10 Things to Do in Savannah in May

In spring everything blooms, and Savannah is no exception. So during this spring season you can find amazing things to do as a family in the city.

Adrián Carrero

Adrián Carrero

11 min read

10 Things to Do in Savannah in May

Tren parado |©Pete Piszczek

Visiting this southern Georgia city in May is an ideal plan, not only because of the weather and the season, but also because of the amount of activities you can find there. Visiting parks and museums are some of the best things to do in Savannah, but what specifically can you do in May?

For starters, it's Mother's Month, so it should come as no surprise that many of the activities in the city during this month pay tribute to mothers. Races and marathons, scary conventions and even food competitions are some of the activities you can't miss during your visit during the fifth month of the year.

1. Enjoy Memorial Day Commemoration Events

Prohibition Museum: Savannah|©Carolyn
Prohibition Museum: Savannah|©Carolyn

For the month of May is Memorial Month, and precisely on Memorial Day weekend not many attractions are open because this is a national day when many businesses close their doors. However, there are some attractions that are still open these days, to delve into American history and what is behind Memorial Day.

During this weekend you can take a tour of all these historical places, and for that you can sign up for one of the best trolley tours in Savannah, which will take you to learn a little more about the history of the United States. I'll describe some of the places you'll see during this tour.

  • The Prohibition Museum: It is a place fully dedicated to bringing back all the stories and legends of the Prohibition era, as well as the mobsters and bootleggers who were profiting during that season. It is located in Savannah's popular City Market. You can also visit this place on your own.
  • River Walk: A good place to enjoy a nice view of the river, but also to admire and take pictures of the oldest buildings in the city. At the same time you can enjoy an incredible gastronomic experience.
  • Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum: This is one of the best museums in Savannah, where you can enjoy an unparalleled collection of ships, paintings and other treasures that tell the commercial history of England and America during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Details of interest

  • Price: the tour can be priced at approximately 55 euros per person, and includes entrance fees to the places you will visit.
  • Address: the starting point starts at any of the Old Town Trolley stops.
  • Date: it is an ideal activity to do on Memorial Weekend.

Experience the Old Town Trolley Bus tour

2. Go learn about history at Ossabaw Descendants Heritage Day

Ossabaw Island|©Kristine - traveller, hiker and quilter
Ossabaw Island|©Kristine - traveller, hiker and quilter

Ossabaw Island is a pristine island about twenty minutes from Savannah, Georgia. It belongs to the city and can only be reached by boat. Going to this place is one of the best family experiences to do in Savannah.

Ossabaw Island Descendants Heritage Day is very special for those who have a connection to Ossabaw Island, either through their parents, grandparents, distant ancestors, or themselves. It is a day when everyone is invited to the island to tour it and remember its history.

Don't worry if you have no connections to this island, it is also a good tour for those who just want to learn about African American history and discover, in this case, what life was like on one of the largest barrier islands in the entire state of Georgia.

Ossabaw is not the only place to learn about African American history, so if you want to learn more, it's a good plan to take some historical slavery tour, which is one of the best tours in Savannah to learn about the city's past.

Details of interest

  • Price: you could pay approximately 35 to 55 euros per person to participate in this event.
  • Address: the island is located about 30 minutes from Savannah and faces the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Date: this event usually takes place on the first or second Saturday of May.

Take the African-American history walking tour

3. Be terrified of Halloween in May during the Southeast Hollows Haunt Convention

Two Jack O'lanterns|©Toni Cuenca
Two Jack O'lanterns|©Toni Cuenca

An event to enjoy the best of Halloween long before the spooky season. Savannah offers the perfect setting to hold this experience year after year. It is a stage where different Halloween vendors come together to show the public everything new for the upcoming season.

Southeast Hollows Haunt Convention is not only a fair to sell Halloween items, but you will also have the opportunity to enjoy food stands, drinks, some talks about scary stories of the city, and even a costume contest in which every year the participants strive to get the best one.

In addition to everything, during this convention there is a fun Halloween party where you can enjoy both the scary traditions, as well as musical presentations and other fun events. This is a celebration with a good family atmosphere, so it is one of the best things to do in Savannah with kids this season.

Savannah is an ideal place to have this kind of convention because it is one of the scariest cities in the United States, so a good plan after going to the convention, is to do some of the best ghost tours in Savannah.

