THE JOURNEY

DAY 1 - SUNDAY

THE TRIP TO SAVANNAH GEORGIA

This was a last minute trip we decided to make and that we booked on Thursday July 14. On July 17 we packed up the car and headed out around 7:45 AM on the 8 hour drive to Savannah GA. Along the way we made a few stops (Bucee’s, Burger King, and Love’s) and overall the drive went really well. Amelia is a great car rider and either slept or just played with her toys in her car seat the whole way there.

1. This was my first time to Savannah GA

2. We only had part of a Sunday night and a Full day in the city on Monday followed by a day of car site seeing along the coast on Tuesday.

3. We had our 9 month old daughter with us

THE HOMEWOOD SUITES; HISTROIC DISTRICT/RIVERFRONT; SAVANNAH GA

Since I’m a Hilton Honors Member, we decided to stay at the Homewood Suites in the Historic District. I was able to use my rewards points which made the rooms almost 1/2 off. At the time of our trip, river view suites with balconies were going for $350/night. We ended up with $168/night base rate which was pretty amazing. The reason we chose the river view side is many reviews online noted a lot of noise from the busy street and construction sites on the city view side of the hotel. I like to sleep good on vacation so that was the main reason to have the river view room. City view rooms were around $200/night at the time of our trip.

This hotel (Red) is on the “far” end of the Riverwalk (Blue) which means there will be a lot of walking to get to the restaurants and shops along the riverfront. This did not bother us too much since we had a stroller and enjoy walking. But it is something to consider if you prefer to be right in the middle of the action and hate a lot of walking, another hotel may be a better option.

You’ll also note the Pirates Restaurant (Green) is less than a block away and super convenient if you’re traveling with kids, as we were. It’s a very child friendly place with some of the best food we found in the area. The map also shows the route (Yellow) we took to Forsyth Park in the heart of Savannah. This is a must see park! More on that in Day 2.!

PARKING NOTE - Parking is valet only and the rate at the time of our visit was $42/night. Many other hotels we looked into were similar in price. Just be aware of that.

THE PIRATES HOUSE

We were starving upon arrival so after getting checked in and unloading the car, we walked over to the Pirates House restaurant. This sprawling multi-room restaurant features a diverse menu with something to please nearly everyone. The kids get a fun menu and paper pirate hat kit that we obviously enjoyed a little too much! We had a “who wore it better” contest on social media. I think Amanda wins. I look like a pirate zombie. There is a gift shop upstairs with all kinds of neat pirate stuff. Personally we found the prices a little on the high side ($40 for a t-shirt) and this trend would continue for the rest of the trip for souvenirs.

Appetizers range from $9-$16 and feature things such as Crab Soup, Crab Dip, Fried Calamari, Spring Rolls, and more. Salads are moderately priced at and average of $12 and looked to be a good size based on what we saw coming out of the kitchen. However, the entree’s are where it’s at! For dinner I ate the Blackend Snapper (Griddle Seared Seasoned Snapper finished with a lightly Spiced Lump Crab Cream Sauce and served with a Fried Grit Cake and Collard Greens.) for $32.95. She had the fresh catch of the day which was Mahi Mahi served with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Brocollini. for about the same price. The meals also come with cornbread and biscuits with butter. All in all a 10/10 for taste and freshness!

VISIT
The Pirates House
20 E Broad St, Savannah, GA
(912) 233-5757
Open at 11AM

NOTE ABOUT WALKWAYS

Something we didn’t discover until later in the week, but there is no easy access from the hotel to the upper street level. While there are numerous access roadways, they are cobblestone and super rough. They are not ideal at all for a stroller. There is only 1 smooth path and that takes you to an elevator at City Hall right in the middle of the boardwalk area. Reference the image below for how the pathways are between upper city walk and lower river walk areas.

