Our Savannah trip was awesome... we really enjoyed this town! It’s full of history, foodie places to enjoy and little quirks. The holidays away sounded simple, but it wasn’t. We had to have everything ready by the day we left (21st) and so we kinda failed others on gift wrapping and delayed presents were sent via #amazon, but that’s ok. It’s one year, I’ll make it up to you next year, I promise you!
So with a cold (or just a horrible cough that takes the wind out of me and won’t go away for like 3 weeks now!!) I’m exhausted my friends... my Redefine eye cream and my Radiance Defense keep me looking pretty fresh though :) and daily naps in our hotel room - hehe!
As for food and what to see and do in Savannah, Georgia... Here’s our tale...
The first morning we enjoyed Clary’s Cafe for breakfast-cheap, quick not fancy- great service and yummy food. Ed had the best egg’s Benedict ever, I enjoyed a waffle - asked for fresh whipped cream on the side and their syrup- they have a more well known dish with whipped cream, blueberries and strawberries, but I’m not into all that... the coffee was good and the orange juice was even better- fresh and delicious. Eddy had the kids silver dollar- which were what we would call regular size... the kid who never finishes one frozen pancake, ate 4 out of 5 because they were so great! The wait was about 15 minutes. Dogs are welcome outside, but they only have 4-5 tables outside and it was a bit chilly but people were sitting there and enjoying their morning.
Public Kitchen & Bar (Christmas Eve) was delicious- we carried it out- I had the NY Strip with mash and green beans- seasoned to perfection! Ed had the Public Cheeseburger with bacon... Eddy opted to not have his grilled cheese... but he’s sometimes a fan and sometimes not- so I wouldn’t blame the restaurant.
Christmas Day we took a drive to Hilton Head South Carolina to see the Disney Resort- it was a nice distraction since everything in Savannah was closed completely. We had a Disney type lunch of cheeseburger, fries and chicken fingers and played in their playground for a little while. Eddy loved the slide! Then we encountered mini golf on a cute putting green and then drove back to Savannah. Once we got back, we stopped by the Westin Hotel to check out the town’s Gingerbread house competition. The hotel is gorgeous, the houses were beautifully done, cute but only took 10 minutes to see.
We went to Sorry Charlie’s for Christmas Dinner. It was one of 5 places open, so we waited 45 minutes for our table- not horrible. Ed had a low country seafood feast- crab legs, mussels, shrimp, sweet potatoes, corn and more. I had a chicken salad sandwich, delicious and not too filling which is what I was looking for. Eddy had their mac and cheese side dish, which tasted great- and it saved us $6-9 since it was only a side dish vs a kid’s meal. Dessert was a scrumptious key lime pie.
The Pirate’s House was ok... we were really looking for this place to be great for Eddy since it was highly recommended by many friends. The look of the house was great. Our waitress was ok- the waiter next door offered much more to his tables... hate comparing, but we happened to hear of the pirate conducted house tour from him telling his tables vs. our own waitress. Ed’s food- shrimp and grits was extraordinary. He loooved it. I had a salmon BLT (seemed to come up in several menus, so why not try it?) It was very greasy and I couldn’t really finish it because of how oily it was. Eddy had chicken fingers which were really yummy- great breading and fresh. Their biscuits with sweet butter were yummy too! Dessert was good- peach crumb pie with ice cream. The pirate store was very comprehensive- parents beware. It was a great selection for souvenirs, etc. The pirate was super corny. Too corny? Maybe I’m too harsh of a judge? But when the tour started, it seemed a little too historical for our 4 year old, so we bowed out and went on our way.
The last day we visited the place everyone recommended The Olde Pink House. We got there a little early, found parking on the street, right in front (decided to drive instead of walk on the last day). They wouldn’t seat us early, but they were so kind and welcoming. The hospitality everywhere was exactly what you’d expect and then some. So a very nice gentleman shared that we could tour the building by ourselves and hang out in the cellar downstairs... so we walked every room, including the beautiful ballroom upstairs and hung out in the basement bar/cellar. Every room was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Every table with white linens, gold chairs, water glasses, plates and cutlery set and unlit candles at every table. Every room had a beautifully lit warm fireplace. The basement was dark- large bar in the center- closed for the day. On the right the largest fireplace with a large couch right in front. The fire not really burning all the way, but the gas was on and you can see a small flame at the bottom. A large piano where a few others waiting played for a bit. The nice gentleman came down to get us. Our waitress was great, but others, again were a bit better. She knew her stuff and offered it to us, but I felt like her heart wasn’t in helping us. I know I may sound weird. She did check on us, tried to make a joke or two so the service was excellent, but I could just tell others may be a little more outgoing, sorry telling, talking about the house, etc. As for our lunch, Eddy had buttered noodles- couldn’t be simpler- and he loved it! Ed and I both had the lunch special which was penne pasta with butternut squash, broccolini, lobster and shrimp cooked over a lobster sauce My favorite dish of the whole trip; so delicious, warm, different, vibrant. It really hit the spot. We went a little overboard with dessert because it was our last meal... key lime ice cream (I’m a big key lime fan). It was home made and soooo yummy! Ed had the chocolate Pecan Pie with Vanilla Ice cream- the best dessert award goes to it (pictured). We also had the red velvet cake, it was ok- too much food coloring taste in my opinion. Unfortunately, we learned that as we drove away from Savannah, the Olde Pink House had a fire in its second floor ballroom, so it’s closed until they asses the damage and fix it up from smoke and water damage. Luckily no one was hurt.
