Things to Do on Hutchinson Island in Savannah, Georgia

Georgia's Hutchinson Island lies in the Savannah River, just south of the South Carolina border and directly across the water from downtown Savannah's historic River Street. The narrow island, consisting largely of marshes and swampland, was once the site of rice plantations in the 19th century. It was later used primarily for industrial activities and Port of Savannah support operations until redevelopment began in the late 1990s. Today, Hutchinson Island is home to a convention center, golf resort, racetrack and water taxi service to downtown Savannah.

Attend a Convention

• The Savannah International Trade & Convention Center, which opened in 2000, is the venue for dozens of conventions, trade shows and other special events every year. The center is composed of a 330,000-square-foot facility that includes 100,000 square feet of exhibition space, 50,000 square feet of meeting space, a 25,000-square-foot ballroom and a 367-seat auditorium. The convention center, which sits adjacent to the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa, is a short ferry ride across the river from downtown hotels such as the Hyatt Regency Savannah and Savannah Marriott Riverfront.

Relax at a Resort

• The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa on Hutchinson Island is a 16-story luxury hotel with more than 400 rooms and a number of amenities, including a spa, a deepwater dock and marina, a golf course, several pools, and a selection of restaurants and bars. Other attractions include a fitness center, tennis courts, bicycle rentals, bocce court and croquet lawn. Regularly scheduled events at the resort include nature tours, stargazing and various children's activities. The Club at Savannah Harbor's 18-hole championship golf course is open to public play; there is also a nine-hole short course perfect for families and beginners. The resort is home to the PGA's Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf tournament each April.

Take a Ride on a Race Track

• Hutchinson Island is home to the Grand Prize of America Road Course, a 2-mile-long race track that includes pit and paddock areas. The road course, located just east of the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa, can be used for private rides, product demonstrations and car shows. It is also the site of the Savannah Speed Classic, an annual vintage car race. The race is part of the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concourse d'Elegance, typically held in late October. For an extra fee, race attendees can have access to the pit and paddock areas. There are also opportunities to take lap rides with professional drivers, test the track in your own car or take a test drive in a sponsor's vehicle.

Hop a Ferry to Downtown Savannah

• The most relaxing Hutchinson Island activity might be simply sitting along the banks of the Savannah River and watching the huge cargo ships, tug boats and riverboats ply the waterway. But if you want to visit Savannah's riverfront shops and restaurants or stroll through the city's market, gardens and cobblestone streets, downtown is only a short boat ride away. Indeed, the Savannah Belles Ferry runs shuttles every 10 minutes between Hutchinson Island and River Street. Downtown Savannah attractions include the Georgia State Railroad Museum and the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum. Or take a tour of Old Fort Jackson, a brick garrison used in the War of 1812 and Civil War. The fort is located 3 miles east of River Street, just across the river from the eastern tip of Hutchinson Island.

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Romantic Stuff to Do in Savannah, Georgia

Named one of the most romantic U.S. cities, Savannah, Georgia, has plenty to keep you and your sweetie in a romantic mood. Lovebirds by the thousands have enjoyed the sultry beauty of Savannah’s Old South charms, whether by strolling through the many squares and parks, enjoying a romantic meal or touring the historic district by carriage. Take advantage of Savannah’s storied past by partaking of a unique romantic activity during your next visit with your special someone.

Inns and Hotels

• Set the romantic mood from the beginning by choosing the right accommodations. Savannah is seemingly overflowing with romantic hotels, inns and bed and breakfast establishments. Choose a room at the Olde Harbour Inn that has a balcony overlooking the riverfront. The bed and breakfast is in the ideal location along the Savannah River close to many city attractions you’ll want to explore and is supposedly haunted as well; maybe you can catch a glimpse of “Hank” in the halls. The Foley House Inn is actually two grand mansions on Chippewa Square with private carriage house rooms in addition to rooms overlooking romantic gardens. Enjoy evening wine and hors d’oeuvres in the secluded courtyard before heading out to explore the city’s Historic District right outside the inn’s doors.

