By: Pamela Knowles

Savannah is home to many things. Beautiful live oak trees, haunted history experiences, historic homes, delicious coastal cuisine and… exciting sports events. All year long, sports enthusiasts traveling to Savannah can partake in various sporting events across the city. Check out this list of must-see Savannah events, sport your best face paint and cheer on the home team!

1. Savannah Bananas Game

With the tagline, “We make baseball fun,” you know you’re in for an entertaining experience when you arrive at Grayson Stadium for a Savannah’s Bananas baseball game. Packing ballparks throughout the South and Midwest, the Bananas have created a secret sauce by transforming themselves into the epitome of making baseball fun again. This baseball team features college players that love to turn baseball on its head by always doing the unexpected. For example, Savannah Bananas fans will likely enjoy: the team’s elderly cheer squad aptly named the “Banana Nanas,” a dancing first-base coach and many more switch-ups to standard baseball rules that’ll make any baseball enthusiast’s head spin. If you plan to visit Savannah between May through August, snag your tickets early – these are a hot commodity and tend to sell out within minutes.

2. Savannah Ghost Pirates

If you didn’t know that Savannah had its very own Pro-Hockey Team, don’t fret! The Savannah Ghost Pirates are the newest sports team in Savannah and in the ECHL (East Coast Hockey League). Unlike the Savannah Bananas, the Savannah Ghost Pirates serve as a stepping stone to developing players for the NHL. Their inaugural season, AKA “The Haunt,” launches in October of 2022 in Savannah’s new Enmarket Arena.

3. Savannah State University Football Game

Go Tigers!! If college football is a favorite pastime, a Savannah State University football game is not to be missed. For those not familiar, Savannah State is the oldest institution of higher learning in Savannah and the oldest public HBCU in Georgia. The Tiger Den is packed every home football game and easily transports its visitors back to the glory days of collegiate home football games. Don your best orange and blue and make your way to any of the team’s home games between September through November.

4. EnMarket Savannah Hockey Classic

The Enmarket Savannah Hockey Classic is a collegiate hockey tournament that features the South’s most exciting hockey programs: the University of Georgia, University of Florida, Georgia Tech and Florida State. This must-see Savannah sports event takes place over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend every January, now held in the brand new Enmarket Arena.

Bring the entire family to this fun indoor hockey tournament. Wear your Enmarket Savannah Hockey Classic shirt and beanie, snag as many chuck-a-pucks you can carry and cheer on your favorite team! Learn more about this must-see sporting event in Savannah here.

5. EnMarket Savannah Bridge Run

Do you have what it takes to Conquer the Bridge? Experience what runners call, “The South’s Toughest Bridge Run” in December’s Enmarket Savannah Bridge Run. For over 30 years, runners have faced this challenge head-on by running one, two or three times over Savannah’s historic Talmadge Bridge.

Before you mentally mark this race as a typical bridge run, don’t forget – this is Savannah, y’all! Our Enmaket Savannah Bridge Run is not complete without our fan-favorite costume contest. Racers dress up in their favorite ensembles, some even Savannah-inspired, before lacing up their running shoes to race to the finish. So, do you have what it takes? Learn more here!

6. Club Car Championship at The Landings Club

Fore sure, golf enthusiasts will tell you that their must experience golfing tournaments include The Masters, The PGA Championship and The U.S. Open. Still, in Savannah, the premier golfing tournament is the annual Club Car Championship at The Landings Club. This tournament is part of the Korn Ferry Tour Schedule and is a four-day, 72-hole, stroke-play competition with a total purse of $750,000.

Nestled in a private luxury golf community, The Landings Club brings the area’s talent to Savannah’s Skidaway Island every March. Watch in awe as the players tee up to the challenging course while you sip on your Chatham Artillery Punch cocktail. You don’t want to miss the action at this must-see Savannah sports event.

7. Savannah Challenger

Don your tennis whites for April’s Savannah Challenger! This is THE premier professional tennis event in South Georgia. This United States Tennis Association (USTA) ATP tournament is part of the worldwide Challenger series, a Pro Circuit event that brings in some of the world’s finest tennis players to Savannah. This annual event is held at the Franklin Creek Sports Complex at The Landings Club. Players compete for a grand prize of $50,000!

8. Savannah Clovers FC – Savannah’s first Professional Soccer Club!  

Did you know that Savannah has a professional soccer – er, we mean football club! Savannah Clovers Football Club is kicking up quite a storm ahead of its debut season as a fully-fledged professional club. The club was founded in 2016 as an amateur club and has been building towards becoming a Pro club and this will happen in 2023 when they join the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). So head on over to Memorial Stadium from March 2023 and watch The Clovers in action!

As you can see, there is something for every sports fan in Savannah! Choose from various sporting events like a quirky baseball game or a professional golf tournament to balance your iconic Savannah experiences during your visit. We won’t say you have to cheer on the home team, but the locals would love the support!