In some ways, it is strange to think we’ve been back in Chicago 2.5 years. Some days it feels longer and others it feels like we never left Switzerland. Regardless, we continue to revel in the many amazing cities America has to offer. We hit up another new one during Tilly’s spring break – Savannah, Georgia.
I first learned of Savannah when I saw the movie ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil‘ many years ago. The background of the city of Savannah was almost like an additional character to the film. It was so adorable that I knew I had to visit one day.
We booked ourselves in the very centrally located Andaz Savannah and a short 2 hour flight later, had landed in this southern gem of a city.
Sadly the weather was cold and rainy our first afternoon. We spent dinner in the hotel and the lovely staff kept us entertained and well fed.
The next morning, after an amazing breakfast of peach compote french toast, we took off to explore the city. The sun was shining and while it was a bit chillier than we had hoped, we got to see much of the downtown and have lunch on the river.
The city is extremely walkable and has 22 “squares” throughout its grid layout. These squares vary in size but are relatively small, with grass, trees, seating and fountains. These squares all possess unique, meaningful names and contribute to the quaint and scenic nature of Savannah.
Savannah also boasts many sweets and candy shops, which we definitely made sure to explore. Tilly grabbed some ice cream and candy at River Street Sweets which made her day!
That evening, we dined at Paula Dean’s famous restaurant, The Lady and Sons. They don’t take reservations, but since we were there on a Monday evening in April, we didn’t have to wait long. The menu was priced by the number of entrees and sides you wanted. You then picked those items and it was intended to be endless. For example, we ordered fried chicken, and were able to request two additional servings/dishes of this. We pigged out! As “northerners”, we felt this southern cuisine was to die for! So much for our diets.
The next day, we decided to take advantage of Savannah’s many hop-on-hop-off trolly tours. We booked this through our hotel, and were set up with Old Town Trolley Tours. There are 14 stops on the tour and we found out quickly that if you start off first thing in the morning, you might have to wait for a few trolleys before there is enough space for you.
It was this trolly tour that confirmed my love for Savannah. We had an amazing guide named Cynthanea who truly made the tour special. She was born and raised in Savannah, so I feel like we really got to learn the ins and outs of the city.
For example, many of the bricks found throughout the city were made by former slaves using the clay from the bottom of the river. Another interesting fact is that over 100 films have been filmed and/or based in Savannah. I knew of some of the obvious one like Forrest Gump and the one I mentioned above. But Lady and the Tramp?? It makes total sense now going back and watching the movie, but I had never realized!
Another one I loved – those that paid off their mortgages were able to paint their doors red. Our guide was quick to confirm that that is no longer the case, though. I was wondering why I was seeing so many red doors. After researching some of the home prices, it felt more like wishful thinking. 🙂
After the trolley tour, we headed over to lunch at the Pirate’s House. Established in 1793, the Pirate’s House served food and drink to the visiting sailors. Our tour guide told us the house boasted underground tunnels because interestingly, drinking alcohol in Savannah was forbidden. If sailors would get too drunk, they’d haul them through the tunnels, which actually took them out to sea.
It was so fascinating to be in such an old building. Certain sections of the restaurant were blocked off, but you could see the tiny, narrow staircases and low ceilings from back then. Tilly enjoyed herself more than all of us!
As part of our trolley tour package, we also picked up tickets to the Prohibition Museum. Seemed appropriate given the drunken sailor story we were told. The museum had a lot of history about Al Capone in particular, which made us proud in a weird way!
We enjoyed a very lovely and French-inspired dinner at Noble Fare , and during the walk back Tilly expressed her desire to spend the night with her grandparents. Tony and I took full advantage of the impromptu babysitting. We left the hotel and headed across the street to Sorry Charlie’s and went to town on oysters and beer. Gotta love that proximity to the ocean!
For our last full day in Savannah, we did a river boat tour and ventured over to Forsyth Park. The boat ride was on the sunniest, warmest day of our trip, so I couldn’t wait. We wandered along the shoreline while we waited, and Tilly was gifted a lovely handmade rose from palms. The boat ride itself was so calming. It was nice to sit on one of the decks and feel the sun and breeze on my skin.
Given how hot the day was turning out to be, it felt like the perfect excuse to grab some ice cream. Leopold’s was the place to be, with a line already formed by the time we got there. Their award winning ice cream has used the same recipe since 1919. I opted for a thin mint ice cream (as in the Girl Scout Cookie). As the Girl Scouts were founded in Savannah by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, my choice felt appropriate.
Before we headed to dinner, we wanted to spend our last evening visiting Forsyth Park. Measuring over 30 acres, the park is huge. It was one of the stops from our trolley tour that we knew we had to come back to.
The park was stunning. There is a gorgeous white water fountain in the park that looks like the Concorde fountain in Paris, France. And with all of the humungous trees covered in Spanish moss, I myself felt like I was in one of the many movies filmed here. It was a great way to wind down in our last night in Savannah.
While I still have so much of the United States to explore, Savannah has quickly moved to the top of my list of favorites. Looking forward to returning sooner than later!
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