Tours

• One of the best ways to explore Savannah, especially if your time is limited, is with a guided tour. Trolley tours allow you to jump on and off at different stops, but sharing a trolley with dozens of other people isn’t conducive to romance. A walking tour can give you a peek into Savannah’s historic homes or allow you to get to know the city’s many ghostly inhabitants. Couples can enjoy the city’s fascinating and romantic history on a private, evening horse-drawn carriage tour. Don’t be afraid to ask your guide to customize the tour for you. You can arrange for the carriage to pick you up at a romantic restaurant and deliver you to your inn at the end of the night.

Squares and Parks

• Majestic oak trees, fountains and monuments fill the green spaces of the 22 city squares. Stroll through and appreciate the fountains in Orleans and Columbus squares, or enjoy a quiet moment in the gazebo in Whitfield Square. Several monuments, fountains and secluded benches make the 30-acre Forsyth Park on Bull Street an ideal way to cap a romantic evening or to enjoy a private picnic lunch. Enjoy river breezes while strolling through Morrell Park on the riverfront. The city is also home to many pocket or vest parks tucked into side streets and just off cobblestone streets. Discover them while strolling through the city.

Restaurants

• Savannah is home to many romantic restaurants, including the Olde Pink House in Planters Inn on Reynolds Square. Head down to the tavern bar in the basement and relax on the couch with a drink from the bar while you listen to the pianist. For an especially romantic touch, have one of the singers serenade you both at your table. Piano players and ghostly visits are common at the quiet and romantic 17Hundred90 Inn restaurant. Fireplaces and brick floors help create a cozy atmosphere for intimate meals. Dinner at the Sapphire Grill means a secluded, candlelit table where the servers are knowledgeable and quick to suggest the perfect wine pairing. A converted building on Congress Street, the Sapphire Grill is within the Historic District and within an easy after-dinner stroll of the riverfront.

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Haunted Trails in Savannah, Georgia

According to the American Institute of Parapsychology, Savannah is America’s most haunted city. Within its city limits are haunted houses, taverns, graveyards and places so odd that they inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write “Treasure Island” and John Berendt to pen “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” And since seeing is believing, this historic slice of the Old South abounds with a whole plethora of ghost tours to introduce you to all those “ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night.”

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Ectoplasm

• One of Savannah’s most infamous locations is the Pirates' House in Old Fort, near the Savannah River. Built in 1753, this restaurant and inn was frequented by sailors, privateers and pirates. The brick-lined tunnel beneath the house that leads to the river was used to "shanghai" unwary patrons into impressment for sea duty. Savannah Tours offers dinner at this notorious eatery complete with a visit to the rum cellar to glimpse the secret passageway. Savannah Tours also has several narrated walking tours of the Bonadventure Cemetery, including an after hours tour where guests are locked inside the graveyard for two full hours.

Terror in Stages

• You can take on the ghosts in stages with Ghost Tours of Savannah, which offers tours that are family friendly, spooky and mysterious or just plain frightening. The family friendly "Grave Tales" tour visits ghosts in residence at the Kehoe House followed by a trip to the Pink House, an eatery plagued by troublesome spooks. The "Beyond Good and Evil" tour visits the Hampton-Turner Inn along with the Mercer House which was made famous in “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” For the especially brave, the "Dead of Night" tour slips down Savannah's alleyways to the darkest trails in town.

All Aboard the Trolley of the Doomed

• The Ghosts and Gravestones tour group takes guests past ancient cemeteries and antebellum mansions aboard a “trolley of the doomed” to visit two haunted locations exclusive to the company: the Gribble House and Perkins and Sons Ship Chandlery. The Gribble House was the scene of a triple murder in 1909, described by the Savannah Morning News as the most diabolical crime ever committed in town. And if the vivid orbs and electric pulses regularly felt there aren’t enough, the tour continues to Perkins and Sons, said to be the paranormal epicenter of the city. If you think your heart can take it, these fully narrated tours are over an hour in length.

