Savannah, GA – June 8, 2010: Looking for a family vacation everyone will enjoy? Bring them to Savannah, GA for a Beach/History getaway, where you can stay in the city’s famed Historic District for an exceptional price, and make daytrips to beautiful Tybee Beach.

Heritage House, a 134-year-old, 2 bedroom/2.5 bath townhome, is renting for just $149 a night, plus taxes and cleaning fees. Accommodates up to six. (Discounted from $199 a night).

The Historic District vacation rental is fully furnished, and walking distance to all of Savannah’s tourist attractions, restaurants, walking tours, shopping and historical monuments. The house is also just a 20-minute car ride to Tybee Beach, which features lovely, public beaches.
It also features:

# High Speed Internet
# A Fully Equipped Kitchen – refrigerator, pots, pans, dishware, silverware, glassware, stove, coffee maker, blender, microwave and more
# 2 Bedrooms with their own private bathrooms
# 1/2 bath downstairs
# Sleeper Sofa (for added accommodations)
# A Private Patio
# Cable television with DVD player
# Linens, towels included
# Dog and child friendly
# Private Walkway

To take advantage of this special summer offer, vacationers must stay in Heritage House a minimum of three nights before August 31. Taxes & cleaning fees are extra. View this adorable historic vacation rental, and get booking information.

This annual fall event showcases some of the most eccentric, adorable, spooky, odd and inviting picnic displays in the Southeast. But more revealing is the people behind these displays.

You’ll find folks dressed up in evening gowns, Halloween costumes, cross-dressers, and a lot more. You’ll find CEO’s, bank tellers and all ranges of employees behind  eye-catching picnic displays that took days,  if not weeks, to create.

And, you’ll see elaborate picnic spreads, including 5-course meals with caviar, fine delicacies and rare red wines.

In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find picnickers with peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and a few chips.

This year’s event was no exception. Check out the photos in the Savannah Morning News for Picnic in the Park. And next year, head to Savannah for this very Savannah-event.

(Need a kid-friendly vacation rental while you’re there, check out Gaston Street Getaway).

Looking to commemorate fallen war heroes this Memorial Day? Head to Savannah’s Historic District.

The famed downtown area hosts multiple Civil and Revolutionary War landmarks that are free and open to the public.  It’s also only 20 minutes by car to Fort Pulaski, a famous marker in the Civil War.

While there are many historical landmarks, here are some of our favorites:

-  The Siege of Savannah landmark. This tribute, just off of Martin Luther King Boulevard in the Historic District, is paid to the second bloodiest battle of the Revolutionary War.  The Siege occurred in 1779, when Franco-American forces attempted to retake Savannah from the British during the Revolutionary War. The siege failed, leaving Savannah in British control until 1782. The landmark  is open 24/7 with no admission fee.

Pulaski Square – This free downtown square commemorates Revolutionary War Hero Count Pulaski, who was the highest ranking foreign soldier to die during the American Revolution.  The square is located on Barnard Street between Harris and Charlton Streets, and was laid out in 1837.  One of the houses on the square used to belong to Francis Bartow, a Confederate hero.

Warren Square – This is another free downtown square. It’s named after General Joseph Warren, a Revolutionary War hero who died in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. It is located at the corner of St. Julian and Habersham Streets.

Fort Pulaski – This fort, named after the war hero,  is about 15 minutes away by car from the Historic District. It became famous in the Civil War, when Union soldiers penetrated the fort with a rifled canon and mortar. The fort holds Memorial Day events on May 23 and May 24th, including Civil War cannon firings and soldier demonstrations. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children 15 and under.

Need a place to stay this Memorial Day?  The Heritage House and Gaston Street Getaways have discounted pricing.

Traveling with children under 6 is always a bit challenging. You need kid-friendly restaurants, plenty of diversions, parks and easy site-seeing opportunities.

If you’re interested in something more historic  and less expensive  than Disney World, you may want to try a Savannah vacation, particularly in the spring/summer months.

Savannah has the best of both worlds. It has a 100% walkable Historic District, with landmarks from the civil and revolutionary wars, as well as Tybee Island, a beach 20 minutes by car. So it’s a great way to split your time and keep both the parents and kids happy.

