the past, no longer in business.

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 (912) 232 1511 on MLK Blvd very near the Visitors Center and at the west end of Broughton St. Nice old building, reminds me of a British museum, 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. Great gift shop. This is what Savannah is about. $10 admission fee.

Telfair Museum of Art (912) 232 1177 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. Free to military personnel, all others pay $7.

Civil Rights Museum (912) 231 8900 Showcasing the very important African American contribution to Savannah, the South, and ultimately the whole country.