One for the Road

• For something a little more novel, Hearse Ghost Tours cruises the cemeteries in otherworldly style by packing guests aboard its fleet of real hearses. Each vehicle was in service for at least 15 years before being refitted to carry living passengers. Another quirky option is the adults only “Boos and Brews” tour. Offered by Tara Tours, “Boos and Brews” is a narrated excursion through the haunted Moon River Brewing Company building, established in 1821 and “notoriously haunted” by a plethora of angry ghosts. If that’s a little hard to swallow, adult beverages are available for purchase on site in special cups so that guests can carry their own "spirits" along with them.

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Attractions Within 50 Miles of Savannah

With a history dating back nearly 300 years, public squares draped in Spanish moss and antebellum homes, Savannah has an array of attractions. Nearby beaches provide you opportunities to fish, swim and boat, while the temperate weather enables you to explore the outdoors and golf throughout the year. You'll also find abundant museums, shops and restaurants in and around the city.

Savannah Splendor

• Tours can provide a good orientation to downtown Savannah and give you an overview of the city’s history and lore. Viewing the squares and Forsyth Park from a carriage, trolley or pedicab -- or strolling through them on foot -- is an essential part of any visit. If you like history, you’ll find plenty, from churches dating to the 18th century to antebellum architecture to 18th and 19th century graveyards such as Colonial Park and Bonaventure. House museums include the birthplace of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low and the Green-Meldrim House, where General William Tecumseh Sherman stayed during his occupation of Savannah during the Civil War. If you’re an art aficionado, you can choose from numerous galleries, including the Jepson Center for the Arts, the Telfair Museum of Art or the Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art. Don’t miss River Street, a cobblestoned road with the Savannah River on one side and hotels, boutique shops and quirky restaurants on the other.

Touring Tybee

• If you want to hit the beach, travel 18 miles east of downtown Savannah to Tybee Island, where you’ll find public access oceanfront stretching for 3 miles. Join a dolphin tour, charter a fishing boat or fish from the piers. While breakers usually remain fairly small, offshore storms sometimes generate waves large enough for surfing. Three miles before you reach Tybee proper, you’ll pass Fort Pulaski, built in 1829 and occupied by both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War. You can walk around the fort, follow walking paths to the Savannah River and tour a museum with information about the war and the fort’s history. Among another attractions is the Typee Island Lighthouse, built in 1732 and open for self-guided tours. The attached museum traces the area’s history, from the first European explorers to the present. The Tybee Island Marine Science Center provides educational programs about coastal ecosystems, including beaches and tidal marshes.

Heroic History

• For post-Civil War military history, visit the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, between downtown and the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. The museum focuses on the World War II aviation squad, with exhibits showcasing not only the plans and accomplishments of the Eighth Air Force but also the war's overall military history, the experiences of fighters and prisoners and the role of women.

Island Ecosystems

• For a nature-based experience, check out Skidaway Island State Park just outside Savannah. Trails with interpretive signs acquaint you with coastal marsh, hummock and maritime forest ecosystems. You also can see the remains of Civil War breastworks looking out over the water. An on-site museum contains exhibits about the park's animals, both present and prehistoric, and you can camp on the grounds.

South Carolina Spirit

• Around 30 miles from Savannah, you'll find the resort community of Hilton Head Island, home to 24 golf courses that, thanks to the area's mild climate, can be used throughout the year. A large outlet mall, with more than 200 shops and around 250 restaurants, rounds out the island's offerings. About 20 miles from Savannah stands the historic community of Bluffton, filled with restaurants, galleries, boutiques and antebellum churches and homes. Overlooking the May River and near the ocean, Bluffton also provides access for boating and water sports. Beaufort, another historic town around 40 miles north of Savannah, showcases its antebellum grace through guided bicycle, boat, carriage and walking tours.

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