Trip In May -- A Couple Questions

Hey there! First off, I%26#39;ve been scouring the boards for a couple days now, and I want to thank you all for so much wonderful advice. I%26#39;ve already got quite a bit in mind, and am really looking forward to trying out some of the wonderful restaurant recommendations!

This will be my first visit to Savannah. My friend and I will be driving down from Kentucky at the end of May, arriving (hopefully in the early afternoon) on the 26 and leaving sometime on the 29. We%26#39;ve already booked a room at the 1895 Inn based on all its great recommendations, so I%26#39;m really looking forward to that! We%26#39;re both 22, girls, love history, good food, and relaxing, but a little bit of excitement and adventure, too!

First, I%26#39;m gonna toss out a few of the ideas I have in mind, and see what y%26#39;all think -- if there%26#39;s anything we should skip or add to the list.

For places to eat: Angel%26#39;s BBQ, Olde Pink House, Mrs. Wilkes, Jazz%26#39;d, Geneva%26#39;s, SoHo Cafe... I also love visiting tea rooms, so I was thinking about making a reservation at the Savannah Tea Room. We love good food, and are looking for a mix of nice places to eat out, good home-cooked Southern dining, and a few hole-in-the-wall type places with character.

As far as things to do, we%26#39;re thinking about doing a trolley, walking, or carriage tour, a Haunted Pub Crawl, visiting Bonaventure Cemetary, and just lots of walking around and enjoying the history and scenery. We%26#39;d also like to take a half-day to a day to visit Tybee (we%26#39;ll have a car), see the beach, visit the lighthouse, maybe go to Fort Pulaski and on one of the boat rides to see the dolphins (are there any of these boat rides you%26#39;d recommend over the others?).

Now a couple quick questions about other things we had in mind. Neither of us have ever been to a spa, and we thought it%26#39;d be a really nice treat to get a massage or manicure or something like that. Are there any good spas that you%26#39;d recommend? We don%26#39;t need anything super fancy, just good service for the price.

Also, my friends loves cooking... I%26#39;d heard some good things about cooking classes in the area. Which ones would you recommend and do you think they%26#39;re a good value for the money?

And last, I worked at a movie theatre for five years and looove the movie business. Now, I don%26#39;t want to spend all my time in lovely Savannah sitting in a dark theatre, but I do make a point of visiting any old-fashioned or quaint independent theatres in the places I travel to. Are there any like that in Savannah? And along the same lines, we love live theatre, too, if there%26#39;s anything like that you%26#39;d suggest.

Sorry for rambling on soooo much -- can you tell I%26#39;m excited?! I really appreciate any advice or input.

-Shannon

Trip In May -- A Couple Questions

A must while in Savannah is taking a cooking class at the Mansion on Forsyth, at its 700 Drayton Cooking School...it%26#39;s the #1 activity, for good reason.

Book your spa indulgence at Savannah Day Spa. It%26#39;s one block west of the 1895 Inn, on Oglethorpe Ave. You can walk there in about 3 minutes from the inn. Go online to see the spa menu %26amp; make your reservations.

Savannah has had a lot of movies filmed in and around the city. Take the Savannah Movie Tour with Hollywood Ron Higgins to learn more.

Hope this is a start.

Trip In May -- A Couple Questions

We do have the Lucas theater, just north of Broughton, on Abercorn. It closed after showing The Exorcist on it%26#39;s original run (mid 1970%26#39;S?)and just reopened a few years ago. It is now a performance theater mostly but occasionally movies are shown there and it is worth seeing inside.

http://www.scad.edu/venues/lucas/history.html

Also there are often whacky movies shown at the Sentient Bean, a coffee shop at the south end of Forsyth park. I know it%26#39;s not a theater but it%26#39;s something!

http://www.sentientbean.com/

FYI, I think the dolphin tours leave from River Street, not Tybee.

I%26#39;ve heard that the cooking classes - and subsequent eating! - at Chef Joe Randall%26#39;s are far more satisfying (and the food more authentic and delicious) than those at The Mansion. Depends, I think, on whether you want upmarket (Mansion) or down-home (Chef Joe.). Re theatre: go to Savannahnow.com and look for the theater activities that will be on offer while you%26#39;re here. Lots of good stuff happening in the local theatre scene this time of year.

Thank you all so much for the help! We%26#39;re really looking forward to the trip, and your suggestions will definitely come in handy.

This is a bit late, but here are my thoughts:

Restaurants - I have not heard of Geneva%26#39;s, but the other choices are all great! Angel%26#39;s has the best BBQ downtown, the Olde Pink House is a wonderfully romantic restaurant, Jazz%26#39;d is great for live entertainment, and Soho is the perfect spot for lunch. I would also recommend Il Pasticcio, Local 11 Ten, and Cha Bella. Would also recommend Elizabeth%26#39;s on 37th, but it%26#39;s extremely expensive.

Spa - would definitely recommend the Vanilla Day Spa. It%26#39;s on Broughton near Bull.

If you like movies, go to Leopold%26#39;s ice cream. It%26#39;s owned by a famous movie producer Stratton Leopold, and has a lot of fun things to see.