Savannah, Georgia

Last week I took my first trip to the "south" in my adult life. I originally thought it was my first ever, but then I remembered I did a 3 week camp-type thing in Virginia after my freshman year of high school. I know that Virginia being the south is a bit questionable, but this was not in a suburb of DC, it was "the south" of VA, and this was made further southern by my two best buds at camp being from Mississippi and Memphis. So, I suppose I've been to the south, but not in my adult life. Many southern cities are on my short list of must visit: Nashville, Austin, Charleston. Also on the list? Savannah, Georgia. The weather is warmer than here in February (though just barely on the week we had, yikes) and the flight is direct and cheap from Boston. Max was excited for his third and fourth flights :) 

I used both Lisa and Stephany's blog posts about Savannah in my planning, so here is what we did and would recommend to others. We did bring Max along to all of the places below, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend them all for kids. Max did great, but whenever he needed a break we had 4 of us who could take him for walks or entertain him in some way. Also, everyone in Savannah was SO SO nice, he made many, many friends along the way. 

Read: Why not read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a true crime novel by John Berndt, before you head to Savannah? It's fun to see a bunch of the places where things took place. If you get really into it, you can stay at an Inn where parties happened in the book. Rumor has it guests have reported hearing parties in the middle of the night even now… dun dun dun. 

 

Eat: Barracuda Bobs [casual restaurant down by the river], Olde Pink House [fancy restaurant with good quality food in an old historic house, really cool atmosphere and brief history lesson during your meal], Billy's Place at McDonough's [surprisingly fancy restaurant located above a pub, supposed to be the best crab cake in Savannah- I didn't try all of them, but it was definitely delicious], Crystal Beer Parlor [casual, fun and delicious restaurant great for kids and adults alike], Java Burrito [amazing Chioptle-type restaurant on Hilton Head for anyone who decides to go up there for a day trip]

We also ate at The Pirate House, which is located in the oldest building in Savannah. You can even do tours of the restaurant. It wasn't terrible, but I just think you can do better in Savannah and I'd probably only go back to do a tour but not to eat again. It's possible my opinion of this place was colored by the fact that Max was just not really feeling this restaurant. 

Drink: You can drink on the streets in Savannah, so the possibilities are limitless. Down by the river, we grabbed some local to go beers from the Bayou Cafe. If you don't mind paying a little more for your drinks, go to the Top Deck Bar and enjoy a rooftop view over the river. My favorite local beers were: Coastal Empire Tybee Island Blonde and the Southbound Scatter Sun Whit, both brewed in Savannah. 

 

Sleep: We rented a condo using HomeAway. It was perfect for us- 3 bedrooms, 2 HUGE closets (one that Max slept in) and a great location about a mile walk from most attractions. Let me know if you want more info. If you are more of a hotel person, it seems there are endless possibilities. Just beware, many of the historic inns are haunted. He he :) 

See & Do: the Savannah Dan tour [awesome 2 hour walking tour, super entertaining guy who gives interesting overview of Savannah history], walk… walk everywhere, along the river, in the many many parks that seem to be on every corner, tour the Owens Thomas House, peak inside the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, visit Tybee Island (20 minute drive) for Fort Pulaski and Tybee Island Light (which you can climb to the top of), visit Hilton Head and go to the Island Winery. 

 

Buy: I usually don't buy much on vacation, but I had to visit Nilsa's friend's store Number Four Eleven and get Max an adorable stuffed bunny.

 

Overall we had a great trip to Savannah and I'd definitely recommend it as a place for others to visit. I loved the southern hospitality, especially how kind and welcoming everyone was on to Max! There was a lot more we didn't even have time to do, so I think we will be back again. 

 

Have you been to the south, or do you live in the south? Favorite southern city?