<p>I've got the tickets for the trip to check out SCAD in early April, and now need to work on where to stay. Any recommendations? A B&B would be fun. We won't be getting a car, as I want my daughter to have the full flavor of life with public transportation. Any other ideas for what to see and do are welcome as well. Of course we'll take the tour and set up a classroom visit or two. We have two full days in Savannah.</p>
<p>You might check out renting <a href="http://www.savannahpiedaterre.com%5B/url%5D">www.savannahpiedaterre.com</a> - it is downtown (ie, an easy walk to everything) and operated by a former SCAD professor. </p>
<p>While in town, make sure you eat at Firefly Cafe, my wife is the chef :) 321 Habersham St, 912 234-1971</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bedandbreakfastsofsavannah.com%5B/url%5D">www.bedandbreakfastsofsavannah.com</a>. dont know about the one the poster recommended.</p>
<p>Yes, Firefly is good. Most tourists check out Lady and Sons for lunch or dinner but the lines can be ridiculous. Go to Fort Pulaski on the way to Tybee Island. The Southside has all the shopping and malls, but Broughton Street has some nice shops. My favorite restaurant is actually the the Toucan Cafe on Stephenson-best ice tea in Savannah. If your daughter is looking for apts, I'd recommend the Whitemarsh/Wilmington Island area about 8 miles from the city and closer to the beach, a little safer too. Go to Bonaventure Cemetary, it's quaint and historic. I think you will need a car though.</p>
<p>Ught. My opinion - don't eat at Lady and Sons; it's overpriced generic fried food, and the wait is about two hours.</p>
<p>What to see and do. I haven't been to Savannah in some years but one could easily spend several hours just walking down the squares of Bull Street and visiting some of the historic homes, e.g., the William Jay house (ca. 1830 if I recall correctly) and several others maintained by the historic preservation society. You're going to be there shortly after the peak of blooms of the many flowers, so it should be quite lovely.</p>
<p>Thanks, all, for the information. Firefly sounds great! Just my sort of place. Can I say I know the chef's husband? :)</p>
<p>I don't think we'll be considering apartments for at least her first year -- I think it'll be enough to move across country and start college, without adding the responsibilities of an apartment into the mix.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if SCAD lets visitors use their buses?</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I don't think SCAD busses will let visitors on, but if you contact admissions and explain that you want the "real experience", I'm sure you can work something out. </p>
<p>912-525-5000 and ask for Admissions.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks.</p>
<p>If your trip is timed with a visitation weekend, you will have free shuttle service to all of the buildings/dorms as well as guided tours through them (which is how she will typically get around, aside from biking or walking). I did one of those with my parents the spring before attending SCAD. I loved going to SCAD, despite some issues with the administration and the city's violence.
Every place in downtown is sorta pricy to stay at, but it affords you the ability to walk everywhere, which is great. </p>
<p>If you like coffee, go to the Gallery Espresso and hang out for an hour or two. It is a local coffee shop located two blocks towards the river from the SCAD admissions /Graphic Design building. Across from admissions is the Gryphon Tea room, a little pricey, but worth it. The Firefly Cafe always looked good but I was never in that neighborhood when it was open :(</p>
<p>If you decide to rent a car for a day, go to Tybee Island Beach. Also, I lived in the dorms my first year, with friends in mid-town year 2 (going out on Abercorn past the park but before 37th), on Wilmington Island in the Oaks for Yr 2-3, and on Southside for Yr 4, so should you have any questions. </p>
<p>I by far reccomend the island because it is so nice and quiet out there and there is less crime than on Southside. But, all the shopping and movie theaters are on Southside.</p>
<p>Sorry this is so long....</p>
<p>No, it's not a visitation weekend, it's just when she happens to have spring break. We'll be there for a Monday and Tuesday, so she can sit in on a class or two.</p>
<p>We ended up getting a room at the Doubletree on the river. The savings over a B&B will more than pay for a great breakfast, and it was easy to get two beds -- the B&Bs offering a room with two beds were not very numerous.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info -- would Gallery Espresso be a good place to chat with students? Or is there a cafeteria/student center that would be a better bet?</p>
<p>Would a car be pretty much a necessity if you lived on any of the islands?</p>
<p>Sorry to hijack a thread, but graphicchica, is savannah really a 'violent' city? I'm just wondering, 'cause friends are going there. I didn't really get that impression, but I'm sure everything is not always as it seems on the surface.</p>
<p>I also really reccomend the Gryphon Tea Room.. very cool place. Also, I'm not sure if this is the name of it or not, but the Pink House, despite being expensive, is a great place to have dinner.. and 1776, I think that's the name of it? If you get there earlier in the day to make a reservation for dinner, they'll take you on a tour of the hotel..</p>
<p>I also second Tybee as well, great beach!</p>
<p>the perception is that savannah does have a crime problem at night. is it better or worse than other small cities, i do not know, but that is the perception. use the school's transportation system at night, and if out, stick with a group of friends. I had lunch at Christopher's today, near Drayton Towers and Poetter Hall = excellent for breakfast and lunch or brunch. Personally think the Islands is the best place to live. Live in dorm in year one and find an apartment in Johnny Mercer Blvd / Whitemarsh Island after you meet friends.Visit Jepson Center for the Arts. Car is necessary for islands. Gallery Espresso is a very popular hangout. The school has a new student center I don't know what happens there. Gryphon Tea room is ....average at best IMO. DoubleTree is new I think, maybe 2 or 3 years. Lots of kids hang out in Forsyth Park on weekends and play intramural sports. Disagree with jkolko, L&S is delicious, but wait is ridiculous.</p>
<p>We are going to visit SCAD towards the end of this week. Going on the college tour but is there anything else we should look out for?
Also, I heard there's a Paula Deen restaurant (The Lady & Sons) there. Is it worthwhile going to? The last time we were in Savannah (not to visit SCAD because at the time we didn't know she'd be applying there) we saw a long line for the restaurant.</p>
<p>If you look at the other posts above, you'll see that there are differing opinions about Lady & Sons, but agreement on the length of the wait. Me, I think life's too short to stand in line to eat:)</p>
<p>The April/May issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine has a nice spread on visiting what they call the "downtown design district" of Savannah, crediting SCAD with being a catalyst for revitalizing the area. A nice shout-out to Firefly Cafe, too!</p>
<p>Nice artilce. A friend of mine sent the link to me the other day:</p>
<p>Moominmama, it's great that this came out prior to your trip to visit SCAD. When in April are you going there? The Gryphon Tea Room is right across the street from the Admissions building. We actually didn't eat there, but we did go to the Espresso Gallery several time for coffee & tea. They have a great selection of teas there.</p>
<p>We'll be there April 2-4. I showed the article to my daughter and said, "Oh goodie, we can do <em>lots</em> of shopping!" She just rolled her eyes, not being a shopping sort of girl. But she'll like the teas, having gotten into that lately.</p>
<p>Still waiting for your trip report, Honeypi . . .:)</p>