Travelzoo Best Bets: Where to Go in 2026 with Visit Savannah

Savannah never makes you choose between ease and depth; it delivers both the moment you start exploring. In episode five of our 10-part Travelzoo Best Bets Series, Dan and Travelzoo Senior Editor and co-host Gabe Saglie sit down with Supriya Christopher of Visit Savannah to map out how America’s first planned city blends oak-shaded squares, layered history, and a surprisingly modern creative pulse that feels made for 2026. With the 250th anniversary of the United States and one of the nation’s largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on deck, this is the year to discover why the best souvenir here is memory, not merchandise.

We break down the intuitive grid that makes Savannah effortless to navigate, then uncover the unexpected: City Market’s interactive museums, First African Baptist Church’s profound legacy, and a festival calendar that transforms historic theaters into intimate cultural stages. Food lovers will find a city far beyond Southern comfort, with James Beard–recognized chefs, Vietnamese and Southern fusion, and a cocktail scene that rewards curiosity. If you still picture Savannah as fried green tomatoes and pralines, this episode will update your palate.

Venturing beyond downtown, the landscape expands. The Moon River District, Wormsloe’s iconic live oak avenue, and the Pin Point Heritage Museum connect coastal ecology with cultural memory, while Tybee Island serves up dolphin-dotted waters and unfussy beach days. Along the riverfront, Plant Riverside and Eastern Wharf showcase a reimagined waterfront where art, music, dining, and ship-spotting coexist. Ghost tours and Bonaventure Cemetery offer atmosphere, but the city’s true pull is its honesty as Savannah holds its complex history with care and invites visitors to explore it thoughtfully.

We close with who Savannah suits best: creatives, multigenerational families, solo wanderers, luxury travelers, and anyone craving immersive travel that feels personal and unhurried. If 2026 is your year to slow down, savor more, and travel with intention, Savannah is where that journey begins.

New episodes drop every Tuesday, each featuring local experts who bring these Best Bets to life. Become a member at travelzoo.com to access exclusive offers.

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Transcript

Series Setup And Why Savannah

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Savannah is resonating with travelers because of what we just talked about, right? It blends ease and authenticity. And I think authenticity and experiential moments are what travelers are seeking right now wherever they go.

Savannah’s Planned City And Walkability

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to our travel trends and travel zoo best bets destinations series for 2026. This is your host, Dan Christian, and incredibly, we're already on episode five of our 10-part series. And I'm gonna bring my co-host in in a moment, Gabe Saglier from Travel Zoo. But just before I do, a very quick recap. We started this series a few weeks ago with Jonathan Jones from Travel Zoo, who provided an overview of these best bets and the background that they started on this series last year. And then Andrew Jones joined us from Travel Zoo to reveal the full list for US and Canadian travelers. And today we have Savannah, Georgia, which is on the US list, but I know it's very appealing for Canadians and other international travelers as well. And then we had Arizona talking about Route 66, which was the very first episode as we looked at the 250th anniversary of the US and the 100th anniversary of Route 66, which next week we're actually going to pick up the conversation where Route 66 begins, and that's in Chicago. But last week, we went all the way across to Europe and talked to Visit Finland, which is absolutely now on my list for travel for 2026, and I'm sure will be for many of other listeners as well. So I encourage you to check out all the episodes we've had so far. And going forward, we're not only going to have Chicago, but we're going to be talking about Niagara on the Lake and then Columbia. So many great episodes to follow, which we release every Tuesday with Travel Zoo. So make sure you're subscribed on the streaming platform of your choice to be notified when new episodes go live. And also make sure that you have a Travel Zoo membership, which you can sign up for just a dollar for the first month to take advantage of the travel deals to all these destinations. Because one of the many benefits of being a Travel Zoo member is that you get access to that top 20 list early. So you have the best access to availability and that pricing. So definitely take advantage of getting a membership. I mentioned in our last episode it was a Christmas gift for all of our team members starting 2026 so that they can not only take advantage of the destinations that we highlight, but any of the deals that come through over the course of the year. But let's bring in my co-host, Gabe Sagli from TravelZoo, to introduce our guest for today. Gabe, welcome back to Travel Trends. Always great to have you.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

I love the fact that we are sort of moving across the globe, Dan, with these destinations. Uh, and we're staying within the U.S. for this one. As you know, we have on the U.S. best bets list for 2026 four domestic destinations and uh a lot of history uh within the United States in 2026, the 250th anniversary of uh of the United States. And so we've got Pennsylvania on on the list, 100th anniversary of Route 66, and we've got Arizona on the list. But you cannot speak about uh the history of the U.S. without uh touching on Savannah, Georgia, uh, which uh has a history that stretches uh w you know beyond uh the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, America's first uh planned city, and I think a destination uh well known uh for a uh classic southern charm that has is enduring and yet ever evolving. Uh so a destination that I got to visit uh as a kid many years ago. So as a seasoned, I think a more seasoned traveler now down, I'm looking forward to reconnecting, going back to visit uh Savannah, Georgia in 2026. Sopria Christopher uh is the director of public relations with Visit Savannah. Sopria, welcome to the show. You've been with Visit Savannah for two years, a resident of Savannah for five. Um so tell us a little bit about your role, the role and and what Visit Savannah is in the business of of doing when it comes to attracting travelers to this wonderful little town. And then five years in, what do you think? Uh you've lived in the South before, but what what's life in Savannah like?

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Absolutely. So, first of all, thank you for having me on your podcast. It's a thrill to be with both of you and talk to travel experts and the travel industry about uh all that's happening down here in Savannah, Georgia. And you're absolutely right. This is a great time to visit Savannah for a multitude of reasons, which I know we're gonna get into on the show. But I have uh had the privilege of being the director of public relations for Visit Savannah, where I get to interact with travelers, with travel agents, with the media, with folks just interested in having conversations, historians, preservationists, community leaders, all of these folks that make our unique destination what it is today. I love living in Savannah, Georgia, because Savannah, Georgia has really evolved while staying the same. And the phrase I always like to use is I love the new old Savannah because Savannah will always be old in its own ways. You touched on the fact that we're coming up on 250 years of the United States, and uh you're absolutely correct in saying you can't tell that story without talking about Savannah, Georgia. We're close to celebrating our 300th year because we were founded in 1733. So, anyway, that's where we are, and I'm very proud to represent this great historical southern city today in 2026.

