Ben had a work conference in Savannah, GA so we joined him for a quick trip before it started and left him behind. Because we did not want to miss any school, we were only able to spend a day and a half in the city, but we made the most of it and had a blast!
Nashville, TN to Savannah, GA (1.5 hours)
We love flying Southwest. There was a non-stop 1.5 hour flight and that made it an easy trip. We had double companion passes from credit card sign-ups. Because Ben didn’t fly back with us, out of pocket we paid for 3 flights. Me there and back and Carter coming back. Ellie was a free companion both ways. Carter was a free companion there and Ben was paid for by his work. You can earn Southwest points from Southwest Credit Cards or by transferring Chase points using the Chase portal. See more tips on using points and miles here.
For more tips on flying with kids, see this post here. See this post here if you need tips for putting together a packing list.
Hyatt Regency Savannah
Because Ben was there for a conference, we were able to use a conference rate at the Hyatt Regency Savannah. This was a great hotel steps away from the Riverfront, and convenient to the trolley and boat routes.
I used my Hyatt credit card to earn points for our next stay. You can earn Hyatt points from Hyatt stays, the Hyatt credit card, and Chase points which can be transferred to Hyatt. Learn more about points here.
We were upgraded with my hotel status to a suite which gave us a big dining space and allowed the kids to sleep in a separate room, a key to sleeping with kids on vacations. Because of our status, breakfast including omelets was comped!
Favorite Savannah Activities
Trolley Ride
The city area was small and compact and we decided to use a hop-on hop-off trolley tour to get an overview of the history and heritage of an area and take us to some sites farther out.
There are a few companies including Old Savannah Tours, a free trolley run by the city, and Old Town Trolley Tours. All had good reviews. The Old Savannah Tour was a little cheaper and had some costumed characters but ultimately we decided on the Old Town Trolley based on how frequent the orange and green trolleys were.
We loved the tour and learned some fun facts about Spanish Moss, the history of a women’s only hospital, details on city fires and lots of other cool city facts.
Forsyth Park
One of the trolley stops and a highlight of our trip was a walk through Forsyth Park. This large park has beautiful trees and plants, a picturesque fountain and lots of beautiful open spaces. The kids loved the large playground! There were also some artists and fortune tellers in the area near the fountain and it was fun to see what they were selling.
We stopped for a quick happy hour at the Collins Quarter cafe for some beer and ice cream. Tons of fun!
Riverwalk
Our hotel was right next to River Street, Savannah’s main waterfront. This area was lovely to walk along and had good restaurants, fun snacks and lots of people watching. We ate a delicious lunch at the Shrimp Factory with pasta and tacos. Later in the evening, the kids and I ate some ice cream and listened to some street performers and had a blast.
This area has many fun shops to sample including pralines at Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, cookies at Byrd’s Cookie Company and delicious honey from Savannah Bee Company. At Savannah Bee, Ben and I gave the kids our phones to play with and enjoyed a mead tasting flight. If you’ve never had mead, I highly recommend it. It is alcohol made from honey and older than wine and beer.
Savannah Belle's Ferry
Near our hotel on the riverfront, there were several cruises exploring the waterfront. Carter asked if we could go on a sunset cruise but we decided we would save that for a future trip. However, we did find a free ferry! The Savannah Belle’s Ferry is a quick small boat that goes across the river from River street to the convention center across the way and back to another stop further up river street. It came every 20 minutes or so and was a nice free activity that helped us save some walking energy. The second stop on River street was near the waving girl and a close walk to the Pirate’s House.
Pirate's House
We stopped for lunch on our second day at The Pirate’s House. There were lots of pirate decorations and cool things to see. There was a lunch buffet with chicken and other sides and there were also seafood and other items on the menu. And the kid’s menu turns into a pirate hat, eye patch and earring. So fun!
Other Activities
Other activities we didn’t get to do on this trip.
Final Thoughts
I loved this city. Everything was very walkable and there was a good mix of history, nature, and other fun sights. This would be a fun stop along the coast with a few days in SC or NC as well.
