Visiting Savannah

“I really loved the community of Savannah. I can tell that jazz is sacrosanct with the people who came to see the concerts and the entire festival. What a great place!”
Craig Roselieb, Downers Grove IL

Getting Here

By car or bus: Savannah is easily accessible to most of the southeast via two major interstates highways. Once you are in Savannah, the easiest way to get around is by walking. We will have overnight bus parking available at the workshop venue.

By air:

SAVANNAH/HILTON HEAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: A 20 minute drive from the Historic District
CHARLESTON (SC) AIRPORT: A 2-hour drive from Savannah, but there are sometimes less expensive fares in and out of this airport
JACKSONVILLE (FL) AIRPORT: A 2-hour drive from Savannah, but there are sometimes less expensive fares in and out of this airport

Hotels & Accomodations

We strongly recommend that you stay in Savannah’s Historic District, where you will be within walking distance of all workshop, competition and performance venues. March is a very busy tourist season in Savannah, so reserve your hotel rooms as soon as possible. For a comprehensive list of hotels in the area, see VISITSAVANNAH.COM.

Eating

We understand that feeding a large group of students in an unfamiliar city can be extremely challenging. Here is a list of affordable crowd-pleasers that can feed 10+ people.

Restaurants and Carryout

MELLOW MUSHROOM PIZZA: 11 W. Liberty Street
FIVE GUYS BURGERS AND FRIES: 175 West Bay Street
CARLITO’S MEXICAN GRILL: 119 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
B&D BURGERS: 13 E. Broughton Street
JIMMY JOHN’S: 7 E. Congress Street
MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL: 150 W. St. Julian Street
YOUR PIE: 110 W. Bryan Street

Moderately priced options (reservations strongly recommended)

THE LADY AND SONS RESTAURANT: 102 W. Congress Street
THE PIRATES’ HOUSE: 20 E. Broad Street (Great if you’re going to see an evening show at the Morris Center!)
TUBBY’S SEAFOOD: 115 E. River Street

Pizza Delivery

Domino’s: (912) 651-6001
Papa John’s: (912) 352-8500
Screamin’ Mimis: (912) 236-2744
Mellow Mushroom: (912) 495-0705
Vinnie Van Go-Go’s: (912) 233-6294
Your Pie: (912) 234-2433

Down Time

You may have some time off between individual clinician sessions, workshops, and performances, depending on your band’s schedule. There are lots of fun activities to do in and around the Historic District:

TOURS: From TROLLEY tours to RIVERBOAT tours to GHOST tours.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Savannah is just 18 miles away from TYBEE ISLAND, which has three miles of beautiful public beaches and many different water activities.
MUSEUMS: Learn about Savannah’s HERITAGE, its MARITIME HISTORY, or visit one of our MUSEUMS for VISUAL ART.