as i've mentioned (ad nauseam), i love love love cities that can be described as "magical," "spooky," or "enchanting" and for me, the three that most embody those qualities are new orleans, st. augustine, and savannah. like charleston, i had only been to savannah once before about 15 years ago with my folks, so i barely remembered it and didn't do anything i wanted to do. so, when i saw that i could finally use the jetblue points i've been accumulating forever on some free nonstop flights there, it was time to change that! i had such a fantastic time and it was just the escape i needed to recharge my batteries.
just a note that if you're trying to decide between charleston and savannah, i'd go savannah. charleston was lovely when i visited four years ago, but as my walking tour guide put it, "we joke that the first question you're asked in charleston is 'what's your mother's maiden name?' and the first question you're asked in savannah is 'what'll you have to drink?'" and i get it. due to the art student contingent from SCAD, there are also a ton of cool vintage boutiques and antique stores (i could barely find any in charleston!) and just had a more laid-back vibe that i really enjoyed.
DAY 1:
i got into town around 2pm, so i grabbed a lyft from the airport to my hotel on the outskirts of the historic district, the present. i had gone back and forth when deciding between an air bnb and hotel this time around because i love the charm and character more common with air bnbs, but when i discovered the present, it split the difference. it's a 15-room boutique hotel in a renovated historic building on picturesque crawford square, so each of the rooms is totally unique. it's also interesting in that there is no on-site staff (typically — a sweet young man named tyler was there when i arrived and helped me check in a bit early while i was on the phone with their 24/7 guest service number trying to do so). so everything is a little DIY in exchange for a significantly lower price point without sacrificing style or quality, which was ideal for me. if you prefer having a concierge and room service and all that, it wouldn't be your best pick.
there was also a super cute courtyard where you can hang out...
and a little community coffee bar that was a nice touch in the morning!
my room was a king suite with a big claw-foot tub and it was simply gorgeous. i was immediately in love!
they definitely focus on little extras here, like these fun itinerary cards on the back of the door.
once i settled in, i set off to explore a bit. i grabbed a thai iced coffee at gallery espresso, a very homey, funky coffee shop, and was on my way.
i strolled all the way up to river street, the touristy strip — basically a calmer version of bourbon street — and bought three world-famous pralines from river street sweets (one for each night of my stay, obv) because i'm obsessed with pralines.
about a month ago, i made a reservation at the olde pink house, as it's considered a must-do when in savannah. i arrived a little early to try my luck since i had only eaten a glazed donut and a bag of cheez-its from the plane all day and was STARVING, and they were able to seat me right away.
omg, y'all. my meal was everything i had been dreaming of and more. i ordered the planter's punch cockail to start things off, and some incredible biscuits and butter arrived shortly after.
i got the BLT salad with fried green tomatoes, applewood bacon, and black pepper thyme buttermilk dressing:
and for the main course, the crispy scored flounder with apricot shallot sauce, stone ground grits, and collard greens:
the only thing i didn't make it all the way through was the grits and greens, but my waitress was like "wow, you clearly did your homework on the menu, and i'm so impressed with how much you ate!" bahaha. i resisted the urge to tell her about how my former coworkers nicknamed me "the brown bear." badge of honor, regardless.
i had intended to have a nightcap at the peacock lounge, but i literally couldn't find it because the entrance is down an alley — not at the address you're given when you look it up — and it was dark and i'm stupid and didn't feel like figuring out what the deal was (i finally succeeded on friday). so i went around the corner to madame butterfly, an elegant korean steakhouse with a really cool cocktail menu. i ordered the "origami" with irish whiskey, amaretto, cappelletti, and yuzu. yum.
