AARP Hearing Center
When to go
Due to the comfortable year-round climate, Savannah’s visitation (nearly 14.8 million people in 2019) is generally staggered throughout the year.
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Winters bring crisp sweater-laden mornings that turn into enjoyable midday warm-ups. For bursts of color that will prompt a few oohs and ahs, visit in the spring, March-April, when azalea blooms present an enviable backdrop for your selfies, provided a late frost stays north. But just when the perfect temperatures (60s and 70s) arrive in the late spring, so do the “no-see-ums,” tiny flying bugs that bite at dusk and drive you inside for happy hour.
Summers in Savannah are sauna-like, and every day is a bad-hair day. But many businesses offer misting stations to cool you off as you hop the shops. Fall is nearly perfect, with cool fronts arriving in late October or early November.
Try to avoid graduation weekend for the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), which brings thousands to town, along with long waits in restaurants and few vacancies in hotels.
Two special events are worth adding to your calendar. For people watchers, Savannah boasts the second-largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States, with floats, bands, dancers, Irish families — and plenty of debauchery and mischief. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade this is not! Book your trip early to attend the monthlong festival and try to reserve a hotel on or near the route. Staking out a parade-watching spot starts early, along with the green grits and Bloody Marys served in many hotel breakfast rooms. Hotel rates will be higher then, and some require a three-day minimum stay.
If you’re a music lover, the two-week Savannah Music Festival (late March to early April) stages events at different venues throughout the Historic District, with world-class musicians and vocal performers — from country to chamber music to opera.
Ways to save: The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is free, and tailgating is welcome. Pack a picnic for the parade with tasty supplies from Parker’s Market Urban Gourmet. Tickets for the Savannah Music Festival are discounted 10 percent for those 65 and up.
Where to stay
Savannah Travel Guide
Savannah offers plenty of unusual places to stay, including traditional hotels, historic inns, garden apartments and carriage houses. Savannah’s 2.5-square-mile Historic District, America’s largest urban National Historic Landmark, is the most central place to stay. From eclectic room decor, formal tea times, happy-hour traditions and unique-to-Savannah treats, many hotels here lay on the Southern charm, such as the Kimpton Brice (pets welcome). They cost from $250 to upward of $350 per night but offer easy access to downtown.
More budget-friendly accommodations in the Historic District include Marriott’s Springhill Suites, with its perfect location near the downtown action, the Homewood Suites by Hilton or the Doubletree by Hilton, close to River Street.