Savannah is booming, and, as in the case of Charleston, we’re left to wonder why. The answers mostly have to do with interesting architecture, SCAD, and the general boom in low country tourism. And, at least for some period of time, the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil which cast national attention on the more eccentric parts of Savannah’s culture. To crudely summarize, Savannah is hotter (further south), less polished, less developed, and a bit less touristy than Charleston.
In order to understand Savannah and its growth, you need to understand SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, which has grown in a spectacular fashion in a short period. In 1979 the school opened with 71 students; it now has over 12,000 and is responsible for much of the building and renovation now taking place in the Savannah. You can see this sort of dynamic in other places, such as NYU’s expansion in New York’s Greenwich Village, but because there is so much less competition for space in Savannah, the role of SCAD appears to be more benign, and less fraught with the sort of opposition you find to NYU in Manhattan.
Is Savannah in the LowCountry?
Savannah has also benefited from the general lowcountry tourist boom, of which Charleston is the star attraction. Originally the term “lowcountry” was used to describe the part of South Carolina below the ancient sea coast; this area is generally flat and marshy. The term “Low Country” (note caps) means north of the Savannah River, and does not include Savannah. The term “low country” is often used to describe anyplace in South Carolina or Georgia that is below sea level, and does include Savannah. However, the term has been expanded and manipulated to promote tourism in other areas. But “lowcountry’ does still have meaning in terms of food, culture, and architectural styles.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a book by John Berendt about an actual murder in Savannah, the resulting trials, and the cultural context in which these events occurred. It was published in 1994 and stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 216 weeks – still the longest run of any book on that list. In 1997 it was made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood. When Midnight was on the bestseller lists it was not unusual to see tourists walking around town with a copy of the book in hand.
The Mercer House is at the heart of the Midnight, but there are about 1,000 other historic buildings in Savannah. Also interesting to note is the layout of the city, which is in a town square type grid system which includes lots of nice little parks – a completely different layout than Charleston and one that is worth exploring.It is “the most intelligent grid in America, perhaps the world,” says the urbanist author and architect John Massengale. While that might be going a little far, the Savannah parks also have many of the lovely romantic oak trees endemic to this area, which provide some much needed cover from Savannah’s sultry summer heat and humidity. (For more on the squares, click here) Another interesting point of contrast in terms of urban development of Charleston and Savannah is that while Charleston comes across as mostly “finished” with little vacant space, Savannah is more in redevelopment mode, especially along main drag Broughton Street.
An hour is plenty of time to spend walking along the riverfront area called Riverwalk. One interesting thing about Savannah is that is still very much a working port, and while I saw a huge cruise ship pulled up to Charleston’s harbor, I saw a couple of huge container ships moving right into town when I was on Riverwalk. This is kind of emblematic of the difference between the two cities; the cruise ships go to glitzier Charleston, but Savannah is a bit grittier, and still a working city not yet completely taken over by tourists.
Hotels
The Brice, a Kimpton Hotel. Not really at the right end of town, probably better staying at Andaz and paying a bit more, although at the Brice you have pretty easy access to Broughton Street, which is the developing area. The hotel itself is nice with the usual whimsical Kimpton touches and friendly staff. It’s worth it to spring for a suite if you can afford it, as that essentially doubles your room size. The Brice has a nice inside courtyard which is good for drinks or dinner. There’s also a nice restaurant inside the hotel. But, again, as much as we like Kimpton hotels in general, this one is just not near enough anything to be the best choice.
The convention center on other side of the river only makes sense if the object is to inconvenience attendees as much as possible by making them cross the river to see any tourist attractions. Avoid the Westin next to the convention center unless you just want to play golf and/or go to the convention center, and the few restaurants on that side of the river.
In terms of location, the Andaz is the clear winner here, just because it has the most central location and the easiest walks to restaurants, shops, and most of what you’ll go to see. And it’s a stylish, modern place.
