Savannah Planning - Things to Do

Having resolved the question of where to stay, the next question is what to actually do in Savannah.  While I've read about a few things that appeal to me, I don't have enough to construct a full itinerary.  As I've mentioned before, I tend to get a little fanatical about the planning process, at least partly because I've been to places before and without an itinerary and not known what to do.  Then I've found that I sort of wander and meander around until something strikes my interest, and then after I've left, I find out that I missed the best parts.

My itinerary building process works something like this:  I start by gathering up reading material.  In this case, I have three separate guidebook references.  I have also started going online for the local or state tourism board.  Savannah has a tourism board and a full magazine full of Savannah sights and locales. With a full package of material to work from, I now start reading and filtering.

The first book gives a few interesting starter ideas, which I add to a quick list:  Colonial Park Cemetery, Wright Square, Mercer-Williams House Museum, Sorrel-Weed House, Bonaventure Cemetery, and Forsyth Park all get thrown into the mix as potential stops.  This particular series as a whole tends to be somewhat light on details, but the writing certainly whets one's appetite for travel.

The second book, which happens to be a guide to the entire USA, and therefore, skimps on many places in its attempt to offer the best of the best, and only adds the First African Baptist Church to the list.  It mentions a few other places, but the descriptions fail to pique my interest.

And for this stage of planning, that's basically how it goes.  I'll make a long list of stuff that looks like it might be worth a visit, pulling from the various sources, until I've come up with a gigantic list of stuff to do.  This includes a scan of restaurants as well, so while I'll spare you the details, I'll come back and post my list when we get to the second planning stage.

I will say that it is definitely worthwhile to check the local tourism board.  While travel guides are useful and good, you can find lots of things in the local listings that you won't find elsewhere, ranging from snippets of local history to hidden spots.  Of course, you also have to be ready to sift through the gamut of listings for all sorts of places trying to get a share of the tourism trade, but the local guide can frequently give you ideas for doing something that you wouldn't have thought about otherwise.

Next time, the list, and the second stage of planning.