I think Savannah might be our new place…I would describe it as an old soul with fresh energy. Kind of like me (cue the hair flip). A mere 4+ hours from our home in Tallahassee, it is the perfect spot for a quick get-away. And a study in contrasts.
For starters: it’s gorgeous. Neoclassical homes with tall, shuttered windows; grand entryways; and cracked brick sidewalks. Impeccably manicured public squares, stately mansions and majestic oak trees draped in Spanish moss. Fine dining and speakeasies on the same block. Hipsters, retirees, and the occasional dog saddled up to the same bar where Jimmy Carter announced his run for President (srsly). You catch my drift. There is A LOT to take in.
Could not make this up if I tried: my companion at the bar at Pinkie Master’s.
We managed to cram a lot into a mere 48 hours, so I’ll give you a few highlights:
We stayed at the Perry Lane Hotel and I cannot recommend it enough. I read so many wonderful things about this hotel, I was a little nervous it might be a let-down…thankfully that was not the case at all. We loved every minute of our stay here, from the complimentary champagne at check-in, the European style on-site restaurant where we ate breakfast each morning, and especially the Wayward, the hotel’s dim and cozy watering hole, a great place to grab a drink. Located seconds from some of the city’s best restaurants, parks, and sites, it was extremely easy to stroll around and explore.
I’ve never seen anything quite like the Plant Riverside District, a recently opened 670,000-square-foot mixed-use development by Richard Kessler (a Savannah native)…from the back-lit amethyst inlay that covers the reservation desk (a J.W. Marriott is part of the development), to the 4- to 5-million-year-old towering geodes that sit in the middle of the lobby underneath the building’s showpiece, a replica of the Amphicoelias fragillimus, one of the largest dinosaurs to have been discovered…it was a lot to take in. When we go back I absolutely have to visit the Baobab Lounge, which features taxidermied ostriches, crocodiles, gazelles, buffalo and African pottery, paintings and carvings (from Kessler’s personal collection).
Image Courtesy of J.W. Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside
On a whim, Saturday evening we took an “elevated bar crawl” and it was a lot of fun…there is no better way to get read on a city’s flavor that stopping in at a few watering holes and chatting up the bartenders and your neighbors.
This was my first time having a cocktail with carrot juice…tasty! (at Savoy Society)
Here were our stops, and each one was so uniquely different, it turned out to be a great plan:
1 – The Wayward
2 – Savoy Society
3 – Pinkie Masters
4 – Artillery Bar
After a necessary bacon and eggs breakfast at The Emporium on Sunday we took one final stroll and picked up the perfect gift for the girls – Byrd’s Famous Cookies.
It was a wonderful trip and we will certainly be back…
xo,
VB