SPEAKER_02 5:31

And Supriya, the uh Savannah was the first planned city in the United States. What does that mean? Uh certainly for travelers who want who like I was thinking about navigating around Savannah, uh, that is an important sort of part in the in the way that cities would then be brought to life across the USA, thanks to what happened there in 1733.

Squares, City Market, And Living History

SPEAKER_00 5:51

You're exactly right. Uh General James Oglethorpe wanted this city to be planned on a grid system, and then the way that it's set up, we have our 23 historical squares. They are all original squares, and that's part of the allure of Savannah, because you it is very rare in the United States, as you all know, to find a city that has been this untouched in terms of having so much originality that still exists while alongside our modernity at the same time. But what it does for us being so planned is that it's walkable. I always tell folks fly into Savannah Hilton Head Airport, Uber over to your hotel in the historic district, and put on your sneakers and just start walking because you can walk all over Savannah, Georgia. You don't need even need a car, and you can fall into history, you can fall into modern times, you can fall into amazing cocktail bars and restaurants, museums, uh, mansions, you name it. We have all of that. And that's what being a planned city, all those years ago, it was a vision that maybe our founding fathers knew or didn't realize that the future would uh be so bright for Savannah because of the plans that they laid in place.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

Yeah, it's amazing. And I really appreciate you joining us for this conversation, Sapria. I'm delighted to have Savannah on the list of best bets, and thanks, Gabe, for the introduction and bringing Supriya into the conversation. And one of the things I just wanted to highlight is that I have been to Savannah multiple times. I have driven to Savannah, I have flown into Savannah, I have family in Atlanta, which is one of the reasons that we have been to Savannah so many times, and absolutely love it. And so there's so many things that stand out to me that I'm looking forward to chatting to you about. Obviously, uh Gabe mentioned some of the architecture and clearly the history. I'm a big-time history buff. I love also the literary connection, you know, books like The Garden of Good and Evil. There's so many incredible novels that are set in Savannah because even those like those, those, those downtown squares with the moss, like it just has an incredible mystique and even haunted houses. And so that's something else that is also really unique about Savannah as you're doing a walking tour, as I've experienced. Now, tell us a little bit about why you think Savannah was chosen as a best bets destination.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

Okay, well, first of all, we're really honored to be called a best bets destination in 2026. Uh, you know, that's not an easy uh title to come by, and it's one that we take seriously and we value very much. So we really appreciate that notoriety. Um, Savannah is resonating with travelers because of what we just talked about, right? It blends ease and authenticity. And I think authenticity and experiential moments are what travelers are seeking right now wherever they go. And Savannah is able to provide that in a lot of ways. We talked about it being a very walkable uh city, but beyond just saying it's walkable, it's so interesting. When you walk through each of these 23 squares I mentioned, each one has its own story to tell. Each one has a unique quality to it. You know, you may walk through one that has trees that have been standing beyond the 300 years, frankly. Those there's something magical when you walk through some of our squares and that Spanish moss just drapes over you. Uh, when we talk about the fact that it was planned, it was planned so that it can continue to be what it is today. It's a place where communities can still gather. Back then it may have been to trade uh culinary items or items that people needed to live on or live with. And today, believe it or not, we kind of have that same feel. We still have the Forsyth Farmers Market that takes place and uses all of our local farmers to bring in their vegetation from the surrounding coastal areas. We still have artisans that sit in these various squares. You may walk into another square where you see a beautiful Telfair Academy of Art. So each place has authenticity. And so I think that that sense of um experiences that people feel and the creative energy that's all around is what's drawing people to Savannah today.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

And to s to continue on the conversation about these 23 squares, because that is uh such a uh part and parcel uh experience to to Savannah. Uh some of these obviously are squares that have uh a lot of notoriety foreside, very popular Chippewa, uh where that famous uh you know perva uh threaded scene of the Forrest Gump where Tom Hanks' characters are sitting on this bench, which I know was brought in for the scene there, but that's a that's a square that gets a lot of a lot of foot traffic. But there must be a couple of off-the-beaten path squares. Those of us who who visit for the first time want to find some undiscovered gems. Uh are there a couple of squares that you sometimes feel, hey, these are slightly underappreciated, uh little nuggets that are part of the Savannah history. And then also tell us a little bit about your free shuttle system, because I I'm a big walker, but the fact of the matter is that this your free shuttle system makes it that much easier to navigate the beautiful city of Savannah.

