As a solo traveler, I’m always looking for peaceful places with a small town vibe.
I recently discovered Pooler, GA, a charming town with great restaurants, unique boutiques and lots of outdoorsy things to do. As a bonus, it’s well located, sitting just 10 miles from downtown Savannah and 30 from the coast.
This was a hosted solo trip but opinions are my own.
Things to Do
Have a Great Meal
912 Korean Hot Pot and BBQ
- Food: Korean
- Vibe: Unique and fun DIY eating
- Need to Know: You pick the soup base and the meat, which is delivered raw to your table. The hot pot sits in the middle of the table, filled with the soup base. You drop your food into the base to cook at the table. So everything is fresh and you pick just how cooked the meat is or how firm or soft the veggies.
- Favorites: Raw shrimp that one cooks in the hot pot…beef was a strong second.
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Chazito’s Latin Cuisine
- Food: Latin/Hispanic flavors
- Vibe: Counter-serve diner reminiscent the 1950’s with plenty of outside seating
- Need to Know:
- This is one of Guy Fieri’s picks for “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”
- Owner/chef Chaz Ortiz, a third generation Puerto Rican American, began with just a tent, then upgraded to a food truck – he still has two – and since 2011, has been in this spot.
- Favorites: Empanadas, Yucca Fries, Cuban Sandwiches
The Crown & Anchor
- Food: English pub
- Vibe: Upscale casual
- Need to Know: The variety of burgers will please any American taste. Also a full bar with wonder crafted cocktails and great wines.
- Favorites: Fish and Chips and Bangers and Mash
Visit a Museum
The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force
tells the story that the 8th Air Force played in Europe during WWII. The Prelude to World War II exhibit tells the events leading to the war. The exhibits are themed like The Battle of Britain, The Day of Infamy, Airman Down exhibit which shows how the captured airmen survived the POW camps and several others. Women are recognized at The Fly Girls of WWII exhibit that showcases the WASPs.
Memorial Garden
- behind the museum, pays tribute to those who gave their all in the Eighth Air Force in World War II and subsequent wars. Vaults and graves cover the 150 acre garden with memorials, walls, and sculptures honoring the fallen heroes. There is a beautiful reflection pool. Near the back of the garden there is a B-47 Stratojet, an aircraft that could fly at high altitudes to avoid detection and was used by the US Air Force during the Cold War era.
Chapel of the Fallen Eagles
is a gothic-style English chapel built in 2002 and has a memorial to the war brides. Many American airmen fell in love with British women, married them and brought them to the US after the war. The stained glass windows were donated by relatives to honor their fallen hero. Each window tells a story.
Take a Nature Walk
Savannah-Ogeechee Canal
The Savannah-Ogeechee Canal is just about three miles south of Pooler city limits. It’s a place that incorporates nature, culture, and history. The Savannah-Ogeechee Canal began 1826 as a way to move cotton, rice, bricks, and natural fertilizer. African enslaved people supplemented by 100 Irish laborers, who were brought over from Ireland, dug hundreds of tons of dirt under harsh conditions. Of course, the slaves were not paid, and two supervisors stole the money set to pay the Irish workers. Unable to compete with the railroad, the canal ceased operation in 1888..
- The small museum tells the history of the canal. Exhibits show items used in the canal’s construction. When you visit, talk to Connie, she has a wealth of knowledge about the canal.
- Follow the Nature Trail beginning at the canal. There is a bunch of artifacts set out near the trail, a canal lock, a replica gate and lock model, and Civil War tent mounds. The trails run through swamps, sandhills, and saw palmetto forest and a birder’s paradise with eagles, barred owls, herons, egrets, woodpeckers and more. There’s lots of other wildlife as well including bobcats, deer, red foxes, and others.
She Buys Travel Tip: Be sure to note the historic marker telling the history of the canal near the wooden bridge.
Get Some Retail Therapy
If you’re in the mood for shopping, you can find some unusual places here.
- Hello Retail Therapy has items ranging from traditional gifts like clothing, lotions, pillows, handbags, candles and unique gift items. You can find custom made permanent jewelry here. It is also the place to go if you want safe ear piercing by register nurse/owner, Serena.
- The Salt Table is where you find more varieties of seasoning they you could imagine. Dave and Carol Legasse began mixing seasoning in their garage as a present for friends. It grew into several shops and the factory shop where they create their product is right here in Pooler. Being showcased on the PBS TV program; “A Fork in the Road,” brought them national attention.
- Hue Phuong Oriental Food Market is the place to visit for that unusual Asian dinner you want to prepare or the unique dessert that makes your mouth water. From varieties of rice and ramen to unique oriental coffee blends, culinary experts and novice chefs alike will find a treat here.
See a Movie
- Royal Cinema’s World’s Tallest IMAX 14 screens brings Pooler the latest in movie viewing. The tallest screen is 76 feet, 2 inches high and 101 feet wide. Besides the tallest, some of their screens have Dolby Atmos which provides a 360° surround sound experience making you feel you’re part of the movie. Besides the normal theater popcorn and candy, the IMAX has Royal Grille in the theater lobby. You can order food to eat in the grille, or you can order at the bar and they will deliver the food to you inside while you watch the movie.
Play a Game
Tom Triplett Park
The 200 acres of Tom Triplett Community Park offer green public space. If traveling with your furry friend, there’s a dog park. There’s two fishing piers on its 19-acre freshwater lake, stocked with catfish, bass, and bream for fisher-persons. Or you can stroll over the bridge across the lake and contemplate the history that happened here. Pavilions and restrooms are handy. The park is a stop on the Civil War Heritage Trail. You’ll find markers and information stations telling of the union army’s March To The Sea as General Sherman encamped here as he approached Savannah in 1864.
- The Disk Golf course here is mostly wooded with plenty of green space. It’s 18 holes with a three tier tee.
- The park has two tennis courts if you want a more strenuous game.
SheBuys Travel Tip: If you are a pickleball player, you can find courts at nearby Pooler Recreation Complex.
Where I Stayed
What I like best about the Best Western Premier:
- Room for a family or girlfriend getaway: I stayed in a Suite with two queen beds and comfy seating area with an additional sofa bed.
- Handy Amenities: Microwave, refrigerator, and Keurig Coffee Maker.
- Easy Eats: Complimentary full breakfast and onsite restaurant for dinner.
- Easy Access: Just 4 miles from the Savannah/Hilton Head international airport.
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