Details of interest

  • Price: single day tickets can cost between 20 and 25 euros. But a three-day ticket usually costs up to 45 euros.
  • Address: this celebration takes place at 1 International Dr. Savannah.
  • Date: It takes place during two or three days in the first week of May.

Take your ghost tour through the city of Savannah

4. Attend the War of Jenkins' Ear Commemoration events at Wormsloe Historic Site

Wormsloe Plantation|©chelllebellle
Wormsloe Plantation|©chelllebellle

May commemorates the Battle of Jenkins' Ear, which was an armed conflict during the American War of Independence that escalated the conflict between England and Spain for dominion over the territory of what is now the United States. To commemorate it, it's a good plan to take one of Savannah's best historical tours.

Also during these days, the Battle of Jenkins' Ear Visitor Center at the Wormsloe Historic Site, also known as Wormsloe Plantation, offers the public a demonstration of what that conflict was like. At the presentation, not only will you be able to see some audio-visual explanations of the armed conflict, but you will also see dramatizations and the hosts will be dressed in period costume.

In addition to all this, you will be able to participate in a tour that will take you to see some of the most important armaments that were in use during this conflict. There are demonstrations with gunpowder and some parades and military exercises to pay tribute to those who participated in the conflict.

Details of interest

  • Price: tickets for this event can cost between 2 and 10 euros per person, depending on the age and condition of each person.
  • Address: Wormsloe Historic Site Park is located on Skidaway Road, about 8 miles southeast of Savannah's historic district.
  • Date: the event is usually held during sometime during the second to last week of May.

Visit Wormsloe Plantation

5. Celebrate Mother's Day at the Mother's Day Artist, Crafters and Entertainment Festival

Ellwood City Arts and Crafts Festival|©generation2photoblog
Ellwood City Arts and Crafts Festival|©generation2photoblog

This is one of **Savannah'**s most exciting Mother's Day festivals. A group of artists from different disciplines organize to offer mothers from all over the city and other cities in the state of Georgia, a high-level exhibition of jewelry, ceramics, painting and other interesting arts.

It is also a good place to see the talent of sketchers and painters. Additionally, during the presentation of the entire show, you will have the opportunity to watch musical performances and sample some of the popular southern flavors of the country with the various foods that are available for purchase. All this amidst an environment suitable for the whole family.

Details of interest

  • Price: tickets are free, although inside the fair, you will have to pay for everything you want to consume, or take home.
  • Address: held on River Street in Savannah, Georgia.
  • Date: this event takes place the second weekend of May, in coincidence with Mother's Day.

6. Get a taste of Scottish culture at the Savannah Scottish Games

Savannah Scottish Games|©Pathless Woods
Savannah Scottish Games|©Pathless Woods

The Savannah Scottish Games are a real Scottish party. If you want to have fun at the same time that you get to know and interact a little closer with the Scottish culture, this festival is the perfect time to do it. It is a show where you will come across different performances of traditional Scottish bagpipe groups.

You will also be able to see different types of sports such as heavy athletics. But additionally you will see a lot of samples of Scottish culture such as exhibitions of border collies.

There are always different historical reenactors who will tell you part of what has been the history of Scotland. All this comes together with a family atmosphere in which Celtic musicians and above all many Scots converge.

Details of interest

  • Price: tickets to the event can be purchased at a price ranging from 5 to 15 euros, depending on the type of ticket. Children under 10 years old get in for free.
  • Address: this event takes place at Bethesda Academy, located at 9570 Ferguson Ave. in Savannah.
  • Date: takes place during the first week of May.

7. Test your performance by participating in the Mother Daughter Run 5K

two women running|©Fort Bragg, NC Paraglide
two women running|©Fort Bragg, NC Paraglide

This is one of the most special races in the city during the month of May, and that's because it pays tribute to mothers on their day. It is a race where mothers in the city can compete together with their daughters and have a different kind of day.

This event is not only about the 5K race, but also about the family atmosphere, live music, tastings of typical southern food dishes and endless activities for mothers, for children and for the rest of the family.

