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Truly sister cities. Theses cities should have been in the same state and shared a common international airport.
They are so different from the inner state cities in each state and have the same problems and similarities. Love both of them and can leave the inland cities to themselves.
Well don't go running to any of the inland cities the next time a hurricane comes bearing down.
I like Savannah better for the very reason many have said they prefer Charleston due to it being on the ocean.
For me it gives me options. Tybee Island is so different than Savannah.Especially the night life beach culture.
I also just find that there are more things of interest in Savannah.From its famous residents,books,historical events and landmarks.
For instance I can name easily a few famous things Savannah is known for:
Forest Gump
Girl Scouts
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Johnny Mercer
Haitian Soldiers(Henri Christoph)
Shermans March to Sea
Also I from what I can remember,Savannah currently has the better night life.Its been an impressive turn around.
I agreee that overall Charleston is more vibrant but that seems to be coming to a closer call.
I do like Tybee Island a lot better than Sullivan's Island.
Both ARE beautiful, historic cities, but I prefer Savannah for one simply reason: SHADE! I suffered once on a trip to Charleston because EVERYWHERE seemed to be in direct sun, Savannah simply has more shade trees, and not just in her famous squares, but along the streets as well.
And, by the way: Savannah's Broughton Street = Charleston's King Street. Perhaps King Street has a few more shops, but BOTH are classic Downtown shopping streets with mid to upscale offerings and a smattering of "tourist shops".
Both ARE beautiful, historic cities, but I prefer Savannah for one simply reason: SHADE! I suffered once on a trip to Charleston because EVERYWHERE seemed to be in direct sun, Savannah simply has more shade trees, and not just in her famous squares, but along the streets as well.
And, by the way: Savannah's Broughton Street = Charleston's King Street. Perhaps King Street has a few more shops, but BOTH are classic Downtown shopping streets with mid to upscale offerings and a smattering of "tourist shops".
That's another thing. Savannah has many streets lined with trees that have Spanish moss hanging from them, particularly Liberty and Oglethorpe. I don't remember seeing so many in Charleston. Maybe just in the parks. Also all the squares Savannah has.
Another factorization folks didn't mention is the hipsterness. I've been to Charleston and enjoyed that it had so many coffeeshops and microbreweries and neighborhoods like Park Circle, Elliotborough and NoMo. Does Savannah have any equals in these regards?
Another factorization folks didn't mention is the hipsterness. I've been to Charleston and enjoyed that it had so many coffeeshops and microbreweries and neighborhoods like Park Circle, Elliotborough and NoMo. Does Savannah have any equals in these regards?
When I visited Savannah last year, I thought the neighborhoods south of Forsyth Park fit this type of characteristic. Coffee shops and breweries with an up-and-coming feel, and none of the tourists.
I actually don't think they are as similar as many advertise. While they are similar in being Southern coastal cities that embody what people think of as the South, they do have some fairly large differences too. Charleston feels a good bit bigger than Savannah in terms of stuff going on downtown, crowds, etc. While Savannah can be downright quiet in the winter, there is always a certain amount of bustle to Charleston. But Charleston has changed significantly in the past 10-15 years too. Much wealthier, more New Yorkers around, and all of the trappings that come with such.
Charleston has somewhat of a snobby feel to it, that I think is largely absent in Savannah. Advantages of Charleston include substantially better restaurant scene, more things to see (SC Aquarium, Gibbes Museum which is rather different from the Telfair). Savannah has more houses to see, a more relaxed vibe, and Forsyth Park is nicer than any parks that Charleston has in the downtown area. Other advantages for Charleston include better festivals overall, a city that is more connected with its suburban neighbors, and a bit of a larger city feel IMO. But Savannah has a nicer feel overall.
Conclusion: I think Charleston is a good bit better to live in, and marginally better to visit.
Savannah has more houses to see, a more relaxed vibe, and Forsyth Park is nicer than any parks that Charleston has in the downtown area.
I think your point about Forsyth Park is somewhat debatable. Certainly it's bigger than Charleston's downtown parks, but White Point Garden and Waterfront Park are very nice in their own right with similar aesthetics with their oak canopies, fountains (WP), and statues (WPG) but they have better views than Forsyth Park being that they are right on the water. Waterfront Park has piers you can walk out onto and you can take the water taxi into the harbor from there, and White Point Garden opens up onto the Battery. They do lack the big open grassy space of Forsyth Park but they have smaller, segmented green spaces that are very functional and there's a baseball field next to Waterfront Park that doubles as a dog park in the evenings. When it comes to open spaces between the two cities, I think the only area where there's no debate is when it comes to squares. That is obviously Savannah's domain right there.
Truly sister cities. Theses cities should have been in the same state and shared a common international airport.
They are so different from the inner state cities in each state and have the same problems and similarities. Love both of them and can leave the inland cities to themselves.
I've spent time in both and from what I've gathered, the people of Savannah are trying to retain a sort of "large town" feel and somewhat curb excessive growth (or they would like to). Charleston is growing and while the Neck itself preserves much of it's buildings and skyline, the surrounding areas are booming and unabated. I haven't heard of any Charlestonians that dislike the growth, maybe the excessive growth, but Charleston will be a major metropolis and center of activity before Savannah will and I think the citizens of Charleston are more open to that than Savannah's residents.
I love both and if I had to choose, I'd live in Charleston. One big win for Savannah is it seemed less snoody. Charleston on the other hand, well, see above...
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