We spent 2 full days in Savannah, with 95% of the time being on foot exploring the historic downtown area. Our hotel was the JW Marriott Savannah Plant in the Riverside District. This property is fairly new and encompasses 3 old large power plant buildings with the hotel being the middle one. The lobby is huge and has the original brick and steel beams. Scattered throughout the lobby area are many glass cases containing large gems and stones. A huge silver metal skeleton of a dinosaur hangs from the ceiling. Quite impressive. A long outside patio extends across the back of the property which overlooks the Savannah River. The rooms have the same brick and steel beams and are uniquely decorated. Two nice restaurants inside as well as two fun outside bars offer a great place to grab a bite and a drink. Live music on the weekends near the outside bars was a pleasant surprise. It was just a great spot to spend the evening listening to music and watching the container ships go by. The historic district is just a couple blocks away so we would definitely recommend staying here.

Our Restaurant Reviews page tells of where we dined during our stay.

The first thing we did when we arrived and got settled at the hotel, was to find the hop on/hop off trolley. This is a great way to learn some history of the area, get to know your surroundings and also know where you would want to go back and see. We find this really helpful to do in cities where we have not visited. The next morning we set out on foot to see the sites. The old town park squares, (that are virtually on each city block), have statues of famous historical Savannah figures. In Forsyth Park sits a beautiful white fountain. Funny note - the city of Savannah actually bought this fountain from a mail order catalog and pieced it together - yet it looks like it was handcrafted. The Chandler Oak, which sits just off Forsyth Park is claimed to be the oldest oak tree in the country. The oaks throughout the old city give an eerie but beautiful canopy along the streets. It happened to be Founders Day the day we were sight-seeing and we were lucky to catch some grade schoolers dressed up in historical uniforms and dresses from that area. We also walked through Colonial Park Cemetery where military from both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War were buried, (including British, Americans, Union, and Confederates, due to the multiple times Savannah was captured and recaptured) - many times on top of each other due to the shortage of room. Supposedly it is also one of the most haunted cemeteries in the US because so many people were buried on top of each other. Good story, but we didn’t stick around to find out! St. John’s Cathedral stands as a beacon in the district and is beautifully restored both inside and out. Just walking around and looking at the beautiful homes that have been restored, the tree lined streets, and beautiful parks can be a whole day in itself.

On to our next location - St. Augustine, Florida