For dinner on our last night, we visited River Street and had dinner a little pub- it was nothing notable... but right next door was the famous Savannah Candy Kitchen and that was very much worth it. We took some deliciously chocolate covered items for the road home- oreo bark, smores, chocolate covered pretzels and their famous praline.
As for what to do- there were some limits here since 1) it’s very historical (little ones get board quickly) 2) Christmas makes the town close down, despite the huge amount of tourists it welcomed.
We took an Old Town Trolley Tour - that was cute and fun- we did a Christmas themed one... carpooling, saw the few lights, because the town is decorated very colonial- greenery, but not many lights and it ended with seeing Santa- but I’m sure the hop on and off day trolley tour is much better; you probably get to see more. Plus the two stops from our tour were very underwhelming- the Davenport House and the Massie Heritage Center- the first public school in Georgia. Needless to say Eddy really enjoyed seeing Santa and wanted extra one on one time with him and he was able to get it, which was great.
There are many “squares” (little parks) throughout the city. Everything is in walking distance if you are staying in downtown. Some blocks go from shady to trendy quite quickly, but everything felt safe and good for us the whole time. It is a beautiful city to walk through and get lost, but always be vigilant, of course.
A few extras. We passed by (Paula Deen’s) the Lady and Sons restaurant... people had told us to stay away, so we did. But I wanted to see it- to just see it. It seems ehh- buffet offerings- the store next door was very nicely decorated, but closed when we passed by, so we left that for another day which never happened.
The Cathedral of St. John The Baptist, beautiful both in and out... well what we got to see inside. We walked in at 11:40am and were promptly and rudely kicked out. As Catholics this was disappointing. A large group walked in with us and they took were kicked out because mass was going to start at noon. I don’t know about you but in every other church I’ve been to, mass starts and if people want to stay they do and if they don’t they leave. For a cathedral, it isn’t huge and I can see how people “touring” during mass would interrupt, but my friends there is a way to do things and they had a horrible handle of getting people out before mass. What if I was there for that mass? We said a quick prayer in one of the last few pews of the Church and then after quickly dipping our fingers in the holy water we left. The many signs to make a donation on our way out definitely stood out as we were asked to leave, which of course prompted us to not give. Sometimes the church misses the best way to share messages with its community... we can do better.
On Christmas Eve, we did take out, I had looked for special Christmas happenings on google and found nothing so we decided to start he Christmas Story marathon and eat in. Ed went out to get dinner and encountered a beautiful choir caroling outside a Presbyterian Church outside the CVS he stopped at for sodas... he sent this video to me to enjoy- I immediately had FOMO, but at least I saw the video... he also saw the place where Jenny from Forrest Gump worked- I didn’t remember there was a Forrest Gump connection- we later visited Chippewa Square, where the opening scene of the movie was filmed.
We took a quick ride to the Mighty 8th Airforce Museum. Seemed great... we were greeted at the door by an employee welcoming us and sharing a bit about the museum. She shared there was one plane inside and two in the parking lot... didn’t share much else of what we would see. It seemed cool, but we didn’t think Eddy would capture too much and for the $24 (not too pricey, honestly) it just didn't seem like something we wanted to do unless it was free- call me cheap. ha! So we went to the store and purchase an overpriced toy helicopter and went outside to take our pictures with the two big planes outside.
We walked through the Savannah City Market on Christmas day when everything was closed, it looked like a great area. We drove by it on the last night and it was definitely very lively, but we were on our way to River Street in search of the candy! We did have one miss... we didn't make it to Leopold's Ice Cream... every day a line... a Huge Line Out. The. Door! So we'll leave that for a future trip! If you are in town now, they have a holiday special flavor which apparently is the cause for the long lines... hot chocolate ice cream- reminds me of Serendipity in New York... I wonder if its anything like the famous frozen drink.
We stayed at the Residence Inn on West Charlton, where the staff was very hospitable. They bent over backwards to make our stay enjoyable. Breakfast was provided daily- eggs (hard boiled, scrambled and egg whites), grits, bacon, waffles, toast/bagels, cereals, juices, yogurt and more! At night most nights had beer, wine and sodas accompanied by cookies and chips one night and meals (burgers and chicken sandwiches other nights).
All in all it was a great trip. I would’ve shortened it by one day/night, but we had a great family vacation. It was our first vacation that wasn’t to visit family (New York or Jacksonville) or to Disney.
Do you agree? Disagree? Have other favorites?? Comment below.
Wishing you a Happy and Blessed 2019!
