Downtown Savannah, Georgia is filled with vintage shops, places to grab coffee, beautiful parks and architecture, and so much more.
Here are my favorite things to do in downtown Savannah.
Visit Flannery O’Connor's Childhood Home
The Flannery O'Connor Childhood home was $8 for adults, and the perfect way to spend an hour. The museum is small, but full of history about the famous author. On the guided tour, we learned about Flannery's obsession with birds and her favorite places to tell stories.
I purchased a copy of Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose, and they stamped it for me. Chase and I met a wonderful German author, and we had the opportunity to chat with her about her experience in the States, as well as how he and I met.
Weeks later, she emailed me with feedback about my Drifty Stories, after serendipitously finding my blog name in her purse. This was one of my favorite things to do in downtown Savannah.
207 E Charlton St, Savannah, GA 31401
Experience A Ghost Tour
Chase and I went on a ghost tour in Savannah, and it was wonderful in all of the ways you'd want a ghost tour to be. Creepy, full of history, and chilling tales of ghouls, old spirits, and "energy" that the citizens of Savannah, Georgia can't quite explain, but are very in tune with.
I'm not saying ghosts are real, but Dennis (our guide) told us one of the most common results of the haunted city is the struggle with technology, such as cameras and cell phones. My phone, nearly the entire time we were there, constantly lost track of our location, and gave us wonky directions that had us going all over town.
Judge for yourself... and maybe bring a paper map. Our tour was the Haunted Pub Crawl from Savannah Pub Tours. It was $25 a person, and drinks weren't included. If that's not your thing, there's literally so many other tours to choose from, in the afternoon and the evening.
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Amazing threads 👖 🌞 #savannah #georgia #thrift #thrifty #vintage #vintageclothing
Shop For Vintage At Civvies On Broughton
Civvies is one of the best thrift stores I've been to a long time. Why? Because the clothing is actually used, with time accurate dresses, t-shirts, jackets, and more. If you love old clothing, especially from the 70s - 90s, Civvies is the place for you.
Expect lots of colorful racks of moderately priced apparel. Everything is very well organized and well kept, so it's easy to browse through their selection. There's also a bulletin board with local events pinned up, so there's an opportunity to find something to do there.
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Bunch of drunks at the Prohibition Museum - Savannah #prohibitionmuseum #savannahgeorgia #drunks
Grab a Drink at The Prohibition Museum
The Prohibition Museum is located in City Market, and is an ideal escape from the swampy, humid Savannah air. You can spend anywhere from 1 - 2 hours there. I really enjoyed all of the little stories throughout the rooms. I kept getting spooked by the mannequins (there's a lot), since there'd occasionally be a randomly placed actual museum worker from place to place. I kept jumping when one of the employees would move, something that the smile on his face suggested he was entertained with.
At the end of the tour, you have the option of getting a drink at the museum's hidden speakeasy. As I mentioned in the beginning of the guide, I actually knew the bartender from my first visit to Savannah. He makes a killer drink - I recommend anything gin-based.
209 West St. Julian Street, Savannah, GA 31401 (City Market)
Flip Through V & J Duncan Antique Maps and Prints
This little shop, V & J Duncan Antique Maps and Prints, is one of the most interesting and drifty places I've ever been. I found it on Google Maps, and decided to walk by and see what it looked like. What I found was an extremely large collection of vintage (really vintage) maps and drawings. Some were as old as 100 years.
The price points were extremely reasonable, and they even had books for sale. I'd highly highly recommend this, more than anything else in Savannah. They even had old maps of Iceland. If you're lucky, you'll encounter the owner. If you're really lucky, the small King Charles Spaniel, Emma, that lives there will be out of her pen.
This is one of the most unique things to do in downtown Savannah, I promise.
Browse The Book Lady Bookstore
The Book Lady Bookstore is a great stop while you're walking up and down the squares of historic Savannah. The bookstore has an awesome collection, with features from local writers (such as O'Connor.) From time to time, they host events there, although there weren't any happening during my visit.
The staff also host book signings for authors, occasionally offers warm, homemade cookies, and sells books at community events such as conferences and festivals. If you don't get to the shop, it's likely you'll see The Book Lady somewhere else around town.