As most of you know we got to visit Savannah for a couple of days with our kids last week. We had a great time and felt very comfortable (and safe) as far as Covid precautions go. I have had many questions in my DMs on Instagram regarding where we stayed, what we did, where we ate, etc. so as promised here is my blog post detailing all of that. If you are local to Atlanta, Savannah is a great local option as it is only a 3.5 drive from the city.
Where we stayed: Residence Inn Savannah Downtown/Historic District
This was the perfect location as it is centrally located in downtown and within walking distance to everything. We brought our stroller and just pushed the kids all around town. It is about 5 blocks to River Street and about 5 blocks the other way from the hotel to Forsyth Park. When traveling with kids we love extended stay hotels as they offer much more space. We had a two bedroom hotel suite with a complete kitchen and living room. They normally offer a large buffet breakfast but currently, due to Covid, they are offering to-go sack bags with a choice between granola bars, yogurt, frozen waffles, muffins, and fruit. They have a beautiful outdoor pool but unfortunately we were not able to use it as it is not heated. They offer valet parking at $20 a night or free street parking.
What we did/where we ate:
We arrived Wednesday afternoon:
Right behind the hotel is a battlefield and replica fort structure from where one of the deadliest battles of the Revolutionary War took place. They kids loved exploring this area and learning about the history of this battle. They enjoyed climbing all around in the fort. After checking into our hotel we headed down to River Street and made a stop by City Market to checkout the stores there as well. I highly recommend visiting Savannah’s Candy Kitchen. They offer free samples and the store is something out of Willy Wonka. They have two locations but our favorite is the location in City Market not the location on River Street.
After doing a little window shopping and getting our sweets we grabbed drinks from Wet Willie’s (Savannah has an open beverage policy so you can walk all the streets with open beverages) and took the free ferry ride across the water to the Westin side. The kids loved this as it allowed them to get on the water and to see all the awesome freight ships coming in up close. We were told sometimes you can see marine life but sadly we didn’t.
After the ferry ride we headed to dinner at The Pirate’s House. If you are in Savannah with kids, or a lover of history, I highly recommend checking this restaurant out. The history is amazing! Check out their website for all the historical info. They also give free pirate hats and accessories to the kiddos.
Thursday:
We went to explore Fort Pulaski. It was sadly freezing cold but we still had a lot of fun. If visiting with kids I highly recommend asking about the ranger program for kids. It is free and adds a lot of educational elements at an age appropriate level for the kids plus once they complete it they get a wooden Fort Pulaski badge. Super cool. Also be sure to checkout the gift store. It was great!
After the fort we headed into Tybee Island since it was only a few minutes away. We ate lunch at a beach front restaurant (sadly don’t remember the name but honestly it wasn’t anything to rave about) and spent some time enjoying playing in the sand and looking for seashells. We even found TWO shark teeth on the beach! Their is a fee per hour for parking so beware of that.
After Tybee we went back to the hotel for snacks and a little rest and then headed to Forsyth Park. We loved seeing all the beautiful historic homes on our way to the park. Forsyth Park is gorgeous and home to the beautiful fountain you always see (pictured above). It also has two playgrounds. We highly recommend the one nearest the restrooms. It was tons of fun!
After the park we headed to dinner at Tubby’s on River Street. It was DELCIOUS. I got the fried green tomato salad in case you are wondering and I highly recommend it. They don’t have a kids menu but will make anything (chicken fingers included) in a kids size portion.
Friday:
Friday we woke up and drove to Savannah Wildlife Refuge. We really want to go back in the future. Sadly most of it was closed due to Covid and also construction work currently underway but we did get to do a 1.3 mile hike around a lake. When the construction is completed they usually have a 4 mile drive you can do in which you supposedly see all kinds of wildlife. The kids had hoped to see gaters but no so luck. We did see some pretty beautiful cranes nesting though! After hiking the trail we headed back into Savannah and returned to City Market to pick up some souvenirs. We ate lunch at Wet Willie’s which I know sounds silly but they have an AWESOME buffalo chicken wrap and massive kids meals for only $3! Then we checked out of the hotel and headed back to Atlanta.
All in all it was an easy, yet super fun mini trip filled with lots of cool historical and biology learnings for the kids! TIP, stop and read the historical markers around the city. You will learn so much!
Hope our recommendations help if you decide to go as well. What is your favorite thing to do in Savannah?
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