Historic District for Kids

The downtown Historic District – known for its beauty and rich history – also has wonderful places for kids to play. After living in Savannah for four years, we got to know them quite well (see pics below). Here are some of our favorites:

Roundhouse Railroad Museum – A favorite with boys. This outdoor museum has locomotives and a massive operating turntable from the 1800s. Kids can climb on the trains and let their imaginations run wild.

Whistle Stop Cafe – near the Roundhouse Railroad Museum on MLK Blvd., this cafe is actually a locomotive train. It’s great for breakfast and lunch.

Oatland Island- a wildlife habitat just outside of the Historic District. Plenty of animals to keep the family entertained – birds, alligators, deer, snake and many others.

Forsyth Park – This historic park, off of Gaston Street,  features a nice playground for kids, as well as large fields where they can run around. A coffee shop, the Sentient Bean, is nearby.

More than 20-well-coiffed squares – While these squares are a must-see for parents, kids love to play in them. Almost all the squares have historic monuments, so you can get a nice walking tour in while pushing a stroller.

River Street – While it’s highly focused on tourism, kids love to walk down this cobble-stone street and watch the boats on the river and the trolleys on the street.

There’s also events all spring and summer long that are perfect for kids. A good resource to find them is  Southern Mamas.

Historic District Vacation Rental

To get the best value for your vacation, try staying in a vacation rental in the Historic District, like the Gaston Street Getaway or Heritage House. You can walk to all the activities downtown, make meals in a fully equipped kitchen, and spread out in a house (instead of trying to cram the family into a hotel room).

Moreover, it’s only a twenty-minute ride to the beach. And, you can save money by staying downtown, instead of paying the in-season fees for beach rentals.

Hope Joelle doesn't fall in!

Colby pushing his sister's stroller near St. John the Baptist

Joelle and Colby playing in Forsyth Park

Resting at Forsyth Park

B. Matts (as some locals call it) has a delightful breakfast menu. A few of our favorites include the Shrimp and Grits – stone-ground grits served with bay shrimp and cheddar cheese.

Another nice dish is the French Toast – white chocolate banana bread dipped in  egg/cinnamon/vanilla batter, toasted to golden brown and served with whipped cream.

Prices for every breakfast entrée are under $10.

Besides the wonderful food, B.Matthews has some unique décor and history. The restaurant is very close to River Street, and legend has it that the building used to host a brothel, patronized by sea men who docked their ship about a block away.

Given that the windows are darkened, and passersby can’t see what’s inside, there’s probably some truth to it.

Nonetheless, it’s a wonderful place for breakfast (as well as lunch and dinner) and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. You’ll also get to enjoy Savannah brick first-hand.

Let us know your thoughts. And, by the way, B. Matts is about a mile walk from our historic Savannah vacation rentals, Heritage House and Gaston Street Getaway. So you can burn off the calories even before you even sit down at the table.

- Avoid the tourist restaurants, primarily on River Street. There are plenty of wonderful places to eat throughout the Historic District. Many locals, in fact, go to Bay and Broughton Streets, where they can find diverse food for reasonable prices. A few reasonably priced local restaurants include: B.Matthews, 325 E. Bay Street, Juarez Mexican Restaurant on 420 E. Broughton Street, Saigon Restaurant on 4 West Broughton Street, Kayak Cafe on 1 E. Broughton Street.

- Pick up a free Connect Savannah at many new kiosks or stores downtown. You’ll find many free or low-cost events that are truly enjoyable.

- Stay in a Historic District Vacation Rental: There are plenty of comfortable and well-located vacation rentals available in the Historic District (thanks, in part, to the housing downturn).

These vacation rentals range from carriage houses to homes that can accommodate 10 or more people. They are highly cost-effective for couples traveling with other couples, or families. In fact, vacation rentals will decrease your lodging costs quite a bit. Most also have a fully equipped kitchen, so you can prepare a meal or two daily.

- Visit the Savannah Convention & Visitors’ Bureau on Martin Luther King Blvd. before you begin your touring to pick up free brochures, maps and advice from representatives there.

- Walking the streets provides its own storytelling. You can check out the architecture, wrought ironwork on the houses and plaques in the Historic District’s scenic squares. It will be a truly delightful walk.