St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah, for some a bucket list item, for others it’s the chance to wake the morning after feeling a wee bit green. We’ve highlighted some Savannah places to eat in the past, but today the focus is on St. Patrick’s Day.
Savannah loves St. Patrick’s Day, with activities scheduled throughout the month. This year the official kickoff was 12:00 PM Friday, March 10th. It started with the “Greening of the Fountain” at Forsyth Park. By the end of the day, every square with a fountain was flowing green.
If you plan to call in sick to work this Friday and you happen to be in Savannah here’s a few suggestions that might help to speed up your recovery.
Top o’ The Mornin’ Run – (6:30 AM) Chances are you’ll be abusing your body in the coming hours so spend some time getting ahead of the damage by running the actual parade route. The run is free but you have to be ready to say “top o’ the mornin’” to anyone and everyone you see.
Feast of St. Patrick Mass – (8:00 AM) If getting your body in shape isn’t your thing then possibly working on your spirit is. Join others at the recently remodeled Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. They offer a livestream “Godcast” in case you can’t make it there in person.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade – (10:15 AM – 2:00 PM) This is a long parade, as the route stretches over 6 miles, and there’ll be 300+ marching units. You can buy bleacher seats or bring your own lawn chair and fight for space in one of the squares.
After the parade, make your way over to City Market or River Street.
City Market – Savannah’s heart since the 1700s. Centuries ago, Savannahians gathered here for their groceries, services and other goods, too. The Market thrived even after two fires, survived the Civil War and weathered Savannah’s great 1896 hurricane—only to fall into disrepair as the population and commerce spread out.
River Street – Historic River Street, paved with 200-year-old cobblestones, runs along the length of the Savannah River. Once lined with warehouses holding King Cotton, the neighborhood never fully recovered from the the yellow-fever epidemic and subsequent quarantine of 1818. Abandoned for over a century, it was rediscovered in the 1970s by local landowners and urban planners determined to revive the history and the glory of old River Street.
Savannah has very lax open container laws, basically no glass containers. If you plan to drink this Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday and you’ll be in the control zone you’ll need to buy a $10.00 wristband each day. Hey, someone has to get paid to clean up the mess.
My 2 favorite hotels are the Savannah Marriott Riverfront and the DoubleTree Savannah Historic District. Both are located in the heart of the action and still had rooms available for this weekend as of Sunday evening, pricey but available.
Do yourself a favor and steer clear of green beer and stick with a Boddington, Guinness or a Jameson on the rocks.
This week’s work schedule will have me on the coast of Georgia, so keep your eyes open you might see me there.
Savannah is an Uber friendly city, but plan to wait as there will be plenty of street closings this weekend. If you plan to attend you can download an app and if you won’t be there you can follow all the action at #savstpats.
Savannah’s Irish population is less than 10%, but remember on St. Patrick’s Day everyone is Irish.
Some Dropkick Murphys to get you in the mood.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-64CaD8GXw
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