Festivals, Film, And A Giant St. Patrick’s

SPEAKER_00 10:37

No, you're absolutely correct. And you're right, though you mentioned some of our highlights of the bigger squares that we have. And yes, you're up, you know, people often say, Where is the Forest Gump Bench? I want to see that in Chippewa. Um, but you know, uh Franklin Square and um places like that, and uh they're so unique because it's for for example, they sit right on City Market. Well, City Market has been there since 1733, and it's still today a very bustling area of commerce. Like I mentioned earlier, that planned community is here because it's designed for connection, it's designed for public life, for safety, for commerce. All of these things. If you walk into City Market today, it's almost like you feel like you're transported back to that time. Today, what sits in City Market, which which is really unique, is our Prohibition Museum and our newly opened Pirates and Treasures Museum. And both of these museums are two of the biggest draws to our area because they give visitors a sense of life that took place here centuries ago. But uh, they also have a lot of fun. Of course, they both end in cocktail bars. You can't they can't not if you're in Savannah, Georgia. But um, but you know, when you think of the Pirates and Treasures Museum, it's not just a kitty museum that you might think of with pirates, you know, saying arg and and with a pirate's patch on your eye. But these are places that archivists here actually researched to find out who were those pirates that actually lived here and walked along City Market and Franklin Square. What were their names? Did they have families? What were the shenanigans they were up to? They've researched that stuff with real evidence that is still here in Savannah today with the historians that work on these stories and brought that to the museum. Uh SCAD graduates have created miniatures that are in that museum today. So there's a lot of interesting parts of what's happening in Savannah existing today that existed centuries ago. And then I'm going to mention one really important aspect at the end of that square, which is the first African American Baptist Church in Ellis Square, which flanks City Market as well on the other side. And the first African American Baptist Church is the oldest congregation of African Americans in North America. So not just in Savannah or in the South, but in North America. Think of how significant that is. And that church was built by the hands of the enslaved. The pews that they built are still in that church today. Granted, you're not allowed to sit on them. They're preserved and they're in a special area, but that's how special that church is. And they actually will be celebrating their 250th anniversary next year as well. So, um, you know, those are the squares that honestly I always tell folks when you come here, you definitely don't want to miss because so much of what's alive in Savannah today, uh, that interaction, that movement, that gathering that we talk about exist very differently in every square that you walk through.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Well, you've just given me a few more reasons that I need to get back to Savannah. And I think that's one of the things that I actually wanted to highlight for our listeners is because, you know, when we think about 2026 and Savannah being a best bets destination, there are many reasons why it has been selected. And clearly one of them is all these amazing domestic reasons to travel in the U.S., the you know, 250th anniversary of America, and just how important, as Gabe highlighted, Savannah is to the history of America. So I want to speak specifically about 2026 and some of the events you have on. I know that Savannah also gets referred to today as really a modern cultural hub. Many of my friends there were, you know, uh going through university at the time, and there were many reasons to go to Savannah over the years because there were festivals, and the city just has an energy about it. So tell us, even though it's a historic city, it's a very living city. So tell us a little bit about what you guys have planned in 2026 for festivals and events that would be interesting for our listeners to plan their trip next year.

The Food Scene And Cocktail Culture

SPEAKER_00 14:20

That's a great question, and we love folks to come out. You touched on some of the areas that really interest you, and you and I are alike in that way. I love the literary aspect of Savannah. So in February, we have a book festival that takes place every year, and we expect 2026 to be especially interesting since it is the 250th anniversary of America. Some of the writers that we are looking forward to coming down, I don't, I can't read, I don't know the lineup off the top of my head, but I know that just from conversations I've had in the community, they're they're looking at some very interesting names to come down. Um, then moving forward in the spring, we go right into our Savannah Music Festival. And I think that every year it just gets better and better and more competitive, frankly. Um, some of the acts that we see that come down are Grammy Award-winning musicians. Uh, they are just phenomenal. I remember last year or the year before, my husband and I went to see Samara Joy, who won a jazz Grammy. Uh, just off the charts, here we are in a tiny small venue in the Lucas Theater, and we're listening to this voice that just resonated throughout. It just reverberated. Um, what's unique about the music festival is that we use all of these old historic buildings to have these wonderful world-class musicians, literally from around the world, come to Savannah and perform. That's that's in itself is a gift, in my opinion. Uh, the other festival that will come up uh after that in the fall, of course. Well, wait, I well, I think I might have to go back to March, but I'm gonna save that for a moment. Moving forward, we also have the SCAD Film Festival, and it's one of the most renowned film festivals in the country nowadays. Uh, we get very big names that come in here. Uh this year, we think we had Jerry Bruckheimer come, who obviously is a producer of Top Gun. We've had Clint Eastwood the year before we had Natalie Portman and group folks like that come for um the film they did filmed in Savannah, May, December. Uh Mark Hamill from Star Wars came, you know, who didn't want to see uh Luke Skywalker. So, you know, we we have very big names come in for the film festival. And frankly, if you see the lines for our restaurants, our cocktail bars during that time of year, any of these festivals, you would think you're standing in New York or maybe LA, you know. It's just that big of a draw that is coming to Savannah, Georgia. We're getting more and more known for not just the same old things that uh you would think in the South, but for a myriad of reasons, film and music being top of the charts for us, too.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

I think pa the the appeal in in large part it's got to be the these venues, the fact that these historic buildings become the theaters that we uh you know gather in and see sort of the latest and newest in in in film and uh and entertainment and music, of course. So um yeah, I mean that's what I think is gonna keep drawing a lot of folks back. What was that March event you were thinking about?

SPEAKER_00 17:03

Oh, well, you know, Savannah, Georgia, and a lot of people don't know this. You too may, because it sounds like you've been to our city a few times, but um, Savannah has one of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the nation. So we're always in the top five, typically behind New York, Boston, and Chicago. It's Savannah, Georgia, and most people don't realize that. But uh way back when uh folks from County Wexford in Ireland immigrated to the United States and they chose Savannah as their home. And since then, we now have the largest population of Irish immigrants from County Wexford in Ireland. And as a result of that, over the years, it's I think it's been about 202 or three years now. We have held a beautiful St. Patrick's Day parade and uh festivities. And if you haven't been here for one, you've got to come at least once in your lifetime. It is uh something to behold. It is one of the longest parades that takes place in the country. I don't know if there's a group in our town that doesn't participate in one way or another. It's filled with energy, creativity, a lot of buzz, a lot of excitement, and of course, uh a lot of drinks and a lot of fun too.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

It's funny because Dan knows that I uh have been covering St. Patrick's Day in Ireland for 15 years. So every St. Patrick's, but I've I've heard this uh in County Wexford, gorgeous area there in this in that south southeastern part of Ireland. Uh, but I have heard that Savannah, Georgia, you know, there's about 40 million Americans that claim some degree of Irish heritage, and that there is this congregation of Wexford natives in the beautiful city of Savannah. And the Savannah, yeah, throws quite a party uh on March 17th uh every year.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

So we also I I think about two years ago, we opened a restaurant here called the um Wexford Irish Pub. And it's a beautiful restaurant, frankly. It's a go-to for locals and travelers alike, visitors alike, but it all of the furniture, all of the furnishings and the decor in that restaurant were shipped in from County Wexford and built in Savannah, Georgia. And it's a beautiful restaurant. Next time you come down, uh we'll definitely have to go check it out.

