What To Do For Fun In Savannah’s Southside
Without a doubt, Savannah is most-known for its Historic District. While this beloved neighborhood of the city is a favorite for both tourists and residents alike, us locals know the city has so much more to offer than Downtown Savannah. One of our favorite areas of the city is Southside Savannah.The best part of living in Southside Savannah is that there are plenty of things to do and places to explore. Let’s head south of DeRenne Avenue to show you what this area of the city is all about.
Lake Mayer Park
We love starting our day at Lake Mayer Park, which is right off of Montgomery Crossroads with great access to the Truman Parkway. Think of Lake Mayer as the people’s park. While tourists are welcome, it’s not a place where you’ll find many, if any. The park has a 1.5-mile jogging/biking trail with fitness equipment peppered along the way, as well as eight tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, pickleball courts, a hockey rink and Savannah’s only skatepark. If you’re not looking to exercise, there’s a boat ramp, a fishing pier (they keep the freshwater lake stocked with fish), and a dog exercise area. This is a super accessible park for handicapped residents as well. If you’re looking to start your day off by getting active, this is the place for you.
Chatham County Aquatic Center
Each year, more than 100,000 people visit the Chatham County Aquatic Center, which has two indoor pools open year-round. The best part? It’s a five minute walk from Lake Mayer. The Acquatic Center features a 50-meter lap pool and a 25-yard recreational pool. The Center offers swim lessons, lap swimming for excercise, water aerobics, and other water fitness classes. A small fee of $5 per day (annual passes available) gets you in the door, where you can enjoy shade and a temperature-controlled swimming environment, complete with all the amenities (showers, vending machines, restrooms, and more) you could imagine. This is a place where it’s easy to build memories with the whole family, no matter the season.
Truman Linear Trail
Savannah’s greatest bike path runs right alongside both Lake Mayer and the Aquatic Center. The Truman Linear Trail (also known as the Tide to Town Trail) is a six-mile public trail that takes bikers from Lake Mayer up to Daffin Park. This family-friendly bike route is a perfect opportunity for locals wanting to get some exercise off the busy, main roadways. We recommend stopping at Cohen’s Retreat in the Bacon Park neighborhood for a brunch, lunch or dinner at the boutique shopping center’s restaurant.
Walking through Armstrong campus
Okay, we’ve put a lot of physical activities in this list, but it’s only because there are so many beautiful sights to take in on this side of Savannah. One of those is Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong campus. The campus is a recognized arboretum, meaning that flowers from every state dot the paths around the college grounds. Well-maintained hedges, the quiet sanctity of the quad, the flowing water features, and the four-mile trail around the campus bring you closer to nature’s beauty than your average college campus.
Coffee Bluff Marina
This one is a little unofficial, but we’re going to include it anyway. One of our favorite things to do is watch the sun go down and feel the heat fade away on the dock of Coffee Bluff’s Marina with our favorite non-alcoholic beverages. The peaceful marina is off-the beaten path with no through-traffic and has one of the best views in Savannah. The swaying marsh grass and the sound of the water gently lapping along the dock are reminders of why Savannah truly is the place to be.
We’ve only shared a small taste of Southside Savannah. The area is expansive and offers convenience due to the Truman Parkway that runs throughout, many restaurants unique to the city, idyllic neighborhoods tucked away from the hustle and bustle, and plenty of marsh front properties. We recommend spending a day checking out the area in full, diving deeper into the life and culture of a Southside resident.