Last fall, we took our first trip down into the deep south – Savannah, Georgia. Before last year, the farthest I’d ever gone below the Mason-Dixon line was North Carolina. While that was an experience of it’s own, it did nothing to prepare me for what we found in Georgia. We went in late September, the humidity was so bad that you couldn’t step outside without breaking a sweat. Needless to say, these two Northern PA kids were not prepared for that Savannah sun!
Savannah was also my first ever plane ride – I know, how did you make it to 23 without ever getting on a plane, Darrian?! Well, I did! As someone who is terrified of heights, I thought it would be a terrible experience, but aside from takeoff and landing, I actually loved flying. I was lucky enough to get a window seat and just loved watching the clouds pass by. It seemed so relaxing, so separated from the real world below us and flying over Savannah was even more breathtaking. I loved seeing the coastline below us, the Savannah marshes twisting in and out of the greenery, it was just beautiful! It was nothing, though compared to what we actually found in Savannah!
Our ride to the AirBnb took us past so many old historic houses, beautiful greenery and more importantly – Southern Mossy Oak Trees. Of course, everyone talks about the trees in Savannah, but they instantly stole my heart. I could have sat under them for hours and hours and probably have about 200 pictures to prove it. If I ever move to the South, it will be for the trees and nothing else. So now getting into the fun part…
Before kicking off your trip, I want to give you a few planning tips:
Schedule a Paid Tour of the City
I highly recommend scheduling a walking tour with Genteel & Bard. We were lucky enough to score a ‘private’ tour with TC thanks to our perfect post-hurricane timing and he just made us fall more in love with Savannah than I had even imagined possible! He walked us through the history of the city, gave us some great recommendations for places to check out, and was just an overall great time. They also have bus tours if you’re not up for walking through the Savannah heat, but it’s a great way to get your Fitbit steps in!
Talk to the Locals!
I also recommend chatting up the locals as much as possible! Just about everyone we encountered in Savannah had that classic Southern-charm. From our AirBnb host to our Uber drivers and even some strangers in the squares, we picked up a lot of great tips from the Savannah locals. Savannah has a lot of great tourist attractions, but just as with any city, you’re going to find the best of it hiding off the beating path. So don’t be afraid to ask a few questions and step outside of your comfort zone!
Plus, they seem to have a lot of interesting stories! We got an Uber drive from a woman who went to high school with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, stayed with a SCAD student who sold Virginia Slims to Paula Dean every weekend, and so much more. You never know who you’re going to meet!
Don’t go to Savannah with an Agenda
As an avid planner, I love to know what’s going on every minute of every day. However, with Savannah, we set a few places on our schedule, but overall kept a lot of open time for just exploring the city and checking out recommendations once we got there. It was the best decision we ever made! Taking some time to just explore seems to be what Savannah’s all about! With their laid-back attitudes and loose open-container policies, we had the most fun at night just grabbing a drink and walking around the local squares and shops. For those of us who are bad a relaxing vacations – Savannah is the perfect place to do it!
So now, getting into the good stuff…
What to See
1. Wormsloe Plantation
Have you ever just had a moment in your life where you feel like you stepped into a movie and there’s no way that moment could possibly be real? That’s what Wormsloe Plantation is like.
The trees seem like they go on forever – and I mean forever. As we had to Uber everywhere on our trip, we braved the ~2 mile walk in 98 degree Savannah heat through the trees to get to the historic site at the end. It was hot, but definitely one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I could have stayed in the middle of the road forever just staring at the rows and rows of trees and if I ever return to Savannah, Wormsloe will definitely be one of my first stops again.
Along with the beautiful trees, they also have an interesting little historic site on the plantation where you can learn about the foundings of Savannah and how the plantations have evolved over the years. It’s a little slice of magic buried in the modern-day world, and a great way to get away for a while!
2. Forsyth Park
You’re going to find Forsyth Park on any list you see of “Top Sites to See in Savannah” and it’s for a good reason. We opted for an AirBnb over a hotel downtown and lucky for us, it was just a few blocks from the park. The park was constantly crawling with life – students from SCAD laying in the grass, kids on the playground, dogs running around. While walking through on our second visit, we came across a rogue parrot walking down the sidewalk. Turns out, he belonged to an older couple who had brought them to the park to socialize, but we did enjoy a good 30 minutes learning about 7 different bird that they were entertaining and one even took a special liking to Zack.