SPEAKER_02 19:07

Yeah. Uh I would love to uh ask, since we're in that food theme now, uh Savannah has this long-standing reputation for being, you know, Southern comfort food, authentic Southern Southern cuisine. Um even people who have not been there uh know about the old pink house, uh obviously some landmark restaurants. But what about the sort of the new Savannah cuisine scene? New up-and-coming chef talent. Um Are there areas of the city or are there are there certain culinary trends that you see Savannah really being sort of a hotspot for uh as we enter uh an era where really we're following our palates, our taste buds when we travel a heck of a lot more these days?

Neighborhoods, Riverfront, And Tybee

SPEAKER_00 19:47

You're absolutely right. Savannah is such a foodie town. We have become a culinary haven for so many folks, so many great chefs, frankly, and mixologists. I'm gonna throw in there too, because This year we did receive our first James Beard nomination for a bar in Savannah, which was interesting. But yeah, so Chef Brandon Carter, for example, who owns Farm Hospitality Group, he has several restaurants in the low country area. One of the most celebrated is called the Common Thread. This year he was nominated for a James Beard Award for the Common Thread. And it is just fantastic. I mean, he has a chef's tasting menu that is second to none, rivals anything I've had, frankly, recently, even in New York. His uh take on Southern cuisine really encapsulates that feeling of working with the low-country farmers and um coastal historians, almost I call them, preservationists of our land. You know, for example, the oysters he brings in off of Tybee Island or in Bluffton, south from Bluffton, South Carolina, each one has its own salinity, its own um taste, just its own feeling of the marsh. It's almost like you can see and taste that story of those areas when you uh taste his oysters. And of course, you know, we love our oysters in Savannah, Georgia. But so Brandon has really brought that. He he opened another restaurant here called Yardbird. He has one in Bluffton, South Carolina, right over the border called The Farm. But besides him, of course, you probably all know Mashama Bailey for The Gray. And uh she's a very celebrated chef here. And so her very um her roots of southern cooking are still very prevalent here and very much desired. People uh want to come to her restaurant all the time. It's very difficult to get a reservation at the gray, so you have to plan it months in advance. The old pink house, uh right behind my office here, actually, is still a local's favorite and visitors' favorite. One of the things I love that the general manager, Craig Jefferson, has said is people often ask, what's the difference between Southern cuisine and Gulla Geechee cuisine? And I love his response. He always says, Gulla Geechee cuisine is Southern cuisine, and Southern cuisine is Gulla Geechee cuisine. Because who do you think fixed those meals all those hundreds of years ago? Who cultivated this land? Who brought their culture and their dishes to be mixed with the foods that were being prepared here? And obviously, he's referring to the enslaved that did that. But so, in a way, I like to believe that their toiling and their um culture exists so prevalently today in the cuisine that we still celebrate and that we still enjoy. Uh, there are so many different chefs. There's something else interesting happening in Savannah. Uh, there's a local um owner of a Rhino hospitality group, a woman named Ellie Tran. And Ellie Tran is a Vietnamese American. She has opened so many great restaurants in Savannah that have a mix of Asian and Southern together. Uh, an example is one is called Cocoa and Moss. And even the name itself, cocoa coming from her native land, the coconuts that grow on the trees, moss coming from the Spanish moss that drapes the live oaks in Savannah. And the food that you eat there is just enjoyable. It's a mix of everything from sushi to uh shrimp and grits.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

What a mix. Dan, I wanted to just ask real quickly, because uh the uh Supriya mentioned the the very buzzy cocktail scene, the mixology scene. Uh Savannah has an open uh container policy. Uh for those of us traveling there, what do we what should we know about about that? Um but that certainly dovetails beautifully with this very buzzy spirits scene there in in Savannah.

River Street Reborn And On-The-Water Adventures

SPEAKER_00 23:35

Yeah, yeah, I'm glad you asked because a lot of people come here just to enjoy our roof, everything from our rooftop bars to our very intimate speakeasies and our hidden speakeasies, also. That's a whole nother podcast, maybe, for you, actually. But um, we've got such an awesome, elevated, what we call a sophisticated cocktail culture. So if you come to Savannah, Georgia, don't expect to be finding uh drunks falling out of bars and laying on our sidewalks. That's not the scene that we have, and that's not the one that we really want. But what we have here is an eclectic feeling that people want to go in and actually have an experience when they try the newest take on an old-fashioned in any given bar or uh the newest martini that might they might want to try. And again, with this goes back to our history. There's so many bars that still celebrate the old past of the cocktails that were served in the I laugh, but I say during the prohibition, because I don't know if Savannah always followed the rules back then. But um, there's beautiful cocktail bars here and rooftops, such as the Peregrine on top of the Perry Lane, or Bar Julian on top of the Thompson Hotel, or the Law Square, which is literally uh located on the only one that is a law, a square that was lost, and that's on top of the Alita Hotel. So um the bar scene here, there there's one called the Lone Wolf. And um you walk in there and it's kind of like you feel, I feel as if I'm back in almost like the late 70s, early 80s type of thing. Well, that's the bar that was nominated for a James Beard Award this year. It's the first time we ever received a James Beard uh nomination for a bar. So um, very interesting. Uh their take on cocktails are very classic, clean, refined, uh, and delicious. And then you can go somewhere like the planners in and underneath the pink house, and you're sitting in a bar that existed 300 years ago and it's still there today. And you're walking down the same stairs that people fell into all those centuries ago as well.

