A little further down I-95, through North Carolina and just over the Georgia border, lies Savannah, Georgia, a charming, quaint little town. The squares! The river! The open container laws and day drinking!
Surprisingly, though, Savannah is great to visit with kids (maybe the open container laws help with that – more on that below under Quick Tips). If you’re looking for a road trip that takes you further than Charlottesville, try Savannah!
Fall is a perfect time to visit Savannah, too – it is an infamous ghost town and has lots of ghost tours and actual haunted house tours. But even if ghost stories aren’t your thing, fall is the best time to visit Savannah because the weather is great; more on this below in Quick Tips!
Where to Stay
While the bed and breakfasts are a popular option (there are so many to choose from, including many that are allegedly haunted), those might be best for when you visit without kids. For kids, there are many hotels that are walkable to many attractions. The JW Marriott in the Plant Riverside District is brand new, and has lots of kid-friendly amenities, like dinosaur replicas and fossils and geodes/crystals in its lobby, as well as a small splash pad, outdoor space by the river and several bars/restaurants on site.
Dinosaur bones inside the JW Marriott lobby.
If you want to stay closer to downtown and the historic district, Thunderbird Inn is a cool, retro motel with free doughnuts, popcorn and lemonade, and the Kimpton Brice Hotel was recently renovated and is right by the river. On the other side of historic downtown is another new area, where a brand new Thompson Hotel is located. All of these hotels have pools to enjoy, as well.
Where to Play
There are so many places in Savannah to enjoy with kids! If the weather is nice, head to Forsyth Park, a massive park with a big fountain, playground, splash pad, restaurant, tennis/basketball courts and an outdoor ampitheater. Ellis Square is another small park with a splash pad and life-size chess pieces/board.
JW Marriott has a rooftop bar that’s actually pretty kid-friendly – Electric Moon has a slide that takes you from the top floor to the bottom floor of the bar, river views, and giant Jenga and other lawn games to play with. Even walking along the river and checking out the shops/restaurants is entertaining to kids – and if you
Other kid-friendly activities include hopping on one of the many trolley tours, walking through Wormsloe, and checking out the Savannah Children’s Museum, the hands-on Artzeum and the SCAD Museum (admission is $10 for adults, but kids under 13 are free!). And if the kids get tired of walking, there are several trolley tours to take advantage of – riding a trolley is always fun for kids!
Eat + Drink
As we previously stated, Savannah is one of the most haunted cities in America, allegedly, and if your kids are into being spooked, The Pirate House is a famous haunted house/restaurant. Leopold’s Ice Cream is famous and delicious – be prepared to wait in a long line because of those factors! Stock up on candy and cookies at Savannah’s Candy Kitchen and Byrd’s Famous Cookies. Collins Quarter is a restaurant in Forsyth Park, but they also have a downtown location with indoor and outdoor seating. If you have a big family, Paula Deen’s Lady and Sons might be a good bet: everything is family style, so you can choose two entrees and three sides (or more) for everyone to share, plus dessert.
Quick Tips
- We visited Savannah over the summer (since it’s a longer road trip, we wanted more time to spend here) but be warned, it will be HOT. There are plenty of fountains and splash pads to cool off, but with the humidity comes the chance of rain and thunderstorms every day, too. Weather-wise, it may be best to visit Savannah in the fall – it’s nice and cool, as well as pretty! Plus, what better time to take advantage of ghost trolley tours and haunted houses than Halloween?
- Wear your walking shoes! It’s very walkable, and you shouldn’t need to drive very much, if at all, depending on where you stay and go. Many hotels even have bikes available to ride around the city!
- There are open container laws in Savannah, which means you can bring alcoholic beverages with you as you walk around the city, as long as they’re in a plastic cups.
