When the Savannah Sand Gnats departed for Columbia, South Carolina, in 2015, Savannah was left without a minor league baseball team for the first time in 90 years.
The Savannah Bananas quickly filled the void. Following early mixed reviews and local skepticism, the collegiate summer baseball team went on to attract national media attention and fandom with their entertaining “Banana Ball” brand.
Think the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball: The Bananas have since become a sellout sensation with their barnstorming baseball theater of zany costumes and irreverent on-field antics.
The team’s home, Grayson Stadium, or “BananaLand,” has been a cornerstone of the city’s baseball heritage since 1926. Rebuilt in 1941 following a hurricane, the venue offers surefire fun as a seasonal outing opportunity for Savannah groups in town between April and October.
This year, the team upped its visibility with a 25-state, 40-city tour that included games in 18 Major League Baseball stadiums, Yankee Stadium in New York City and Fenway Park in Boston notably among them. This August, the Visit Savannah sales team and several hotel partners brought 60 meeting planners to Chicago’s Rate Field for a sold-out Savannah Bananas game.
According to Visit Savannah, the gathering delivered the fun of Banana Ball while also showing the planners that Savannah is not afraid to think outside the box. By creating experiences that are both authentic and unexpected, the goal was to demonstrate the kind of creativity, hospitality and sense of place that groups can expect when they bring their meetings to Savannah.
“Hostess City” is attracting serious planner attention and interest on other fronts. From the newly expanded Savannah Convention Center to new hotels and outdoor spaces, the current investment wave is a home run for play and business.
[Related: What is Banana Ball? Check Out the New Sport Taking the Internet By Storm]
Savannah Conventions are Twice as Nice, With Views to Match
Opened in 2000, the Savannah Convention Center (SCC) celebrated its 25th anniversary this year by completing its highly anticipated expansion in February. The $276 million transformation doubled the facility’s size to 660,000 square feet. Groups now have twice the divisible exhibit hall space, at 200,000 total square feet, and nearly twice the meeting rooms, up from 14 to 27.
Planners can also count on a 900-space parking garage to accommodate increased attendance; a fifth boardroom, enhancing the facility’s executive meeting capabilities; and new 40,000-square-foot ballroom, complementing the existing 25,000-square-foot ballroom. Other enhancements include modernized design elements, refreshed color schemes, comfortable new seating throughout the venue and state-of-the-art technology upgrades.100
As existing clients know, the option of getting to the convention center, which sits on Hutchinson Island across the Savannah River from the city’s historic downtown Savannah, via complimentary Savannah Belles water ferry service adds a unique dimension to the meeting experience. Taking full advantage of the scenic riverfront locale, the expansion has also introduced a new rooftop event terrace.
“People always love coming to Savannah from a leisure standpoint, but this expansion will truly put Savannah on the map for meetings and conventions,” said Angela Daniels, the venue’s director of sales and marketing. “With new spaces showcasing the destination—like the stunning Savannah Terrace overlooking the Savannah River and the Landmark Historic District—attendees will experience spectacular views and warm breezes that set Savannah apart from competing markets.”
In the pipeline for development next to the convention center, a new Signia by Hilton headquarters hotel will add 400-plus rooms, meeting space and resort-style amenities alongside the recently renovated Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa’s 400-plus rooms and versatile meeting spaces.
“The expansion equips the Visit Savannah sales team and our sales partners at the SCC with new opportunities to engage in deeper and more productive conversations with current and new customers,” said Joseph Marinelli, president and CEO of Visit Savannah. “These enhancements will allow us to attract a wider variety of events and larger groups that may have previously faced challenges due to Savannah’s space limitations.”
For Visit Savannah’s chief sales officer, Jeff Hewitt, the expansion marks a fitting finale to his four-plus-decade career in the tourism and hospitality industry as he prepares to retire at the end of the year.
Since joining Visit Savannah in 2010, Hewitt has played an instrumental role in elevating Savannah’s reputation as a premier destination for meetings, conventions and group travel. Under his leadership, the organization grew room night production from 80,000 in 2010 to over 315,000 in 2024 while also doubling total hotel room inventory.
Hewitt’s influence also included expanding Visit Savannah’s national and international sales reach, and ushering in the Savannah Convention Center expansion, a critical move for solidifying Savannah’s competitive standing and positioning the destination as a leader for large-scale meetings and conventions.
“The expansion opens the door to a world of new possibilities, new customers and new visitors,” Hewitt said. “We are excited for what the future will bring.”
[Related: Iconic Savannah Ups the Ante With a Convention Center Expansion and More]
Other New Investments Expand Savannah’s Horizons
That future continues to take shape with the addition of other resources such as the Municipal Grand Hotel. Opened in July 2025, the attractive 44-room property features a pool deck and full restaurant and bar. Scheduled to open this October, the speakeasy-style “Hot Eye” basement bar will be available for buyouts. Planners can also book the mezzanine-level overlooking the lobby, with group room contracts for five or more guests.
Unveiled in June 2025, The Douglas is an intimate newcomer offering 16 high-end rooms. Built in 1853 as a private residence on Oglethorpe Avenue, one of Savannah’s most storied streets, this luxurious enclave offers exclusive guest amenities including a private bar/lounge and full-service dining.
Another 2025 arrival, AC Hotel Savannah Historic District offers 4,000-plus square feet of flexible space in seven meeting rooms, including a 210-capacity ballroom. The elegantly curving property features 170 guest rooms and suites, many with private balconies overlooking the Savannah River, and indoor/outdoor Lavender Rooftop Kitchen & Bar.
Savannah’s collection of event-capable rooftop aeries also includes Bar Julian atop the Thompson Savannah in the new Eastern Wharf district, Top Deck at the Cotton Sail Hotel and Pendant Terrace & Bar at The Drayton Hotel.
Reimagined in collaboration with the world-renowned Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Peregrin, the “rooftop conservatory” at the top-ranked, Michelin Key-rated Perry Lane Hotel in Savannah’s historic downtown, is a verdant oasis offering a 150-capacity event lawn and full buyouts. The Neon Fish rooftop bar is among the event spaces at legendary Sorry Charlie’s Oyster Bar on Ellis Square.
Pirate legends of coastal Georgia and Savannah abound, including tales of Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, female swashbucklers Anne Bonny and Mary Read, and French brothers Jean and Pierre Lafitte. Robert Louis Stevenson mentions Savannah in his classic “Treasure Island.” While likely mythical, this irresistible lore gets a new showcase this fall with the anticipated debut of the event-capable Pirates and Treasure Museum.
Opened in 1753 just seven blocks from where Savannah was founded in 1733, The Pirates’ House, once frequented by seafarers, is now an evocative spot for dining and 150-capacity private events, plus catering. This month saw the 21st edition of the four-day Tybee Island Pirate Festival, one of the Savannah area’s signature annual events along with one of the oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the nation.
With an all-in hospitality mindset that has long brought leisure and business together as one, Savannah’s top-banana status is assured.