SPEAKER_01 25:33

Aaron Ross Powell Well, I think there's a reason that people aren't stumbling down the streets is because they had so much food before they indulged in drink, so it balances it out. I think so. And you know, I I was thrilled that we were having that conversation because I love the food scene in Savannah. And whenever we've been to Savannah, that's always the first decision we have to make is where are we going to eat? And there's always these old classics like you were mentioning, like Vic's on the river. But I and so there are there are these gems that people know about, and then there's this new scene, and we always have this deliberation of like, do we go somewhere we know and love, or do we venture further afield and check out some of these new hotspots that have just uh recently been uh award-winning? And it what one of the things about Savannah that I want all our listeners to also know was part of the reason I love visiting this city, is that there's so many different neighborhoods. It's not just one dedicated area, there's a several historic districts. And so that that's part of what I wanted to ask you about for those people who are uh new to Savannah or coming back to Savannah. You've got the historic district, the Victorian district, Starland. Um, I'm keen to know which of those neighborhoods uh and what kind of vibe each of them has for travelers to go there. And then also River Street, which has uh been a classic, but you've got a lot of energy along the waterfront. You've got hotels like JW Marriott or the Thompson Savannah that add a whole other element when you think of rooftop bars. Um, tell us a little bit more about the neighborhoods to be able to explore in Savannah where you're gonna be able to enjoy these restaurants and cocktails.

Ghost Stories, Bonaventure, And Dark Tourism

SPEAKER_00 26:54

Yeah, great question. And uh you're absolutely right. That's one of the coolest things of Savannah are all of our various neighborhoods and districts. So I'm glad you asked that question. And as far as the foodie scenes go, the Starlin district is really starting to, not starting, has gained a lot of steam and a lot of attention. That's where places like the Common Thread and Um Brochuse family tradition, I don't know if you've all eaten there yet, Dan, but you got to check that out. That's opened by a gentleman uh who came down from Chicago who is a Michelin star chef, and he married a Savannah gal and opened up an amazing restaurant that serves fried chicken. You'd expect that down here, cocktails and oysters. Who wouldn't want that? It's like the best savanna meal you could have. Um, but all of these districts have a different feel and different flair. Obviously, if you come to the historic district, you're going to have all of the things we mentioned, the squares that we talked about, and you have places like the Telfer Academy, the Lucas Theater, the Mercer House, Midnight in the Garden, Good and Evil, all those types of things. But then you have places like Starlin that have a real indie feel, you know. You've got art studios, indie cafes, murals on the wall, um that SCAD students and others have painted. You have chef-driven spots that make it feel young and creative and uh almost like a laboratory in a certain way. Uh but I think this historic district will always remain the most iconic. One of the most beautiful districts that I love to visit is the Moon River District. And um what I why I like it so much is that it gives so much of the diversity of our geography. So you have everything from Wormslow Plantation and all of those backwaters of the marshes and so forth, the Pinpoint Heritage Museum that used to be an oyster hub. Uh, but then it also is very close to the bridge that takes you over to Tybee Island. And you know, uh we also represent Tybee Island, so we're visit Savannah, visit Tybee. And I was just out there on Tybee yesterday, and it's almost every every time I go out to Tybee, I feel like it's a throwback beach because there's so much nostalgia out there, and there's nothing franchised, right? There's no Exxons, there's no McDonald's, there's no anything. There's no Marriott, there's no Hilton. Every single thing is mom and pop owned and artisan-made. The restaurants, the shops, all of it. And then, of course, there's the nature who doesn't want to stand on the Atlantic Ocean and just take it all in. So uh it really is a magical spot. Uh recently, my husband and I took a little charter tour with a friend of ours who has been out there for four generations, his family out on Tybee, takes us out on his little skiff and out to the back waters through those marshes. And I'm not kidding when I say we watched a bald eagle hunt for prey. We had two dolphins following us all the way. And then when we get out to where we wanted to be, and of course the herons and the egrets and all that, but we get out to where we want to be, he says, Yeah, just hop off, walk about a hundred yards. And there we were, barefoot standing on Little Tyby Island, looking out at the ocean on one of the most untouched spots, um, maybe in America, really. So that's still the beauty that we have. So all of these various districts and areas are just uh amazing. And I I don't want to go on and on on just this question, but we can talk about River Street a little too. I'd love to tell you more about that.

SPEAKER_01 30:07

Aaron Powell Well, that's where as soon as you mentioned the water, because obviously this is what makes Savannah so special. I mean, in and anyone looking at it on a map to kind of wrap their head around the geography of this region, of course, you're kind of inland from the ocean and there's the forts along the way. So there's like this, that's where the incredible history comes in. But you're on the water, the Savannah River. And that's one of the things I wanted to highlight as well, because we're talking about the land and where you can explore the squares. But the fact is, you can do river boats, you can do kayaking, and even dolphin tours. Those are things that I don't think people would uh expect to experience in Savannah. So, yeah, tell us a little bit about the river walk and and what what is available, some of those activities that you can do.

Who Savannah Attracts And Luxury Stays

SPEAKER_00 30:43

Absolutely. So um Savannah's River Street, many people may have been to it. My react the reaction I see on people's faces who haven't been here like in 20 years, they have this one impression of River Street, right? It's like the place where you think you're gonna find your tchotchkis or you have uh the touristy type of things. And so and those things still exist and we appreciate them because they're they're important, they're an important part of our community, and um they're great partners of ours as well. But what's so cool about River Street is how much it's grown, right? So Plant Riverside District, you mentioned that where the JW Marriott's located. There's, I don't know if you've been down to District Live, where we have major concerts. There's even a music studio there that many um big-time musicians from Nashville and beyond come down and use that studio to record and create music. Uh beyond that, you have on the way on the opposite side, on the eastern side, is the Eastern Wharf, which has become a real trending area, almost a neighborhood unto itself. So you have the Thompson and the Hyatt location there. Uh from there, be either whether you're on the Plant Riverside district side on the west or you're all the way east on the Thompson area, you can actually take um private boats that could take you out to places like Defusky Island and or tour the port of Savannah. Don't forget, we are one of the largest ports in the nation. Uh, or you can do things like you just mentioned. Say, you know, I just want to go on a peaceful paddleboarding ride. And that would take you more on the marsh side and the Tybee Island side, of course, because don't forget, we have huge cargo ships that pass through the Savannah River every day at various times, heading towards that port. And even that, to behold and watch those cargo ships, uh, they're not far outside the my window of where I work, but I will tell you, they still take my breath away every single time. And to see the reaction on visitors' faces when they see them, or they just go and experience the lobby of the JW or take a walk along the river walk or go get a warm praline on River Street, it's second to none to see the excitement on their faces. Right now, we have the European Christmas market that we have going on in front of the JW on River on the riverside. And uh that's magical too. I was just down there on Saturday experiencing it, and the bustle and the folks that come down are literally in the hundreds. It was wonderful. So um when I every time anytime visitors come, I say you want to take a trolley ride, no matter how many times you've been here, take the trolley, hop on, hop off, but make sure you hop off on River Street and you walk that whole street and you definitely get a Savannah praline along the way.