DAY 2:
i lazed around a bit in the morning because i could, but was obviously ready to eat again by 9am — so i hoofed it over to mirabelle, a cutesy coffee shop/cafe that specializes in liege waffles.
they have a handful of fun varieties, including the "lemon zinger" with lemon-lavender curd cremé, raspberry & cardamom jam, and whipped cream, and the "croque monsieur" with maple smoked ham, melted swiss, and and black pepper béchamel. but since i was in georgia, after all, i opted for the "peach cobbler" with housemade peach compote, cinnamon streusel, and whipped cream and some cold brew to wash it down. it was a LOT for earlyish in the AM (and given my lunch plans), but it was delicious!
thennnn i strolled around looking at pretty houses on jones street while scoping out the situation at mrs. wilkes' dining room, a legendary savannah restaurant where you line up to eat at a table with nine strangers and share a family-style lunch. the line usually stretches down the block and around the corner by the time it opens at 11am since it's first come, first served, but was an a strangely quiet day, so i was among the first eight or so people in line at 10:20ish. oh my god, it was the best! the host sent me to this table in the corner where i was sitting by myself at first, and an older man at the table across the room yells, "young lady, come over here and sit with us!" so i took the last seat at their table and the fun began.
i was sitting with two other tourists from texas who i'd been talking to in line on one side of me, and on the other, the electrician for the restaurant — a native georgian who was probably in his 60s and also plays in a blues and country band, natch. across the table was a man who has apparently eaten at mrs. wilkes EVERY DAY since the 1960s. we passed around fried chicken, meatloaf, mac & cheese, collard greens, black-eyed peas, chicken and dumplings, and all sorts of other amazing dishes, and it was such a unique and fun experience. loved every minute. plus, banana pudding for dessert! on my way out, i realized the man who called me over to sit with them worked there and told a random customer, "i had the pleasure of dining with this young lady!" lolol and i was like "i had the pleasure of dining with YOU, sir!". dads foreverrrr.
to walk off lunch, i went to check out vintage store east & up, which was super cute but out of my price range, and the beautiful e. shaver booksellers.
if you've followed along with my various adventures around the U.S., you know that i love me a good walking tour. and while savannah doesn't have an official free tours by foot (my fave) operation, they partnered with a similar tour company, free savannah tours, that was just as good. now that i'm looking at FTBF's website, i realize i've done their tours in 1/4 of the american cities they offer them in. #obsessed. anywho! our tour guide, joe, was a born and raised savannahian (?) who was super knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the city, and it was great to get some context for the spots i had wandered around over the past day.
the tour finished up right near forsyth park, so i took a stroll through and to the sentient bean for an iced coffee pick-me-up.
before dinner, i popped into the amusingly named treylor park for an appropriately trashy and fun cocktail called the cherry coke with cherry kool-aid vodka, cola, and lime with a luxardo cherry. they were playing shutter island on the tv for some reason — maybe because of leo being in the news recently for dating a 19-year-old? no clue.
and what do you know? it was time for supper! i was a lil' tipsy from my tasty cocktail and walked down to the crystal beer parlor while listening to one of my trip theme songs, "cowboy nudes" by geese (the other: "getting into trouble w/ the boss" by white reaper) and i was so happy.
this legendary restaurant actually has a really neat history: it used to be a grocery store in the early 1900s, and was reportedly one of the first american eateries to serve alcohol after the repeal of prohibition! i sidled up to the bar and had a blonde ale and a bison burger with mashed potatoes as i chatted with more dads, of course. one of them was from portland maine and we talked about bourdain for like a half hour.
i had one more drink at a dimly lit, sultry bar on my way back to the hotel called savoy society, which boasted an impressive vinyl collection and eclectic decor. my 7 and 7 had a fun twist in the form of midori and mexican sprite!
then i ate pralines in my hotel bed while watching season 2 of degrassi: the next generation. everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.
DAY 3:
the rain fortunately held off during the morning hours on friday, so i took a long walk down to the starland district, which is considered the hip/artsy/funky neighborhood in town. while i read some warnings about safety here as a solo female traveler since some of the area is still in transition, i didn't feel unsafe at all during the day.
anyway, when researching places to eat, a little venezuelan breakfast spot, troupial, kept coming up over and over again. and oh my goodness, what a sweet, wonderful, and delicious experience! i thought it was just a takeout counter spot, but when i walked into the adorable yellow house that was a bit off of of the beaten path and saw that you could sit and have table service, i figured i'd stay for a while. the atmosphere was just lovely — the other clientele seemed to be solo regulars, and dean martin/frank sinatra-type standards were playing.
i ordered one of the breakfast combinations, the golfeado (a venezuelan sticky bun that's made with cloves, anise, and cinnamon and has MELTED CHEESE ON TOP) with fresh fruit and a cappuccino. y'all, the sweet and savory worked perfectly and it was cute as hell, too. it was such a serene way to start my day.
