I have ALWAYS wanted to visit Savannah, GA and finally we planned a family getaway to Savannah & Tybee Island. In addition, Chloe had never been to the beach & this was a great opportunity to do that as well:) Here is the story of the Fulbright Adventures in Savannah & Tybee Island:
Our drive seemed long, but we did very well to get there in 4 and a half hours (I drove most of the way down - can you believe that?). We left at 4am and arrived in Savannah around 8am.
During our stay, we...
Checked into our hotel (which I must say was fabulous, as it had an amazing view of Talmadge Memorial Bridge that crossed over the Savannah River into South Carolina.
Our accommodations were very nice and I would reccommend the Hampton Inn & Suites to anyone who wants a great view, good service, parking, and access to all the hot spots (within walking distance - meaning, if WE can walk it, ANYONE can walk it from this hotel...lol).
River Street was A-Mazing!!! This was one of my favorite places to be, as it was a pleasant place to sit, relax, watch the large (SUPER large) ships come into the river, and listen to some local artists.
I believe this was Chloe's favorite as well (she says), as she took to one of the local guitar players (and he was happy she joined in with him with her dancing abilities). He played his guitar, sang, and Chloe danced her heart out. He was not the only local artist - there were TONS!! He kept telling Chloe that she made his night, because she was bursting with energy and a smile:)
One of the nights we were down on River Street, Shannon did something very sweet <3 - there was a local artist who created flowers using shaved palm tree bark. While Chloe was playing on the US Tinkerbell (see below...lol),
Shannon had snuck over and requested a heart/flower for myself and a flower for Chloe. He came over & gave me a peck on my forehead and handed me the heart/flower... *sigh* how sweet!!!! He can be a pain sometimes and the jokester that he is, but he can also be the sweetest guy!
Tybee Island - During our stay we spent time on the north and south ends of Tybee. The pier on the south end was beautiful, and this area seemed to be the most populated, although not crowded.
On the north end, it was less populated and we spent an evening on that end. The tide began to come in and the waves began getting more intense, which was great for Chloe & Shannon (aka: The Adventurous Surfers...LOL). Great waves!!
We watched the sun set over the horizon of the island and it was so peaceful.
On our first visit to the beach, we stopped by afterward for some ice cream at Tradewinds (Tybrisa St. near the pier). YUMM-O!! Shannon had Bannan Fudge (which he loved), Chloe had chocolate, and I had strawberry - definitely some great homemade coldness!
Ghost Tour - The ghost tour (Ghost & Gravestones) was alright.
I was expected something a little more spooky, but it was spooky enough for Chloe, as she requested we NOT do another one...LOL! We rode a trolly throughout town as our 'ghost host' (as the lady called it) told ghost stories about the folks that used to live in the Savannah area. We would stop at different homes as she would retell the stories, and while we were going along... I shot a photo of one of the locations (so angry at myself for not remembering the name of this site) and it has a strange mist. You tell me what you think it is...???!!??
Was a little freaky when I took it and noticed the mist - almost looks like a headshot of someone (shoulders & head), but Shannon thinks it looks like a thumbprint shape? What do you think?
Swimming - Chloe just HAD to swim in the hotel pool, so we spent a lovely evening relaxing and playing.
She met some very sweet girl scouts (from Pennsylvania & California) to play with while we were swimming. She joined right in, as she always does with people...lol. She usually does not meet a stranger - very much like her daddy!
Dining - We had some great eats while in Savannah & Tybee. I will not bore you will too many details, but a few highlights in case you would like to try them. ALL of the food we ate was wonderful - they certainly did NOT disapppoint down there! We ate at Spanky's on River Street (you have to be careful the places you go into with kiddos, as there are a lot of bars/pubs), so this was a great choice and was suggested by a local. Appetizer was chili cheese fries & they were SO good! Shannon had a chicken sandwhich type thing, I had their oh so tender chicken strips (which they are known for), and Chloe had a hot dog (typical child, right?). In Savannah, we stopped on Broughton Street (very much filled with shopping, dining & clubs) we ate at B&D Burgers, which Shannon saw had alligator meat, so he HAD to go there...
I had a club (so tasty), and Chloe had (I cannot remember...lol). Shannon also had the Island Hotdog, which he says is the BEST hotdog he has ever had!!! Leapold's ice cream on Broughton Street was also very delish one evening as we were strolling through town.
I had Honey Almond Cream on a waffle cone, Chloe had Chocolate Chocolate Chip (which I tasted & was very rich - she loved it & wore it on her face pretty nicely..lol - see above photo) and Shannon had Mint Chocolate Chip:) We peeked inside the SCAD theatre just beside Leapold's and it was a very old-fashioned theater, with lots of charm. Another place in Savannah we ate at was Locos (established originally in Athens, but we have never been).
It was CRAZY that night, as it was the final NBA Finals game, which we had been following & wanted to watch anyway...so that was nice having a billion big screens all around. This was a 2-story restuarant (also on Broughton Street) and the large glass windows were amazing to see from, so Shannon requested we sit at the top for Chloe to see the town lights - was very lovely.
The food again was yummy! Appetizers were nachos for Chloe & Shannon & I wanted to try their potatos with cheese & ranch (both were good, as I had an order of nachos for my meal - too much too eat, as mine was a HUGE portion...phew). Shannon had the Bristo steak, which the waiter suggested & he loved it; Chloe had a cheese quesadilla and mac-n-cheese. She did not eat the mac-n-cheese, so not sure it was good. She was tired, so it could have been that she was just worn out! The last place I will tell you about is Uncle Bubba's, which we all fell in love it - the scenery was beautiful (as it is on the way to Tybee Island) and the food was DELISH.
We had Boom Boom shrimp as an appitizer, and you also get little bread muffins, which were mouth watering). Shannon had a trio - blackened fish, shrimp, scallops with grits & cole slaw; I had blackened shrimp, cheese grits & loaded baked potato - was wonderful!! Chloe had grilled cheese & cheese grits - she tore up those cheese grits...LOL! It was a very nice atmosphere & our waiter was great! Shannon wanted me to add - that this food was GREAT!!!! See why we are so chunky - we LOVE to eat!!!!
Out & About - We wanted to cross over the Talmadge Memorial Bridge some time, so we did while coming back from River Street one night (actually like 1am) - Shannon & his crazy self STOPPED on the bridge (which is illegal, I think) for me to take a photo of him. It did not turn out great, as I was scared crazy of getting into trouble (yup, that's me) and rushed it.
We spent some time roaming throughout the squares of Savannah, but never made it to all of them. Along the way, we saw some beautiful homes, sites, architecture, etc.
The trip to the cemetary was the most fun, as we looked at the old grave sites.
Then, Chloe decided to hide behind a tree and begin a ghostly whisper, "Shannon.... Shannon...." Of course, Mr. Fulbright joined in the fun and scared her behind that tree on the other side.
We also took a short ride to Tybee Island Light house and did some shopping along the way...
We had tons of fun on our trip along the way. This is definitely a trip we will never forget, and is a location we all plan on going to again in the future. I posted a ton of pics on my Facebook page with more little details and things... please check that out as well:)