SPEAKER_02 33:18

Sold. Um I know with Sapria we've talked about spirits of the liquid kind. But Savannah is also renowned as being one of the most haunted cities in North America. And I wonder, is this some uh a concept that you still lean into and embrace uh the fact that hey, things may in fact go bump in the night across Savannah? And is that an ind a part of the industry that continues to thrive? Do you are you it's maybe it's not for everybody, so maybe stay in a place that perhaps is is haunted, but these ghost stores are obviously very well renowned. Is that a still a very active part of the Savannah experience? Um something I think a lot of new tr visitors might might find quite interesting.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

Absolutely, it is. And um, you know, no matter how you feel about any of those things, it's a huge part of our savannah culture. I mean, come on, we're talking about all this history, we're talking about those that tread these cobblestones at one time. There is no way that uh anybody who comes here is going to feel something when they walk through our city. And uh all of us have stories that we can tell about the spirits that we feel whenever uh we're walking around. And we don't, we we wear that proudly. I mean, look, this is a story that uh this is a city that has real stories and real people. Uh we still tell stories about people who lived centuries ago in this city. So um, yes, we we have haunted, we have, if you want to call them haunted, they are haunted uh mansions. There's haunted hotels. Uh we I could name a few if you'd like me to, but some of them even win accolades for those reasons. And we have a many hundreds, if not more, visitors that come here just for those reasons. The ghost tours, the walking tours, the trolley tours that show you where uh spirits may still lie are all throughout it. Even the building I'm in right now, Visit Savannah, is located in an old bank building from the late 1800s. And if you ask any of my colleagues, we all share some stories, whether you laugh or get spooked by them. But um, yeah, I mean, take a walk through Bonaventure Cemetery and tell me you don't feel some spirits there. There's, I was going to share with you one of the stories that always comes around is of Lily little Susie Watson, a good example of was a little girl that was the daughter of a hotelier and his wife from Boston. He was the general manager of a hotel down on River Street. Well, uh little Susie would come out and greet the guests whenever uh her dad was at work wearing his finely dressed suit, and visitors would come, and people fell in love with her. The locals loved her, visitors loved her, and they always remembered her, and they'd even send her gifts. Sadly, when she was six years old, she uh contracted an illness and she passed away. Well, uh the community mourned her, visitors mourned her, and she was buried in Bonaventure Cemetery. Her parents were so distraught, they left Savannah after her death, and they went back, packed up and went back to Boston. And many people feel felt that um, you know, there she was alone with no one watching over her, so they started to leave things at her gravesite. Believe it or not, they still do today, and some years later, after her death, this might sound a little creepy today, but an artist created a sculpture, a replica of little Susie, which sits there today. And it's one of the most visited statues in Bonaventure Cemetery. And people say that often you may see a little girl passing by, a little wisp of a flurry that goes by you if you're walking through that cemetery. I I guess you'll just have to come and find out, is all we'd say.

SPEAKER_02 36:45

It can be spine tingling in it, but I know it's a very it's a it's a vi very viable sector of the travel industry. There are people who seek these things out. And I love the fact that Savannah, uh both from a historical standpoint and just from a feel-good standpoint, embraces this. You've got those ghosters, you've got these sort of unique historical stops along the way that maybe allow you to just delve a little deeper into this into this concept that uh some things, in fact, maybe still, you know, around us, even if they're not physically or visibly uh, you know, uh all that uh prevalent.

2026 Travel Trends And Immersive Experiences

SPEAKER_00 37:17

We you I I will have to say, and I do say this, even being here for the time I've been at Visit Savannah, there there definitely is something that you feel differently at times, at certain times. And one of our uh leaders here at Visit Savannah, a good friend of mine, a colleague, she's our director for international sales. She's also a paranormal investigator, and she does travel on the national teams to various uh areas. And Savannah and her colleagues spend a lot of time right here locally because of the fact that we have uh many places still that we they explore and have still have time to explore um in the future. So, yeah, it has a very interesting haunted history, is what we call it. Dark tourism is a thing, as you all know. So uh we embrace it and we lean into it because we know that uh those stories existed and they still exist today.

SPEAKER_01 38:07

Aaron Powell Well, just on that note of the types of travelers that are drawn to Savannah, clearly I'm I'm actually I'm really glad that you mentioned the Bonaventure Cemetery because that is what is featured in the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and that's one of the reasons that became so popularized, a former plantation. This is Victorian style cemetery, and it's kind of known for its haunting beauty. So it's one of those places that you should experience while you're there. And I do want to ask you, you've been giving so many great gems. Um, and I do want to ask you in a moment about some of the additional hidden gems you'd recommend. You've got younger travelers, you have families, you have luxury travel, you've got a wide variety of uh of uh types of travelers that would be interested in in going to Savannah. Uh history, culture, food scene. Tell us a little bit more, and the reason I'm asking this specifically is because I'm always keen for travel agents and travel advisors that listen to our podcast to better understand why they should recommend a destination. So if they hear someone that's oh, having an anniversary or that uh, you know, there's certain destinations that are great for uh bachelorette parties, for example. And so uh tell us a little bit more about who is drawn to Savannah, like the types of travelers. And then if you wouldn't mind too, um, also for travel advisors thinking about recommending this destination to their clients, uh, what would be the type of clients they should suggest this to?