a short walk away was a big antique mall, picker joe's, where i fell in love with this gorgeous fringed handbag. score!
there's actually an in-house cafe/diner here, which i learned was relocated there when the diner was in danger of going out of business several years ago. so cool!
i wanted something quick-ish for lunch and ordered a chicken sandwich online for pickup from the grey market, an outpost of the upscale grey restaurant. i was going to grab it and eat somewhere outside since i wasn't sure of the table situation there, but as i started walking, the sky opened up and it started pouring. fortunately, i got to the market and saw that it was a southern-style lunch counter type of vibe and the girl at the register kindly let me take my sandwich and sit down with it to eat there! yay.
but THIS SANDWICH, DUDE. crispy panko-breaded chicken, white bbq sauce, arugula, and bread & butter pickles. like a gourmet chick fil-a on steroids. incredible.
after lunch, i bopped around the corner to stop into the paris market, which i saw recommended several times. i was under the impression it was another big antique mall, so i was a little disappointed to see it was basically an even more overpriced anthropologie. like, i love anthro, but it was just a lot of very expensive housewares and accessories and "antiques" that i had no desire to buy. very very pretty, though!
there's also a tiny but gorgeous cafe here, but all of the seats were taken and since the rain was still coming down, i ducked into a cute little coffee shop right next door, the coffee fox, and sat with my horchata latte for a bit, watching the people go by.
while i was distinctly not in a museum/ghost tour/cultural attraction mood on this vacation, i figured the weather was a good excuse to check out the american prohibition museum. i opted for the guided tour, which was mostly unnecessary, but it ends in a little speakeasy where you get a free drink, so that was cute.
i followed the advice of one of the dads at the bar the night before and returned to river street to hit up the j.w. marriott hotel lobby, which has a huge-ass dinosaur sculpture and a mini natural history exhibit, and the adjacent music venue district live, which has a bunch of gretsch guitars hanging from the ceiling. neat!
while i got a little lost on my way to the next antique store, it was a fated detour because i stumbled upon the olfactory co., which satisfied all of my witchy, spooky needs. there were tarot decks and goth clothing and spell books and incense and i loved it all. i ended up buying a beautiful necklace and this pretty emerald-colored, eucalyptus-scented arrangement.
finally, wright square vintage & retro mall blessed me with this sweet sweater:
i wasn't really feeling any of the spots i had written down on my list for dinner, food-wise, so i did some quick googling and decided to check out the emporium kitchen & wine market in the perry lane hotel. it turned out to be an EXCELLENT choice! the atmosphere was warm and classy and it wasn't too busy yet around 5pm on friday. i ordered the butter pecan old fashioned (obv) and the lobster pasta (obv) — both were fantastic.
thankfully, as previously mentioned, i finally figured out how to get into the peacock lounge and was able to enjoy a new york sour with bourbon, lemon, aromatic & orange bitters, egg white, and a red wine float. the vibe was speakeasy meets upscale nightclub, with fun holographic displays and a neon sign that read "send nudes." hehe. the bartenders were very attentive and friendly and definitely knew their stuff.
to close out the night, i took a luxurious bath in my MF claw-foot tub because i felt like it would be a true waste if i didn't take advantage of it.
before i headed to the airport late the following morning, i took a quick stroll over to franklin's, a small and chic counter-serve breakfast cafe where i was BLOWN AWAY by the steak and egg sandwich. as i declared in my instagram story, one of the top 20 things i've ever eaten in my life, and i stand by that. here was the sitch: sliced prime rib, baked egg, melted cheddar, arugula, red onion, boursin spread, au jus, and crème fraîche on buttery toasted sourdough. i....iiiiiiii.....i am still not over it and it was one of those meals i'll be thinking about for the rest of my days. wow. franklin's is located down a level from the street, so it provides a unique and cute vantage point for you to sit and sip and snack.
and i squeezed in two more stops at shopSCAD, a gift shop with artwork and souvenirs created by SCAD students...
and the book lady, a delightfully cozy and smelly used bookstore:
the perfect ending to the perfect trip! though i'm pretty proud of how much i packed into a few days, i can't wait to return to savannah to check the rest of the spots i didn't make it to off my list. :)
