A Southern Dream Town: Trip to Savannah, Georgia

It is not very often that a new ex-pat gets to travel back to their home country just three and a half months after moving overseas, but I was lucky enough to get to do so. It was a pretty quick two week trip, and with the long travel to get back to the States eating up an entire day, the time flew by! I enjoyed spending time with family and friends in Texas for the first half of my visit, then my mom and I decided to take a mother-daughter trip to spend some quality time together. Our first stop: Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah was on both of our “Bucket Lists” for many years, and we were very excited to check out the historical, Southern town known for it’s many colorful squares, beautiful homes and charming shops. We flew into Charleston International Airport, rented a convertible (what mother/daughter trip is complete without one?!) and hit the road. Savannah is roughly 90 miles from Charleston and the drive takes just under 2 hours. Once we arrived, we checked into our bed & breakfast called the President’s Quarters Inn, and wow! It was amazing! The rooms were spacious and each one had a different name, after a different president that had visited Savannah. The location was fantastic! We were right on one of the beautiful city squares and could walk everywhere within a few blocks. Savannah is a very walkable city in general, but in the summer you want to make sure that you walk as little as possible in the sweltering heat, so location is key. The staff was also very friendly and helpful, and the breakfast included every morning was SO good.

After we got settled in, we decided to walk around the town and do some shopping. Walking the old cobblestone streets, seeing the gorgeous homes from the 1700s, it felt like a Southern dream, and we had gone back in time. There is so much charm in Savannah, it’s unreal! Every street has history and every building has a story, making it one of those towns you could easily spend days just walking around in. With no real plans, mom and I decided to head down to the Savannah Riverfront. Right on the river, there are tons of restaurants, shops, galleries and bars. You can even carry your drink around with you as you walk around the historic district (woohoo!). We enjoyed walking around for a couple hours, shopping and having a some drinks.

That evening, we stumbled across this cute hole-in-the-wall type Italian restaurant and decided to give it a try. It turned out to be a great decision because this place was seriously delicious! It was called Bella Napoli, and I highly recommend it if you visit Savannah. We had the pasta special, which was linguine spun in olive oil and a parmesan cheese wheel, topped with tomatoes, basil, balsamic, fresh shrimp and scallops…yum! It was just what we were craving!

After dinner, we decided to enjoy the cooler evening temperatures and walk off our decadent pasta meal. We strolled around, and came upon the famed Jones Street, named by Southern Living Magazine as the “most beautiful street in the US”. The Spanish moss hung on the old live oak trees, the gas lamps burned, and the homes were stunning. I definitely understand how the street got that title. We loved walking down this gorgeous street and picturing how beautiful the inside of the homes must be.

The next day, we decided to learn a little bit more about the history of Savannah, and opted to take a trolley tour. It was a hop on-hop off tour through Old Savannah Tours, and it was a nice tour. We decided to stay on the trolley through most of the tour, so we could hear the history about the different stops and see all of the historic sites. They make about sixteen stops total, and at certain stops they have actors portraying famous Savannah residents and telling their story. The whole ride takes about an hour and a half if you do not get off. It was a great way to see the city without walking (and sweating) everywhere. We decided to get off towards the end, and walk through some art galleries at the City Market. We saw some absolutely amazing artwork, and ended up buying some prints to take home. Our favorite was an artist named Stephen Kasun’s gallery. His oil paintings were gorgeous, and depicted many of the beautiful sites of Savannah.

After a full morning, we planned to leave the downtown area of Savannah and head out to a plantation. We had seen so many art pieces and pictures of Wormsloe Plantation, so we decided to check it out. It was about twenty minutes drive from the historic downtown area, and well worth the drive! The driveway to the plantation is breathtaking. It is the longest oak lined driveway in the US, and with the Spanish Moss hanging off the branches and the sun peeking through, it was truly magical! We drove with the top down on the convertible, and I even sat up on the back like I was in a parade. It was awesome, and a definite must-see when in Savannah.

The plantation house itself is private property, and still owned by the same family, eight generations later! You do have to pay an entrance fee to drive down the driveway, and at the end there is a welcome center with a little gift shop and museum. You can also walk the grounds and see some ruins of slave quarters, old cemeteries and other historical items. We started the walking tour, but it was so stinking hot, we didn’t finish it. Overall, I would say go there for the oak-lined driveway, because there’s not much else to see since the plantation home itself is private. Leaving the plantation, we had heard about a beautiful area worth seeing called Isle of Hope, just down the road. We drove by the waterfront properties, each having their own boat dock, and saw some of the most beautiful homes! It definitely gave us “house envy”.

After a fun-filled day exploring, we went back to the B&B to get ready for dinner. We had made reservations at The Olde Pink House, known for inventive and delicious Southern cuisine. It was an incredible setting: an old historic home refurbished into a restaurant, with multiple levels and dining rooms, beautiful glass chandeliers, rustic paintings and fancy linens. It was also reasonably priced for the setting and quality of the food. We enjoyed a jumbo shrimp cocktail, homemade biscuits, fresh fish and fried chicken with mac and cheese (homemade and heavenly!). It was VERY good Southern-style comfort food, and a great way to end our short trip in Savannah.

We stayed in Savannah for two nights, but could have easily stayed longer. We had a blast just walking around, not rushing or having any plans except to enjoy the town. We got a true taste of Southern culture, history and of course, charm! I hope to go back one day, and highly recommend you add Savannah to your Bucket List.

Happy Travels,

Courtney