History’s Complexity And Respectful Travel

SPEAKER_00 39:21

Yes, and that's a great question. I thank you for asking that because we spend a lot of time here at Visit Savannah talking about just that and who we're targeting, right? Uh we're we see a real mix here, to be totally honest with you. Yes, you have your younger travelers after COVID, the remote workers. This is a great destination. We saw a lot of Northeasterners relocate to Savannah, not just come for visits, but have made Savannah, Georgia their home. Uh, but we also have a lot of creative professionals. You know, we talked a little about obviously those festivals, but the don't forget about the presence of the Savannah College of Art and Design and its influence on our city. It's pretty great, uh, very big because when you look a lot, I've seen, uh Because I've lived in the Southeast for so long, I w for most of my adult life actually, I have seen the changes that have taken place down here just from my own visits over the years and over the decades. And so many of our city are buildings that have been restored beautifully, impeccably, uh were because of SCAD, frankly. Many of many of those buildings have been restored due to their partnerships and their vision. Um, so we see a lot of creative professionals who have made Savannah their home and want to come visit Savannah and learn more about our area. Then you mentioned the culinary culture. That's a real thing. We have a very big food culture here. We are seeing more and more competitive chefs and foodies come to Savannah. So we want to attract more and more folks interested in the culinary culture. We also have a very luxury subset here. Our hotels speak to that, our restaurants speak to that more and more. You mentioned the JW Marriott. We also have other hotels such as the Bardo, which has received many accolades, the Municipal Grand Hotel. When you come back, please experience it. It's one of our newer hotels. It opened this summer and it has um just gone off the charts. There isn't between I always look at that hotel when I'm walking home, and we call it Savannah's Living Room now. It's really unique. Um, when you walk into it, it's not your typical lobby. It's actually a restaurant as soon as you walk in, and it has a horseshoe bar. So people are always up at that bar or sitting in the booths waiting to be served a meal or having a meeting. And um it's very eclectic. It has 44 rooms. Recently, the Douglas Hotel opened. It's 17 rooms. It's in a historic old mansion home right next door to the Juliet Gordon Lowe home, which is the birthplace of the Girl Scouts of America. It is a very high-end luxury boutique hotel. So we have luxury travelers that we attract to Savannah more and increasingly more. Um, and then uh people come here from all economic strata and walks of life because of those things we just talked about, the culture, the walkability, and uh great restaurants, all of that. You kind of have the big city chaos without I'm sorry, the small, the Savannah's rhythm without the big city chaos is what I meant to say, right? You can work from a cafe in the morning, like I mentioned. You can be in the municipal grand or in any other place. You can explore galleries in the afternoon, and we have those abundantly. And then you can be at a rooftop bar or on the beach by sunset. There aren't a lot of places you can do that in. And not to mention, we didn't even touch on for meeting planners. We have the newly expanded and opened Savannah Convention Center, which has doubled in capacity and size, and that's right across River Street, right across the river on Hutchinson Island. We have ferry boats that take our visitors over to that side if you'd like to. So imagine it's not a typical place where you go to your hotel, you check in, you go to the convention center, you check in your hotel, and that's it. That's what you see during your convention. Non-Savanna. You get on that ferry boat, you come across, and you're in one of America's oldest cities, most historic cities. You have a multitude of restaurants to choose from. Maybe meeting planners have off-site venues that are second to none. So there's so much uniqueness to Savannah. We we've also noticed that we're attracting a lot more wellness travelers. I mentioned some of the stuff on Tybee that's interesting to do. Um, we're also attracting more solo travelers, which is trending very much nowadays, right? So we I get I get emails frequently from people who say, hey, I'm just coming to Savannah on my own. And if you can help me out in planning an interesting itinerary for things that I can enjoy, uh, we have a lot of that too.

SPEAKER_01 43:44

It's really interesting. One of the reasons I want to get back to Savannah is for a conference. I speak a lot of different conferences, and I'm really hoping the next one is going to be in Savannah. I know you guys do host a lot of conferences there. And so when we think about all the reasons to travel to Savannah and the types of travelers to be interested, clearly there are uh many different reasons, and there's a wide variety of travelers. One of the things I'm keen to get your take on, too, Sapria, is some of the big trends that you're seeing in 2026 as it relates to travel to Savannah. You've certainly highlighted some of those, but it wouldn't be a travel trends podcast if we didn't discuss some of the big trends for 2026. So, what are some of the things that you're paying attention to running the marketing for an amazing destination like Savannah to better understand travelers, their behavior, and to be ready as the destination needs to continue to evolve?

