Nature & Outdoor Activities

Beat The Heat & Enjoy Nature With An Early Morning Kayak Trip

Coastal Georgia offers beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife, and one of the best ways to enjoy it up close is by kayak.

In the hottest summer months, an early morning or evening trip is an ideal time to explore the lowcountry’s creeks and marshes, whether by yourself (if you have the necessary experience) or with a local guide. Sunrise, sunset and moonlight tours are also available, as are excursions by paddleboard.

See details of kayak or paddleboard tours and rentals in the Savannah/Tybee Island area.

Go To The Beach

Make the most of cooling ocean breezes with a visit to a local beach. Tybee Island, 30 minutes away by car, is the most convenient to Savannah and offers lifeguards throughout the summer and a range of water sports activities.

If you want a more secluded experience, take a refreshing boat ride out to Little Tybee Island or Wassaw Island, nearby barrier islands with miles of undeveloped beach front.

More about beaches within day trip distance of Savannah.

Local Attractions & Activities

Learn About African-American History On Lift Every Voice Day

The Lift Every Voice event is dedicated to highlighting African-American history and the role of people of African heritage in shaping the nation and its culture.

Mark the day with a visit to one of Savannah’s Black heritage attractions, such as the Beach Institute, the King-Tisdell Cottage (currently open by appointment), Pin Point Heritage Museum or the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum (currently closed due to the pandemic) or with a special tour of Ossabaw Island, farmed by enslaved people and then by freed people through the 19th century.

Visit A Georgia Lighthouse

Two days in early August celebrate occasions important in American maritime history. August 4 is National Coast Guard Day, marking the 1790 founding of the US Coast Guard. August 7 is National Lighthouse Day, commemorating the 1789 act establishing lighthouses and other navigational aids.

Accessible lighthouses along the Georgia coast include the Tybee Island Lighthouse, the St Simons Island Lighthouse and the Sapelo Island Lighthouse.

The Tybee and St Simons lights, both with preserved keepers’ houses, offer attached museums where you can learn more about Georgia’s maritime history and the history of the lighthouses themselves. Sapelo Island Lighthouse can be seen on tours of Sapelo Island, accessible by ferry several days a week.

At the Tybee Island and St Simons Island Lighthouses you can climb to the top of the tower for expansive views over the island and ocean, but please note that access can be closed off for the area’s frequent summer afternoon thunderstorms — a visit in the morning is best at this time of year.

Enjoy The Breeze With A Ride On The River Street Ferry

A popular free activity in Savannah is a ride on the Savannah Belles ferry connecting River Street to Hutchinson Island.

The crossing only takes a few minutes each way, but offers great panoramic views of River Street’s architecture, and sometimes, closer looks at the huge container ships coming into the port upriver of downtown Savannah.

You can ride the ferry from two landings on River Street, one at City Hall and the other near the Waving Girl monument. There is only one stop on Hutchinson Island. More about riding the ferry

Take To The Skies For National Aviation Week

The week around August 19 is National Aviation Week, in celebration of the birth of American aviation pioneer Orville Wright.

For an unparalleled view of downtown Savannah or the coastal barrier islands, take an aerial tour by helicopter or biplane. Brief flights are available for around $40 per person, as well as longer excursions covering 40 miles or more.

Departures are from Savannah and Hilton Head for flights over downtown Savannah and the islands and marshes near the Georgia-South Carolina border, or from St Simons Island for the lower Georgia coast.

For a more budget-friendly way to explore America’s history of aviation, pay a visit to the nearby National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force at Pooler, or if you don’t mind a longer drive, to the free Museum of Aviation at Warner Robins, near Macon.

Food & Drink

Enjoy Georgia’s Favorite Fruit At Its Best During National Peach Month

Georgia is famous for its peaches, with the peak season running from mid-May to mid-August.

Buy them fresh at local farmers markets and supermarkets and enjoy the delicious fruit as it comes, or buy or bake a southern specialty dessert such as peach cobbler or peach pie.

Visit A Farmers Market

The peach might be Georgia’s state symbol, but it’s not the only thing that is good this month!

Early August brings National Farmers Market Week, an opportunity to (re)discover the best of Georgia’s fresh foods and support local agriculture.

Visit the Saturday Forsyth Farmers Market or other Savannah area market for great local food straight from the grower: produce in season in August includes tomatoes, okra, peppers, squash, peas, beans, cucumber, eggplant, apples, blueberries, melon, pears, peanuts, and grapes.

Try A Rolled Ice Cream

There is no better summer food than ice cream, but many people have never tried rolled ice cream, the super-chilled southeast Asian street dessert becoming increasingly popular in the United States over the last few years.

For rolled ice cream in a variety of Asian- and southern-inspired flavors, visit Below Zero Savannah, near Ellis Square.

Cool Off On International Beer Day With A Local Craft Beer

August 4 is International Beer Day, so if you need an excuse to sample a refreshing local beer, this is it!

Many local bars and restaurants stock locally-brewed beers, or you can visit the breweries directly. Downtown microbreweries include Moon River Brewing Company (21 West Bay Street, brew pub open daily) and Service Brewing Company (574 Indian Street, tasting room open Wednesday-Saturday).

Only slightly further out off West Bay Street is the Southbound Brewing Company (107 East Lathrop Avenue, tap room open Wednesday-Saturday), and there is also Two Tides Brewing Company (12 West 41st Street, tap room open Tuesday-Saturday) in Savannah’s artsy Starland District, about a dozen blocks south of Forsyth Park. A little further afield is Coastal Empire Beer (79 Ross Road, tap room open Tuesday-Sunday).

More Things To Do In Savannah & Nearby

– Savannah events
– Black history sites in Savannah
– Savannah cemeteries
– Historic house tours
– Forsyth Park
– River Street
– Ghost tours
– Food tours
– Starland arts district
– Antiques shopping
– Things to do for free in Savannah