trying to avoid tourist crowds.

Friday 3/24/2006 is going to be my first time in savannah and I want to get the most out of it and hang out where the locals do. I%26#39;ll be staying in midtown and really want to be as far from the tourist crowd as possible. I%26#39;m a lemonade on the porch,take a walk on a lazy afternoon type of girl but would like to see the antbellum homes, gardens, and everything this city has that no other does. Need advice please. I%26#39;m so excited!

trying to avoid tourist crowds.

The only point in coming to Savannah is the Historic District. That%26#39;s where the tourist crowd is. The antebellum homes and gardens are mostly in the Historic District. This Historic District is what Savannah has that is like no other city. The homes and gardens that aren%26#39;t in the HD, are private and unless you know the owners, you aren%26#39;t going to get to see them.

The District is large enough for you to stroll along through the squares, sit on the benches, take your time to enjoy, do a lot of people watching. You won%26#39;t have to rub elbows with a lot of tourists. This is not like Williamsburg. People live and work in the Historic District. It%26#39;s about one mile long and almost that much wide. There are a lot of places to visit.

If you are staying in the midtown area, you will find that part of Savannah is like any average American city. No Antebellum homes, no gardens, no parks. Just plain old blah. There%26#39;s no where to walk unless you go to the Malls and restaurants in that area. It%26#39;s where the locals hang out.

Really, you can%26#39;t see what Savannah is famous for and get far away from the tourist crowd too. It%26#39;s not possible.

trying to avoid tourist crowds.

I agree with Aileen. Tourism is our #1 industry and the spring is actually the busiest tourist season of the year - bigger than summer. Sorry southernbelle, you can%26#39;t have it both ways here. Please come, enjoy the beautiful city, but anything this great has to be shared with everyone! Plan another trip in December - hardly anyone here at that time.

Thanks for the reply%26#39;s, can anyone tell where to get the best down home cooking besides lady and son%26#39;s and where can I find antique shops please!

Antique shops are mainly on West Broughton Street and Whitaker Street. I think there is still one on West Bay across from the Garden Hotel is.

Mrs. Wilkes is the other main ';Down Home'; style restaurant in the Historic Area. Since you are staying in the midtown area, you might want to check out Taylors which is in the Days Inn on Mall Bvd by the Oglethorpe Mall. Good plain cooking.

Here is a tip you can use in any city with any interest...

Go to http://local.google.com/ and type in and search for the city you are visiting. Once there zoom in a bit on the area of the city you are interested in if you want to refine the search to a smaller area. Click on ';Find business'; under ';Search the Map'; to the right of the Search button.

... and viola! You have identified locations within the area. Also, make sure you use the ';Next'; link below the list of locations as there may be more worthy of note.

It is a GREAT function which can provide reduce your time finding what you are looking for... as my wife always seems to miss out on that last shop that no doubt had the perfect item because she wasted time looking for shops.

p.s. It%26#39;s also a great way to map out a private Pub Crawl for those not going along for the shopping. :)

Regarding the above... for clarity sake, you must type in the item of interest, i.e. ';antiques';, and then ';Search.';

Loads of antique shops in the historic district with Jere%26#39;s being one of the largest.