Traveler photo intern Jenn Blatty knows a thing or two about Savannah, and offers an insider's look--plus a few tips--on how to get the most out of a Savannah visit on St. Patrick's Day.
For one weekend in March, over 200,000 people flood the streets of Savannah, Georgia, to drink green beer and join the Irish in the country's second largest St. Patrick's Day celebration.
This year, the festival has two major changes. First, the bars will remain open on March 17 until 3 a.m., removing the city's traditional 1 a.m. St. Patrick's Day shutdown.
The next change could allow for some great mingling opportunities between locals and the tourists. For years the city has enforced a gated-off festival area on River Street where guests wait in line outside the barricades, pay their dues, and enter the party zone. While there are plenty of hangouts on River Street, locals tend to steer clear of this area during St. Patrick's week. This year the gates will be lifted, and without these boundaries locals and tourists can socialize with each other.
If you're one of the lucky tourists, you might even run into what I call the "Legends of Savannah." The "Legends" are an older generation of locals, and the storytellers of the city. They are the ones who, as children, would pluck rings and coins washed up from old shipwrecks down on River Street, before pavement covered the sands. They are the ones who can get around faster by boat than by car, navigating through the maze of the Intracoastal Waterway as if they were driving the city streets, and they can make you a crab cake--from catching the crab to adding the perfect seasoning--from scratch. Look for these locals at 17hundred90, McDonough's, and Pinkie Masters.
For more tips on how to navigate Savannah on St. Patrick's Day, check out ConnectSavannah.com.
Photo: Shutterfool via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool
For one weekend in March, over 200,000 people flood the streets of Savannah, Georgia, to drink green beer and join the Irish in the country's second largest St. Patrick's Day celebration.This year, the festival has two major changes. First, the bars will remain open on March 17 until 3 a.m., removing the city's traditional 1 a.m. St. Patrick's Day shutdown.
The next change could allow for some great mingling opportunities between locals and the tourists. For years the city has enforced a gated-off festival area on River Street where guests wait in line outside the barricades, pay their dues, and enter the party zone. While there are plenty of hangouts on River Street, locals tend to steer clear of this area during St. Patrick's week. This year the gates will be lifted, and without these boundaries locals and tourists can socialize with each other.
If you're one of the lucky tourists, you might even run into what I call the "Legends of Savannah." The "Legends" are an older generation of locals, and the storytellers of the city. They are the ones who, as children, would pluck rings and coins washed up from old shipwrecks down on River Street, before pavement covered the sands. They are the ones who can get around faster by boat than by car, navigating through the maze of the Intracoastal Waterway as if they were driving the city streets, and they can make you a crab cake--from catching the crab to adding the perfect seasoning--from scratch. Look for these locals at 17hundred90, McDonough's, and Pinkie Masters.
For more tips on how to navigate Savannah on St. Patrick's Day, check out ConnectSavannah.com.
Photo: Shutterfool via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool
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