My friends and I wanted to spend our spring break somewhere new and different, and somewhere that wasn’t full of other spring breakers. We wanted something affordable, relaxing, and culturally interesting. After a bit of searching, we landed on the Tybee Island/Savannah area of Georgia. I had spent a night in Savannah years ago on the way down to Florida, and was excited to get to experience the city as an adult with more time to devote to shopping, eating, and visiting historical sites.
The trip ended up being super fun and relaxing, as well as incredibly affordable for a group of college students. I shared a VRBO with 6 other people, and the cost for 5 days ended up being under $200 total per person. We planned on cooking at the house for quite a few meals, and eating out once per day. The house was on Tybee Island, which is about a 15 minute drive from downtown Savannah. It was a 2 minute walk to the beach, which was beautiful and quiet. Tybee in itself was fabulous, and I could’ve easily spent a whole week there without also traveling into Savannah.
So if you’re thinking about visiting the Savannah area, here’s my top 10 places to visit while you’re there.
- Savannah Bee Company
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Savannah Bee Company is a cute shop that sells tons of local honey products, and offers tastings. They have two locations in the city – one of Broughton St. and one on River St. We visited the Broughton location and had a great time tasting their various honey and testing out the creams and lotions they sell. If you’re over 21, they also offer a mead education experience, which was something really cool I had never done before. It’s not super expensive, and you can split the cost with a friend. You get to taste a variety of their locally made mead, which is delicious, and they explain the process of crafting the drinks as well. If you like what you taste, they sell all of the mead in the store.
- The Paris Market & Brocante
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If you’re spending time wandering up Broughton St. (which you should – there’s a ton of great shopping) you should definitely check out the Paris Market. It’s great for window shopping or regular shopping, depending on your budget. It’s beautiful inside, and has a ton of pretty home decor, coffee table books, and other very parisian wares. If you’re into aesthetically pleasing places, the Paris Market is perfect for you. They also have a cafe that’s modeled after one that is in the 6th arrondissement in Paris, complete with outdoor seating (a great spot for Instagram pics).
- Avalon Exchange
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Avalon Exchange is also located on Broughton St. It’s a really great thrift and vintage store. Pretty straightforward – if you’re into thrifting, you’ll like this place. My friends and I had a great time exploring the racks and trying out cool vintage pieces.
- Savannah Coffee Roasters
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If you’re a coffee snob like me, you’ll love Savannah Coffee Roasters. Their coffee is great, and the food is even better. It’s in a really cool old building with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, so it was great for our large group to relax and grab a bite.
- River Street
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If you’re in Savannah, you absolutely have to take a stroll down by the Riverfront. It’s right on the water, so you can watch barges and boats pass by, and it’s complete with old cobblestone pathways. There’s also a ton of restaurants and shops to pop into while you explore, including some delicious candy shops.
- Historic Squares
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Something my friends and I really enjoyed doing was exploring the various squares located throughout the city. Yes, I’m talking about ones like the place from Forrest Gump. They’re all over the place, and are full of lush greenery and benches to take a seat and sip your coffee. If you’re like me and are friends with a bunch of photography majors, they make for a great photo-op as well. Spanish moss? Yes, please.
- Bonaventure Cemetary
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This one is a little bit of a drive outside of Savannah, but definitely worth it in my opinion, especially if you’re into historic cemeteries. It was featured in the book and corresponding film “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. It made for a really peaceful walk in the southern evening sun, and we got to see some historical gravesites. It’s also totally free, which is an added bonus.
- Wormsloe Historic Site
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This is also a bit of a drive – about 15 minutes – outside of Savannah. But if you want to experience the most beautiful tree-lined driveway ever, it’s the place to be. MY friends and I stopped here briefly on our last day just for the photo-op. If you want to visit the actual plantation, it costs money, but you can park at the top of the driveway and take pictures of the gorgeous trees.
- Wet Willie’s
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Moving onto Tybee Island, this one is for my over 21 group. Wet Willie’s is a chain in Georgia that offers a variety of frozen alcoholic beverages. Fun fact: there are no open container laws in Georgia, so you can sip a cocktail while you walk around downtown. My friends and I stopped at Wet Willie’s while we were exploring downtown Tybee on a hot day. They let you mix different types of frozen drinks, so I got a pina colada mixed with a sex on the beach. It was affordable and delicious, and made for a really unique experience.
- Sting Ray’s Seafood
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Finally, a place that offered some of the best food we had while on the trip. After a long day on the beach, my friends and I were craving some good seafood. Sting Ray’s was absolutely delicious, had great cocktails, and super friendly staff. We sat outside and really enjoyed the whole experience.
Overall, it was a great trip. I would go back in a heartbeat, and would highly recommend it for your next little vacation