Forsyth is a Savannah staple, so be sure to take an hour or two during your time there to wander around and enjoy the local stupor.
3. City Market
The best part of City Market? Live music & an open container policy. While this is true for most of the downtown district, City Market is packed with local shops, gorgeous art, delicious food and drinks everywhere. We stopped by City Market a few times during our trip but the most memorable was our ‘quiet’ Friday night. After grabbing dinner at Lady & Sons, we walked over to a band playing in the middle of the square and stopped in to Wet Willy’s to treat ourselves to an entire wall of frozen drink options before grabbing a bench and drinking the night away.
Before you leave, make sure you stop by to see Alix Baptiste. I talk more about Alix in this post, but whether you’re a fan of art or not – hearing his story is definitely worth the visit.
4. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
As a generally non-religious person, I’ve never been too drawn to visiting churches, but St. John’s was definitely worth the visit. It’s such a beautiful structure based in Savannah and the Cathedral staff are always open to discussing the history of the stain-glass windows and how they’ve managed to keep the colors so vibrant over the centuries. Religious or not, the Cathedral has a story to tell and it’s an awe-inspiring one to experience.
5. River Street
River Street is one of the more touristy spots along Downtown Savannah, but it’s a great opportunity to stroll along the water front, visit some of the local shops and take in the sunset. Savannah’s Candy Shop has a location along the waterfront so you can stop and grab some sweets to munch on, too! We walked along the water a few times during our visit, and my favorite time to be there was always at night. You can walk into the local bars, pick up a drink and stroll around to hear a man playing the sax in one bench area and on the next block down, you’ll see a band playing 90’s hits. It’s the perfect environment to let your worries slip away for a few hours!
Where to Eat
1. The Green Truck Pub
Don’t miss the Green Truck Pub. There’s a lot of locations downtown and the Green Truck Pub is a little bit of a hike from the traditional glamour of downtown, but it is WELL worth the trip. I’ve never been a huge burger person – they’re just not really my style, but I decided to give it a try as burger’s are what they’re known for and boy, oh, boy – they did not disappoint. From the homemade ketchup to the fresh brewed sweet tea, everything about the meal was absolutely delicious. Of all the places we tried in Savannah, this was without a doubt my favorite. I’ve asked for fried egg on every burger I’ve had since, but none have even come close to this bad boy.
2. Sand Fly BBQ
The SandFly is a cool little place with a lot of history – it’s located in an old train car not too far from Forsyth Park. All of the walls are lined with dollar bills that people have autographed, decorated, folded, and more. It’s definitely a unique experience – there’s only seating for about 15 people (at most) and the staff made us feel like we’d been coming there for years the second we walked in the door. Plus – let’s not forget the real star of the show here: the food!
The only thing we knew we needed to cross off of our list for our trip down South was some good, old-fashioned BBQ and Southern food. Everything was served on a giant baking tray and a side selection of different BBQ flavors that you could drizzle on top of whatever your heart fancied. As someone who is not a big fan of traditional BBQ, I have to say – the pulled chicken and mac and cheese tasted AMAZING with the sweet and tangy BBQ sauce that I poured all over them. Plus, they had the best sweet tea that I’ve ever had! Definitely worth a stop for a late lunch or light dinner!
3. Rise Biscuits & Donuts
Biscuits: who doesn’t love them? Well, I’ll tell you one thing – Rise wasn’t kidding when they said “The best dang biscuits and donuts!” We grabbed Rise for breakfast the morning while we were waiting for the Uber to take us away to the airport, and it was the perfect early-morning bite to enjoy while watching the sun peak through the trees.
I tried their classic lemon donut to give my sweet tooth some satisfaction and I savored every bite! It was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy lemon, with an old-school donut texture that you can’t help but love. We also couldn’t resist a sausage and biscuit sandwich (because you should always eat two breakfasts on vacation) and it was like flaky, greasy goodness all wrapped up in one. The biscuit basically melted in my mouth and I’m still on the lookout for a biscuit that will be able to hold a candle to this sandwich!