Resources, Wrap, And What’s Next

SPEAKER_00 44:29

Yeah, that's a uh, you know, it's an interesting question. You know, we all, I mean, let's be honest, we're talking about travel tourism in 2026, and obviously the industry has faced its challenges also recently, right? Just in the past year or so. But what with international travel and everything else? But I can tell you, um, we have really, I think, done and are doing a very good job in looking very closely at how we evolve with what travelers are seeking more and more. Um, you know, Savannah has always been known as a great weekend getaway. You we've mentioned a lot of different things during this uh time together. We're also known, you even mentioned bachelorettes and so forth. I think you said, well, we're one of the biggest wedding destinations. But now what we're moving into more is being called an immersive coastal city. So what we're realizing, a trend is, is that people don't just want to come for saying, I had a great weekend getaway, I stayed in a hotel, my husband and I, or my girlfriends and I, or my friends, guys' friends and I, or whoever it is, you know, went to um two or three restaurants. They want to leave saying, I had an experience when I came here that I took home. And what I like to always say is, yeah, we want them to go into all our shops and buy all the souvenirs, but I really want their souvenir to be a memory that they had. I want it to be an interaction that they may have had, maybe with someone who took them on a haunted historic um tour, walking the city and learning about real people who lived in the city. Maybe it's a visit to that African American Baptist church to sit with Pastor Tillman and his staff and hear about the enslaved who built that church. Maybe it's um with a local artisan and it's making a candle and uh and figuring out uh why the scents that they're smelling resonate with the area of the low country. There's so much in our area to experience. Maybe it's sitting in that music booth that I mentioned at Plant Riverside and creating a song. Um, I don't know, but I know that people come here and they say, when I leave Savannah, I take a part of it with me. So what we're trying to do is lean into that type of thinking, that type of storytelling and realizing that this next generation of travelers coming behind us really wants to have experiences. That's what they say. And you all know this, you're pros in this field, right? People say, um, you know, I want when we talk about work-life balance and all these things, they always say, I want to have money saved, less for things, but I'd rather have experiences. So in Savannah, we feel that we do a really good job in having our visitors uh immersed in our city. It's not just coming here to say, I had a meal, I stayed in a nice hotel. It's maybe meeting that chef and having a very chef and visitor-driven meal. And an example would be at the Emporium in the Perry Lane Hotel. They the chef actually takes them to the Forsyth Farmers Market in the morning and they come back and they cook that meal together in the evening, and that's what they end up eating. So, you know, there's all examples like this. That's one trend we're seeing. I mentioned solo travel, it's another trend. And then intergenerational travel. We're seeing that more and more families are saying, let's grandma, grandkids, parents, because we're, you know, lifestyles are changing. People are living with each other in different ways. So we're we're keeping a close eye on all of that, and then we're keeping a very close eye on the luxury traveler and what their needs are too.

SPEAKER_02 47:54

I think what you mentioned on this um immersive travel trend, this desire to have uh develop an emotional connection with the place we visit. Dovetails with multi-generational travel, at least in my experience, beautifully, because I've got a 10-year-old daughter, but my sons are 17 and 20. And when we travel, this new generation, you're absolutely right. They're not happy just glossing past something or having this very uh sort of um you know, yeah, it's kind of this passive experience with the destination. They want to dig in deep, they want to sit down and have these conversations and have and create a a connection uh that runs deep uh with these destinations. So I think that that to me, uh I'm thinking of my as you're speaking, Suprea, this is now where we should go with our kids. And then my mom was becoming much more actively part of our travels or this idea of maybe let's fold in that other generation. This could be a a great spot to do that. I have to tell you the one of the big reasons, obviously, that Savannah is on this best bets list for 2026 is the historical connection. A big historical year across the board in 2026. Savannah, obviously, as we've discussed here, fits perfectly in that. You've done a beautiful job also of touching on the fact that Savannah's history um is uh is complex. Uh there is a part of it that uh is connected to the slave trade, to the civil war. There is a part of it that can be a little a little bit painful, but we uh you know you embrace that. There is a a way that uh going there and and embracing this allows us to become more respectful travelers, more informed travelers, uh and aware of how history and the the modern edge we're in are interconnected and can be in a in such a beautiful way in a place like Savannah, Georgia. So in that sense, I think we've done a beautiful job here at positioning this long standing destination as really a fresh and exciting place to visit in 2026.

SPEAKER_00 49:42

No, I was just gonna say thank you. You you said it, you took the words out of my mouth and said it much better than I could. So I appreciate that because those are all of the feelings that we want people to have when they think of Savannah, Georgia. I mean, just to kind of go back to the beginning of the conversation, where else can you celebrate the 250th year of America better than Savannah, Georgia in that intergenerational way? I mean, you can have grandparents who come and say, I visited Savannah 40 years ago, and here's what we experienced here. And then you may have a grandchild who says, Wow, I just experienced the new Pirates and Treasures Museum, and here's what I learned when I came to the city. So it is that magical of a city in so many different ways. It's an enchanting city. It's a it's one that is alive in its history, it's a living history that we celebrate and uh we and that we want to lean into the the good, the bad, and the ugly of history. That's what history really is, right? So uh we appreciate this and we really appreciate you all recognizing us for uh what we really are.

SPEAKER_01 50:41

Yeah, definitely. We really appreciate joining us, Sapria. We're thrilled that Savannah is on the best, best destinations for 2026. And Gabe, thank you for joining me for this. But Sapria, I want to make sure that our all of our listeners, whether they be travelers or travel agents, can get more information about Visit Savannah. So tell us where best for them to do that. Your website, social channels, and any resources you might have for travel advisors.

SPEAKER_00 51:04

All of the above, but visitsavanna.com, and we have tabs for meeting planners, for visitors. It's very regularly updated. Our marketing team is honestly off the charts, second to none. So we have all of the information you need there, and you can always reach out to me.

SPEAKER_01 51:20

That's great. Thanks so much again for joining us, and we certainly wish you every success in 2026 in Savannah, and we look forward to seeing you at some point over the course of the year.

SPEAKER_00 51:27

Thank you both so much. Have a great afternoon.

SPEAKER_01 51:29

Thanks again to Gabe Saglier for joining us from Travel Zoo. It's always a pleasure to co-host these with you. And I enjoyed our discussion today, again, with Visit Savannah as we looked at one of the U.S. destinations. We, of course, had Finland last week. We've got Chicago coming up next week, we've had Arizona before, and those three will round out our three US domestic destinations, but we're going to be carrying on to places like Columbia, Niagara on the lake. So don't forget that we do post these episodes every Tuesday. So make sure you're subscribed on the streaming platform of your choice. And we do post clips and highlights on our social channels as well, which you can find on Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn at Travel Trends Podcast. And of course, you need to make sure that you have a Travel Zoo membership for 2026 to take advantage of all the amazing travel deals to these destinations. So make sure that you go to travelzoo.com and you can sign up for just a dollar. Thanks again for joining us today. Thanks again to Sapria from Visit Savannah. I cannot wait to get back to Savannah. You highlighted so many interesting things that I didn't even realize Savannah had to offer. I really appreciated this conversation, and I certainly look forward to visiting Savannah again soon. Thanks again to all our listeners for joining us and the TravelZoo team. Until next week, safe travels.