Stunning Savannah: A Beautiful Bargain During Uncrowded Winter

We love visiting Savannah, but the city's popularity often makes it crowded and expensive to explore. And that's why we like traveling here during the winter holidays, when the crowds are smaller, the to-do list is unique and the city is adorned with lovely seasonal decorations.

Savannah in winter displays its holiday charm and uncrowded destinations -- all at a bargain.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

This year, we made a pre-Christmas trip, thanks to our son, who was performing with the Georgia State University Southern Pride Band at the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Rather than driving up to a bowl game of little interest, we dropped him in Statesboro for his band trip, then headed to Savannah for the weekend.

Compared to prior trips in the spring and fall, we found the city virtually deserted and were able to walk in to every attraction and restaurant without any delay. Plus, the seasonal decorations literally lit up the city, giving it a charming holiday glow.

The seasonal decorations literally lit up the city, giving it a charming holiday glow.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

River Street restaurants and bars welcomed us with drink and meal specials at prices unavailable during peak tourist times. We strolled in and through art and history museums -- and the city's many fun and funky shops -- without having to use sharp elbows and endless streams of "excuse me" pleas. And though we skipped them in favor of our own self-paced strolls, the plethora of tour trolleys we saw were filled with empty seats rather than overstuffed with sweaty summertime sojourners.

The seasonal Christmas Market along the river offered uncrowded shopping for unique holiday gifts.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

We chose a convenient downtown chain hotel where prices were less than half of those during a fall weekend visit. And while we didn't select one of the city's incredible boutique hotels, there were deals aplenty and lots of availability at those locations, too. In fact, a visit to Priceline.com offered a wide array of named and highly-rated lodging options at some of the town's top inns.

Three of our favorite stops on this visit were the seasonal Christmas Market along the riverside, the historic Green-Meldrim House, and St. John's Basilica Cathedral -- all adorned for the holidays.

Decorated for Christmas, St. John's Basilica Cathedral is even more spectacular.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

Plus, we were able to pop in to the amazing and beautiful Gryphon restaurant on the SCAD campus, get a no-reservation table for dinner at the Collins Quarter downtown location, and enjoy an exotic and titilating dessert experience at Better Than Sex on Broughton Street.

Perhaps our most unexpected and enjoyable stop was the A.T. Hun Art Gallery. Not only did we visually feast on the incredible art displays, but on a quiet Saturday morning, we enjoyed hearing some background stories on the display and artists from one of the co-owners. We also found some unique earrings for my wife and a fun "Pete the Cat" print for our grandaughter.

At every stop, we enjoyed the leisurely pace and unrushed service that simply is not available during more popular times.

We're not prepared to say that we'll NEVER go back to Savannah during the lovely and popular spring and fall, but we definitely WILL return during winter.