Savannah, Ga.

Long-time reader, incredibly infrequent poster -- but you all are a well traveled bunch, so I turn to you for travel advice. What are the must-see spots in Savannah, Ga.? I am heading there on Monday for vacation with plans to see the Mercer House (featured in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil). Where else should we visit? Can anyone recommend any good ghost tours?

Thanks for your help, and I apologize if this is a double post. I did a quick search and didn't see any recent threads. Feel free to link an earlier thread if there is one. Thanks!

 

here's a good place to eat (if you don't care about eating healthy)

http://www.theladyandsons.com/

 

I stopped through on a trip last year and had dinner at something Pirate themed. In some very old building. Had a great meal. Very good fried chicken and fried green tomatoes.

Lotta fried foods. Shocker.

 

I'd go to Charleston instead. Savannah is nice but if I was spending a week I'd do about 5 days in Charleston and 2 in Savannah.

 

The nicest thing about Savannah is that it's about an hour from Charleston. Although it's terribly dingy, it is a beautiful city to walk through, with a few decent shopping areas, a decent amount of good food (of which Lady and Sons was not, IMHO) and a terrible downtown bar scene.

 

We'll be down there three full days, and we'll head to Tybee Island Beach one day. I wasn't planning on going to Paula Deen's place since I had heard mixed reviews. I've also been to Charleston before. It's always interesting to get different perspectives, because I have several friends who prefer Savannah to Charleston.

 

Charleston crushes Savannah every day of the year except maybe St. Patrick's.

 

What people love about Charleston:

 

Or inexpensively.

People generally don't come to the South for pizza, but Vinny Van GoGo's is pretty good. It's a couple of blocks off River Street.

Touristy stuff: The Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts) House is there. A walk through the squares and perusal of the markers there is neat for history buffs and free. If you're into lighthouses, Tybee Island has one. Stop in at River Street Sweets and get some pecan pralines.

River Street has some old world charm. Beware the money pit though (the pralines IMO are worth it). There is a marker on the spot where the slave market used to be IIRC.

Fort James Jackson and Fort McAllister are nearby, if you want to see a bit of military history.

 

I really, really wanted to eat at Vinny Van GoGo's. We walked through there before going to the place we had reservations at. Really thought about ditching it and just eating pizza. You can smell that place from blocks away.