Thanksgiving Day in Savannah

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving!  We have no family close by so we decided to spend a few days in Savannah, Georgia.  I knew by researching online that they had Christmas activities planned for the weekend including a night boat parade on the Savannah River.

We arrived on Wednesday evening & then Thanksgiving morning we went to the Visitor's Center to book a trolley tour.  The Visitor's Center was closed for Thanksgiving but the trolleys were running one tour that day at 10am. 

Our guide was very personal & it was really nice seeing Savannah when the streets were empty (almost everything was closed).  There are several trolley tour companies but the one we chose was Ogelthorpe Tours.  They were about $10.00 cheaper than the others there ($15.00 per person versus $25.00), plus you get to ride the bus transportation around Savannah for free the rest of the day.  Since they were closing early that day they gave us a bus pass for the next day.  I strongly suggest getting a bus pass to get around Savannah...even with that you will be doing some walking so wear comfortable shoes.   You can also get just the bus pass without the tour for $5.00.  They give you a map showing the bus stop locations around the city & you can call them to pick you up or wait for the next available bus...around 20 minutes.  Ogelthorpe also runs later than the other tour companies so you get extra time to explore. 

Our next dilema was where to eat Thanksgiving dinner.  We knew that The Pirate's House was open but we had eaten there on our last trip to Savannah & was hoping to try something new.  Our last trip was on an Easter Sunday & they had a buffet that was good but limited, however the building & atmosphere were worth it.  So when we went for the Thanksgiving buffet we were surprised to see that the buffet was huge, filling one whole room that they had set up just for that. 

I cannot explain how awesome the food was...much better than our last trip.  My son who does not eat much even made the comment that "even if he wasn't hungry he was going back for more".  Mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing (out of this world), oyster dressing, squash casserole.....on & on it went.  The salad bar was spectacular & then there were the meats.  Not just turkey but prime rib, chicken, salmon, plus more.  Oh, & the dessert bar....every dessert imaginable!  So you get the idea that our Thanksgiving dinner was spectacular!

After our lunch we drove to Tybee Island to walk on the beach (about a 20 - 30 minute drive).  We drove back to where the Tybee Island lighthouse is & parked there (parking is free on Thanksgiving).   The lighthouse & museum were closed but of course the beach was open & the weather was a perfect 81 degrees.  What a beautiful beach...not crowded at all. 

So if you visit Savannah on Thanksgiving get to the Visitors Center to take the one tour available,  eat at the Pirate's House, & take a walk on the beach...you will not be disappointed.