MORRELL PARK/RIVERWALK

After dinner we took a quick stroll down the city walk on East Bay Street and the made our way down to the river. The area sort of reminded me of New Orleans in a way. Just a small section of it. There were a lot of folks out and about. We didn’t hang out too long though. Between the driving and eating a ton of food we were all pretty worn out and made it back to the hotel around 8 PM.

DAY 2 - MONDAY

We had a lazy morning hanging out in the room watching the ships go by and ate breakfast at the hotel before heading out for a morning of walking around the city. By the time we actually got out, it was lunch time and we stopped at a Jimmy John’s on the way for a sandwich.

Our end goal was to get to Forsyth Park. It was a long walk but worth it!

We headed back to the Riverwalk area and did some shopping. It ended up raining some while we were out at the River Street Market

After some relaxation and swimming at the pool, we headed out for more walking and dinner around 6PM. We ate at Tequila’s Town Mexican Restaurant and then hit up the Riverwalk again and ate at District Gelato for dessert. It was delicious!

We got back to the hotel and caught a great sunset from the rooftop.

DAY 3 - TUESDAY

Another late morning getting around but we ate breakfast at the hotel again and headed out to do some nature sightseeing. Our first stop was the Oatland Island Wildlife enter.

On a whim, we decided to drive to Jekyll Island and check that place out. Along the way we stopped at B&J’s Seafood in Darien GA - a hole in the wall restaurant - for lunch. I tried to get the blackened grouper but it was super coated in spices. Overall not too bad, but not too great.

We made it to Jekyll Island. Of course, I didn’t read ahead and realize there was an entry fee to even get on the island. Thankfully I had cash on hand. We did a lot of driving around and stopped at a few of the beaches to check out the scene. Amelia got to play in the sand and get got some great shots at the driftwood beach area.

After the beach we headed back to Savannah and got ready to get some dinner. We ended up back at the Pirate Restaurant again since the food was just so good there. Eventually we went back out to the Riverwalk. We tried some night time street photography and had a lot of fun!

This was the last day we spent in Savannah. Next stop Charleston SC!

WHERE SHOULD WE GO NEXT?

We are always on the lookout for new and neat things to see within a 4 hour drive of Decatur, AL. If you’ve got some good spots to visit over a weekend, let me know!

WHAT’S IN MY BAG

When it comes to travelling there are a few things I bring with me on every trip besides just clothes. You can see my full set up in the list below. I encourage everyone to travel with these items as it can save you a lot of headaches and hassle at times!

1. LUGGAGE - Travel Pro is my go-to brand. I have multiple Travel Pro bags, but the small ones are most useful for me since we take a lot of trips that are 4 days or less. Once you experience the quality of these bags, you’ll never want anything else.

2. BACKPACK - LowePro Fastpack 250 - I love this pack because it’s a 50/50 camera and everything else combo. Plus it can hold a laptop or tablet too and it’s all very compact. There’s a newer modified version that looks awesome, is cheaper, and would be better if you don’t travel with telephoto lenses - check it out (Lowepro Truckee BP 250 LX Outdoor Camera Backpack). I may even pick one up for testing!

3. MULTI TOOL - Leatherman Wave - My multitool goes everywhere because you never know when you’ll need it. And it turns out, a lot!

4. FIRST AID KIT - Coleman Mini Kit - This is the perfect size for keeping in your bag and car in case of the minor boo boo, which happens a lot with kids. It’s cheap and effective.

5. CHARGING CABLE - Anker 10’ cable for iphones - I like to have a lot of slack because I never know how far away from the outlet I’ll be. I use to use a 6’ , but found sometimes even that wasn’t long enough. The 10’ doesn’t take up much more space and works great.

6. CHARGING BRICK - Anker Dual Port Charger - This is my go-to travel charger. It’s awesome because you can tie in someone else if needed as well. It’s small and compact.

7. EARBUDS - Apple Airpods Gen 2 - I still prefer these and love them for listening to podcasts and Youtube on my morning walks/exercise stuff.

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Kyle