Sweetness in Savannah: A 10-Year-Old Foodie's Dream Trip

We have this tradition in our family—when a kid turns 10, they get to take a special trip with one or two adults. Coming from a big family, this one-on-one time is precious and magical. We always explore a big, walkable city and give the kid plenty of space to try new things and lead the way. In this case, we brought our book-loving, rock-collecting foodie to Savannah, and it did not disappoint. Savannah is a great place for many types of travelers (history buffs, girls' weekend getaways, seafood lovers), and it makes a unique and interesting spot to take a kid.

We chose to stay on the banks of the Savannah River at The Cotton Sail, which put us close to all of the action. The city is extremely walkable, even for little kids.

So many unique shops and galleries

Our daughter loves to try new foods and there is so much to sample in Savannah. She is a bit on the shy side, but she had no problem asking for free samples at River Street Sweets, Byrd's Famous Cookies, and Savannah Bee Company. (We ended up buying two big jars of whipped honey to take home with us.) She enjoyed salmon and shrimp at almost every water-side restaurant we visited and delighted in picking out a whole bag of mixed candy "just for her."

Enjoying breakfast before heading out for the day

If you have a reader in your family, check out the walk along the Savannah River, which features many historical plaques and displays. There are multiple guided tours that showcase the history, the filmography, and the ghosts of Savannah. We also took a riverboat tour, which was fun, but we needed lots of sunscreen (and ice cream) on a hot day. Despite the walkability of the city, I knew we had to take a guided tour of Savannah via horse-drawn carriage. We splurged and got a private carriage and clip-clopped our way through the cobblestone streets. Our 10-year old didn't stop smiling the entire way—fascinated with our horse and the novelty of waving to everyone as we passed by.

Our view of the river

Speaking of animals, we saw so many dogs on our walks—she tried to keep track of the number but soon lost count, much to her delight. A highlight of the trip was visiting E.Shaver Booksellers to load up on books and seek out all four of the resident cats. And we made two visits to a hidden attraction inside the lobby of the JW Marriott Plant Riverside—a huge collection of fossils, bones, and artifacts, including a huge dinosaur suspended from the ceiling. This is free to visit and a really fun spot for rock- and bone-loving kiddos.

The cats at E.Shaver are friendly and love to say hello—when they are not sleeping!

Excited to see real fossils!

The best part of the trip: seeing her skipping ahead of us as we walked back to see the fossils or to get another sample of honey. Seeing her explore the sights of the city was the sweetest part.

A historic hotel on the river really makes the trip special, but if you can't swing it, there are many great national chains that have locations right off of the main riverwalk.

Take advantage of the many free things to do—stroll the shopping areas, sample treats, check out the many art galleries and boutiques, and don't miss that fossil display. It's super cool.

Pick your tours wisely—many ghost tours are too spooky for little kids, but the hop-on/hop-off bus is a fun way to see a lot of spots quickly. If it is in the budget, a horse-drawn carriage is a memorable way to relax and take in the beautiful scenery.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Savannah page.