4. The Lady & Son’s
Okay, to be completely honest here, the food at The Lady & Sons was just *alright* – however, for anyone who doesn’t know, it’s Paula Dean’s local restaurant so it is a Savannah must-visit. While the food didn’t really *wow* us overall, it was a fun time, and everyone there is so in love with Paula Dean that you can’t help but smile when they talk about her. We stopped by the Paula Dean store next door afterwards and picked up a few Christmas gifts for my mom and got to hear some great tales from the sweet older ladies who manage the registers.
However, fair warning – that watermelon margarita was strong enough to knock me on my ass so be careful who many you knock down with dinner!
5. Six Pence Pub
After days full of eating and walking through the heat, we weren’t feeling a huge dinner on our last night in town (as much as we wanted to chow down on the local cuisine). One of our Uber drivers recommended stopping by the Six Pence Pub for a quick bite and some drinks and it definitely surprised us! As Savannah has an interesting Irish history, this pub was all-out with their Irish decor and food. We walked in right as a pub crawl was kicking off so it was a loud and rowdy environment that got us excited to spend our last night in town. Plus – the killer plate of nachos didn’t hurt either!
Most Important: Dessert
1. Leopold’s Ice Cream Shop
Leopold’s is a Savannah staple! With one of their locations being in the airport, it’s one of the first things to greet you when you arrive in Savannah. We ended our walking tour here so we got a nice cooling treat after spending a few hours in the Savannah heat on our first full day in town. It’s the sweetest old shop where the staff still wears the full old-fashioned milkman uniform and your ice cream is still served in a glass!
The ice cream here was so smooth and rich, I couldn’t get enough! I obviously went with a chocolate treat, but they had some many exciting flavors to get your taste buds watering. They’re most famous for their Tutti Frutti flavor which was a who adventure of it’s own! Pro tip: they’ll let you try as many flavors as you want before you commit to the full-thing so be sure to take full advantage!
2. Back in the Day Bakery
If you’re a fan of classic, old-school desserts, then Back in the Day Bakery is the place for you! It’s located way off the beating path from Downtown Savannah, but it was a nice little trip for us after our lunch at the Green Truck Pub. As with much of Savannah, it had that classic old-school charm that made me feel like I had walked into a 1950’s KitchenAid commercial. We got a simple vanilla cupcake and the fudge pie and we couldn’t tell which we loved more – both were rich, sweet and smooth – the perfect way to finish a mid-day adventure in Savannah!
3. Lulu’s Chocolate Bar
If heaven was a place on Earth, it would be Lulu’s Chocolate Bar in Savannah, Georgia. After a few drinks in City Market, I managed to convince Zack that we NEEDED to go to Lulu’s Chocolate Bar or else I would forever regret not trying it during our trip. I’m not kidding when I say it was without a doubt the best dessert experience of my life. I ordered a chocolate covered strawberry martini and a slice of the s’mores cheesecake and I still have dreams about it. Literally every bite of that cheesecake was like eating a creamy, melty bite of chocolate-covered decadence. We also got the chocolate chip cookie/ice cream creation below, and while it had it’s own gooey charm, nothing will compare to that cheesecake.
If you’re any type of dessert person, put Lulu’s at the top of your list – it will not disappoint!
4. Savannah’s Candy Shop
While Savannah’s Candy Shop has a handful of location across the country, I definitely recommend stopping by to the the full-Savannah experience! There are sweets as far as the eye can see and as big as your eyes can see! I got one of their famous over-sized Rice Krispie treats to take home and it did not disappoint. It was the perfect way to carry over some of our Savannah dream when we were forced to go back to reality on Sunday night.
5. Byrd’s Cookie Company
Last but not least, be sure to stop by Byrd’s cookies when you’re in City Market Square! I’m not typically a crunchy-cookie person, but Byrd’s definitely changed my perspective on that! They have a classic Southern Peach cookie that will absolutely knock your socks off! We got a few free samples and grabbed a bag to go so we could munch on them as we walked around exploring. I would also recommend grabbing a bag to go if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed in the sweets department!
Well… that’s all folks! It’s time to start planning your next vacation to Savannah. Think I missed somewhere that absolutely should be on this list? Please feel free to drop me a comment – I need some good places to check out on our next trip!
