Savannah Area Update 2024

I've recently been sharing some places in Savannah to friends who are visiting or thinking about visiting. I thought it would be helpful for me to share that in a new post. Some of these places I've mentioned before and some are new. It's always good to check to make sure these places are still open! Businesses are always opening and closing. 

I'll group things by area. 

Tybee:
Favorite restaurants: North Beach Bar & Grill (casual, mostly outdoor seating), Sea Wolf (fancy hot dogs and other specials, good cocktails and wine), Raw Ingredients (down by the pier, good sushi), Mi Vida (breakfast and lunch, healthy options), Tybean for coffee, Fannies (by the pier, we like their quesadillas), Crab Shack is an experience but kind of touristy

Things to do: bike around the island, watch the sunset on the back pier (https://maps.app.goo.gl/PtbfLEqR9u3W2dmK9), check out what's going on at the Tybee Marine Science Center (they do special walks) and Lighthouse, walk the pier and get ice cream from Seaside Sweets (by Raw Ingredients), Savannah Canoe and Kayak is who we've used for kayak tours
One of my other favorite places to visit is Oatland Island Wildlife Center. It's a small zoo/educational like space with lots of animals. It's between Tybee and Savannah.

Thunderbolt:
Thunderbolt (off of Hwy 80 into Savannah) is where you can visit Bonaventure Cemetery. Also a good restaurant near there is Finches, which has a fun antique store next to it, Seventh Heaven Antiques. Also you can visit RePurpose Savannah which is architecture salvage (check their hours). 

Savannah:
Starland District is around Bull Street and 40th Street (free street parking!)
- Two Tides - our favorite brewery with a food truck and coffee shop (that opens in the morning), also underneath is Smol which is more of a cocktail bar, nice place to hang out
near Two Tides is Starland Yard which has food trucks, pizza, and is like a food hall type space. Near there on Bull Street is Water Witch Tiki that has live music and fun cocktail/tiki drinks. Really fun decor and vibe but not much food.
My favorite antique mall is Picker Joes near there. and across the street is Lone Wolf Lounge which is a fun bar.
In that part of town there's also Green Truck Pub that makes good burgers and Hop Atomica which has food and a brewery and distillery. 
Also Big Bon Bodega has good bagels and pizzas and other foods. It's a popular place so be prepared to wait or order ahead online. 

If you want a nicer restaurant to dress up and go out, we like Common Thread and Local 11 Ten. Or there's plenty in the downtown area. But you probably want to look for reservations. 

Forsyth Park has a market on Saturday mornings. Nearby is also Sentient Bean for coffee and Brighter Day is a market like Rosewood Market. In Forsyth is a Collins Quarter restaurant, towards the middle of the park, it looks busy but they might take reservations. 
There's also some good independent bookstores in Savannah and tea rooms if you are interested in those, check some of my previous posts or google them! 

Riverfront:
Lately we like to go to Plant Riverside District, there's a lot to explore there and there are a couple of outdoor bar/restaurants on the waterfront you can sit and watch boats go by (called District Seafood and District Smokehouse), maybe see a dolphin. Nearby is a Poe's Tavern Restaurant (spun off from the Sullivan's Island Poe's), and Service Brewing which is another good brewery.
Near the City Market is a French bakery - Le Cafe Gourmet, which has good baked goods and crepes. 
One other unique place to eat downtown is Zunzi's, it's a blending of South African and Swiss foods. They opened a location on Tybee too. 

If you want a good walking tour, we have done a few with Architectural Savannah: https://architecturalsavannah.com/ His website also has a good list of recommendations for Savannah. 

For parking in the heart of downtown Savannah, I recommend finding a parking garage that is close to where you want to be. There are a number of them in the area and it saves you the work of driving around to find street parking!