Travel Guide Savannah Georgia | Roadtrip USA (5)

After picking up our RV in Baltimore MD, we did some miles on the east coast of the USA† We were really looking forward to nicer weather! As a result, we cruised at a rapid pace through the states of Virginia, North and South Carolina, before visiting the beautiful city of Savannah in the state of Georgia.

Also read: Home roadtrip USA | Camper pick up in port of Baltimore and first night

About Savannah Georgia

Savannah is the oldest city in the state of Georgia and it's on the Savannah River. The city was founded in 1733 by English settlers and it was the capital of the colony of Georgia at the time. The city is surrounded by swampland. The climate is subtropical and that is immediately apparent from the vegetation.

Savannah is heavily frequented by tourists. More than 2019 million people came in 14! Unfortunately, after some research, I can't find where these tourists come from. We suspect that these mainly come from other states of the US…

Parking

Parking in the city is possible in one of the many streets. You pay by means of a parking meter. We have our camper on the opposite side placed from the river, at the Savannah Convention Center† A cute little ferry called Savannah Belles Ferry takes you from there free to the other side.

Tip:: take a good look around you from the ferry. You have a nice view of the city, the Georgia Queen Riverboat (when she's not out there) and with some luck you can see dolphins!

Things to do and see in Savannah

1. Just drive around

If you travel with a camper or car, you can of course also just drive through the city! You immediately get a picture of the city. We drove through the city on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. You can view the images below.

2. Book a tour

Trams run through the streets of Savannah that act as a kind of hop-on-hop-off bus. Obviously these tours take you to all the sights, but there is more…

After all, they are not standard tours of a Sight-seeing chain that you see in the major cities around the world… These tours are offered by real local companies and retirees who live there tell you live about the city and answer all your questions about what it is like. that little bit extra.

You can opt for historical tours but also ghost tours that take place at night. Savannah is known for its haunted buildings and scary trees (more on that in point 5, the Spanish moss).

The different tours, whether or not in combination with riverboat tours, are here bookable from USD 36 per person.

3. Cycling or just walking around

You will also see many tourists on bicycles. Sometimes they are in a large group and sometimes they are tourists who get a private tour. There are many different providers of bicycle rental, Segways and bicycle tours. You can book a tour yourself here .

Of course you can also choose to just walk around the city. That is also a good thing to do! The town is not that big and when it's hot, plenty of trees provide shade. We do like walking and walked around here for hours without a goal.

4. Visit the many Savannah Squares

In 'Downtown Savannah', including the historic district, you will find no fewer than twenty-two small parks, so-called squares. Each square has its own name. Often the name of a historical figure to honor or commemorate him/her.

5. Forrest Gump / Chippewa Square

Fan of the movie classic Forrest Gump† For the park Chippewa Square the scene was shot where Forrest tells his story to strangers at the bus stop, just before catching the bus to visit his beloved Jenny. The bench is no longer there, they have secured it in the Savannah History Museum due to its enormous popularity. one of the scenes at the park can be seen below via YouTube.

6. Forsyth Park

The largest park in the city is Forsyth Park† There is a beautiful fountain, a playground and you can practice various sports. We were there on a sunny day and the park was very busy!

The 21-hectare park dates back to the 1840s and several benches, fountains and fences were installed in the 1850s. Originally the park was intended as a park for military parades but over the years it became a popular park for the locals.

What is striking about this park, and actually in all of Savannah, is that you see the trees full of moss everywhere. It is a kind of Spanish moss that was brought here hundreds of years ago and has since become an indispensable part of the city. The moss gives a ghostly impression to the trees in Savannah, especially at night.

7. See the colonial houses and buildings

You will find beautiful colonial houses and other buildings around the squares, but also in the streets of Savannah. They make you feel like you've stepped back in time. You just have to wander the streets to see them. In fact, everything here is maintained down to the last detail. The colorful paint on the buildings and the perfectly maintained parks and gardens show that the street scene is very important here.