Details of interest

  • Price: the entry fee may vary from year to year, although it is clear that to sign up you have to pay a registration fee that gives you access to the welcome packet with everything you will need to participate.
  • Address: the race is held in Downtown Savannah, although the starting point may change from year to year.
  • Date: this activity takes place the second weekend of May, as part of the Mother's Day celebration.

8. Participate in the eagerly awaited Annual Savannah Mile

Woman running|©Rosemary Ketchum
Woman running|©Rosemary Ketchum

As part of the Memorial Day commemorations, Savannah hosts a large one-mile walk or run, usually along Drayton Street Avenue. It is a very entertaining sporting event for the whole family, considering that the race is open to runners ranging from children to experienced runners.

All the money that is collected from this activity goes to a charity fund of different organizations every year, to attend the needs of a specific group of people. You can go just to enjoy the race, or you can participate in it, although for that you must register in advance, to protect your place in the competition.

Details of interest

  • Price: to participate in the race you must pay around 35 euros per person to register. Although prices may change for lifeguards and groups running as a family.
  • Direction: the race is along Drayton Street from Forsyth Park to Broughton Street.
  • Date: This event is scheduled for the third week of May each year.

9. Go for a taste of barbecued meat at the King of the Hog BBQ Competition

person holding meat with tongs|©Min An
person holding meat with tongs|©Min An

This is a fun food competition where you can watch the participants put it all on the line to win the title of King of the Hog. The best thing about this competition is that you will be able to taste the meats cooked by each of the participants and at the same time you will be able to choose which one of them did the best.

Throughout the event you will find a good atmosphere of friendship, familiarity and in which children can also find their space thanks to the number of activities offered for them. All this is enlivened with live music and of course different alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

The winners of this competition receive not only trophies for the best barbecue, but also cash as part of the prize money. This festival certainly counts as one of the best food tours in Savannah.

In addition, this competition is special because the proceeds raised during the event go to charity for different organizations that support certain causes.

Details of interest

  • Price: the event is open to the public, although if you want to vote for the king of Hog BBQ, you have to pay at least 10 euros for the voting tablet.
  • Address: the competition is held at 1 Fort Argyle Rd. in Savannah.
  • Date: usually this event is held sometime in the second week of May. Most often before the 15th of this month. Its schedule is from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, although it can sometimes change.

10. Meet Savannah's most important women at the Founding Mothers' Afternoon Tea

Fort McAllister State Park|©Coastal Georgia Camping and Hiking
Fort McAllister State Park|©Coastal Georgia Camping and Hiking

Year after year the women of the city of Savannah, Georgia, choose a woman founder of the nation who has been truly influential in the growth and development of the United States and pay tribute to her. In this way they honor the past and explain to the new generations how the process has been to get to the present day.

That day of the yearly gathering to celebrate the nation's founding women is none other than the Founding Mothers' Afternoon Tea. It is usually held at Fort McAllister State Park and all members of the public, both visitors and locals who want to see reenactments of history, are invited.

But it's not just an event that focuses only on American history and how women have contributed to it, but this whole atmosphere is enlivened with live music and also different food and drink tastings. During the activity you will be able to taste cakes as well as tea, coffee and hot chocolate.

Details of interest

  • Price: to participate in this activity you will have to pay around 25 euros per person.
  • Address: this event takes place at 3894 Fort McAllister Road in Richmond Hill.
  • Date: it is almost always organized for the third weekend of May.

May temperatures in Savannah

People barbecuing|©RONALD COOPER
People barbecuing|©RONALD COOPER

Towards the end of May, temperatures begin to rise to welcome summer. In this sense, temperatures vary during the month between 16 and 20 degrees at night. While during the day they can vary between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius.

As you can see, summer temperatures in Savannah can rise considerably. As for the hours of sunshine, these increase considerably, in fact, the longest day of the year is in May, with an approximate duration of just over 14 hours of natural light.

What should I pack for a trip to Savannah in May?

Travel Luggage|©Craig Adderley
Travel Luggage|©Craig Adderley

Since it is the beginning of summer, you should pack summer clothes, sandals and comfortable shoes. I also recommend that you pack warm pajamas to cope with the low temperatures at night.

It is also important to pack sunglasses and a hat to protect you from the sun. Likewise, as skin protection, it is important that you do not forget to bring sunscreen, taking into consideration that the sun is inclement throughout the month.