8.Independent Presbyterian Church

If you don't pay attention, you can easily pass the building through all the greenery, but this beautiful church rises just above the treetops and is definitely worth a visit. It seems as if the church is brand new, it is that beautiful. Yet the building dates back to the 1800s and what makes this church so unique is that it is stark white from the inside. The large windows and the white walls and ceiling (which has been beautifully decorated) give this church a unique vibe that you are not used to from a church.

Unfortunately the church was closed to visitors when we were there but if you get the chance to go inside I would absolutely do it. on the website from the church you can see what it looks like from the inside.

9. Drink coffee at the best coffee bar

The Gallery Espresso coffee bar (location here ), is the best coffee bar in town. I'm not just saying that, this is the conclusion I draw from the countless reviews written about this business online. Not only can you get well-prepared coffee there, you can also buy numerous coffees and teas per pound to take away.

Inside you mainly see locals working on their laptops while enjoying a good cup of coffee. Fortunately, the coffee bar has both indoor and outdoor tables and what makes it extra fun is that this bar is located on the corner of the world famous park (Chippewa Square) where scenes from Forrest Gump were recorded, as you could read in point 4. So combine these 2!

10. Graveyard

11. Cathedral Basilica of St John

From many places in the city, especially from the famous cemetery, you can already see the two towers of the Cathedral Basilica of St. John above the trees. This building also looks like it has just been put down, maintained to perfection. But that hasn't always been the case.

The cathedral was built in 1873 and the two spires were not added until 1896. The building was then badly damaged by a heavy fire in 1898 and was then completely restored in 1899. The stained glass windows date from 1904 and come from Austria. In 1998 the church was completely restored again and in 2022 it still looks like new.

This church is also beautiful inside, but unfortunately we couldn't go inside either. It was Sunday and several closed services were open only to locals.

12. Skidaway Island

South and half an hour's drive from downtown Savannah is Skidaway Island. It is a state park where you can camp, picnic, hike and cycle.

We paid $5 USD for parking and rented two bikes for $20 USD for two hours. It was a lot of fun in the area! There is a bicycle route right through the nature reserve and along the way there are various signs with information about nature and the animals that live there.

After our bike ride and a nap we went for a walk. Camping was a bit too expensive for us (about $50 USD per night), but we still secretly made use of the showers at the campsite.

Where we stayed (wild camping)

Savannah has many beautiful hotels and B&Bs in colorful houses. However, we have our camper and a limited budget, because you can't stay in hotels and campsites for 50+ dollars a night for a year, because then you will go bankrupt haha.

1. Millstone Landing

That is why we chose a wild camping spot in nature. We found it on the iOverlander App half an hour away from the city center. Mill Stone landing at Hardeeville is where we stayed. It is a parking lot with a boat ramp. When we arrived, fishermen were still dragging their boats out of the water. Later in the evening the parking lot was empty and at night it was dead quiet.

It was wonderful to wake up here in the morning. The mist still hung over the river as the sun slowly emerged over the treetops. It was only half past seven in the morning but there were already several cars and trailers on which boats are transported. So there were already a number of fanatic fishermen out early.

2. Rodney J Hall Boat Ramp

After spending a day in Skidaway Island State Park, we found a camping spot nearby. This was also a parking lot with a boat ramp. There were also picnic tables, toilets (not too many!) and a small beach. The Rodney J Hall Boat Ramp we also found on iOverlander. In the night it was still a coming and going of cars. but also here it was finally wonderful to wake up with the rising sun.

The parking lot is right next to a nature reserve and we saw a small deer very close to the camper, which didn't care much for us. There are also about 10 local cats who are busy hunting in the swamp, which was nice to see. The cats belong (we think) to the only resident of this place, a small house where fishing equipment is also sold.

Seen a mistake? Ask? Remark? Let us know in the comments!

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