Weekend Getaway – Savannah, Georgia

Savannah was never really on our radar although in hindsight, it should have been because this city is absolutely incredible. The food, the constant stream of live music, the easy to navigate streets, and the abundance of southern charm. Sometimes a destination chooses you, and Savannah called our names when we stumbled upon airfare so affordable we just couldn’t pass it up. Thanks, Allegiant Air! Matt and I didn’t really know what to expect from our weekend but friends we asked kept pointing us to local restaurants. My advice to you? Go hungry. Bring stretchy pants and don’t eat too much in one place because just around the corner more snacks await.

Day 1 :

We arrived on a Friday afternoon and immediately headed to the city market to grab some dinner. We ended up at Vinnie Van Go Go’s, a New York style pizzeria. I don’t think I have ever seen Matt be more in love with his pizza.  In Savannah it is allowed (and encouraged!) to take a beer to-go and consume it in public, so we ordered a couple beers and slices to go then sat out in the courtyard to have our dinner. Vinnie’s does have table service but it can get pretty crowded and we enjoyed just sitting on our own and soaking up the atmosphere around us. This picture doesn’t do this pizza justice, but take our word for it – they are monster slices built on the perfect crust. Get some!

Also found in the city market are WINE & MOONSHINE SMOOTHIES! TO GO! Perfect for sipping on a warm evening while walking around the market.

When our bellies were full, we headed up to The Tree House to hear some live music by The Mercers. Dark, loud, and the playful shots flow like water. Towards the end of their set, Matt put in a request for a little Sinatra. This was a bit out of their wheelhouse, but they pulled it together to accommodate him and Matt had the biggest smile – see for yourself!

We’re a bit older these days, so we immensely enjoyed the band but once 9pm struck and the DJ rolled in (along with bachelorette parties in every corner of the room) we snuck out to someplace a little quieter and filled with locals. We found ourselves in The Bar Bar, a chill, laid back place with good drinks, pool tables, and the chance to hang your dollar bill on the ceiling. Keep an eye out for Port Wine and Adventure if you find yourselves here!

We quickly learned that Savannah is a very walkable city, at least down in the Historic District where we spent most of our time. We stayed in an Airbnb not too far from anywhere we wanted to be. We did not rent a car for this trip, but if you do, we noted that parking doesn’t seem to be too difficult here. When we were ready to go home we decided to forego our walking shoes and instead hopped into a pedicab. Partially because my feet were done for the night, and partially because we have never ridden in one before. Our driver, “Nightmare”, gave us a short tour of the city before dropping us off at our place.

Day 2 :

Because we somehow let ourselves go to bed hungry, we woke up absolutely famished this morning. Luckily, we also woke up with a plan. We’d been tipped off to Back in the Day Bakery so we quickly showered and headed where our noses led. Be prepared for a long line here. The bakery is tiny but it draws a good-sized crowd. The menu is small but the flavors are big. The most popular item seems to be the biscuits. We both got breakfast sandwiches on these and were happy with our choices. We also split a pop-tart. I wish we could have tried everything but then I’d need to be rolled down the street like Violet from Willy Wonka. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

After we finished our breakfast, we walked through Forsyth Park and over to Service Brewing for a few pints of local beer. On a Saturday afternoon, this seemed like the place to be – for beer lovers and furry friends alike. The beer was great and they don’t serve food but a food truck parked out by the patio supplied BBQ to all of our fellow hungry comrades. This is the kind of place we’d regularly frequent if we lived in the area. Forsyth Park is full of action – sports teams and more live music.

After the beer, we took our first stroll down to River Street.  We popped in and out of a few of the shops and sampled our first taste of a praline. It’s easy to see why this is such a popular area. There are plenty of restaurants lining the river so if you’re hungry you’ve got a lot of options to choose from. We opted to pick up a few snacks from the Butcher Shop to enjoy while sitting on the deck of our Airbnb. By this point in the day we were ready for a nap! That Savannah sun and walking around all morning wore us out.

 

Later in the evening we set off to have dinner at Treylor Park. I cannot rave enough about this place. It was absolutely packed when we arrived but we managed to snag a couple seats at the bar in the back. When we selected food, it came out quickly and my mouth still waters for these shrimp and grits tacos. SO darn delicious. We also tried their PB&J wings which were good, but these tacos are where it’s at!

We rounded out our evening with fancy-schmancy cocktails overlooking River street at Rocks on the Roof, located in the Bohemian Hotel. This is a nice place for a romantic view and drinks under the moon.

Day 3:

And on the Seventh Day, we learned Savannah does not serve alcohol until 12:30pm. We slid into a couple seats at a local bar only to be chased out of them. “Sorry, not until 12:30”. At first we thought it might have just been limited to that restaurant, but quickly picked up on the fact that everyone’s usual beer-filled cups were replaced with teas and juices. The mandatory rehydration period! In light of this new information, we decided to just take a walk to pass the time. We raced up and down the historical steps and explored corners of the city we overlooked the day before. At the stroke of beer o’clock, we found ourselves in Spanky’s – “Home of the Original Chicken Finger”. Of course we had to share a basket of none other. Then we headed over to Moon River Brewing to sample their beer. I was personally a bigger fan of Service Brewing, but Moon River is also a restaurant which means if you have kids in tow, this will be a better option for you.

We enjoyed the most anticipated meal of the evening later that night. An old Greyhound station turned to a higher end restaurant. The architecture at The Grey is incredible and the service was top-notch. If you have something special you are celebrating, this is the place we would recommend. Matt and I shared an assortment of dishes and each one was better than the last. Below is a carrot tartare and crispy leeks dish.

After dinner we met our guide in one of the squares to embark on our Ghost Tour adventure. Once we decided we were going to Savannah, one of these tours almost seemed obligatory given the history and longstanding haunted nature of this city. In hindsight, we probably could have passed on this touristy trap event. That being said, if you decide to do one of these, just go in with the mindset that you probably won’t be scared. This is less chills-down-your-spine and more of a history lesson. Our guide was wonderful and tried his best to add a few spooks to our evening but because we had already spent the past two days walking on the same streets we currently stood on while on the tour, it was less thrilling than I had imagined. We did have a few aha moments connecting the dots as we listened to the stories. If you choose to do one of these ghost tours I’d suggest booking it for your first night in town.

Day 4:

It wouldn’t be a trip to Savannah without taking some time to explore a cemetery! We spent a good two hours weaving our way through Bonaventure Cemetery. It is about a 20 minute drive from downtown but very worth it. This place is full of history and all of the elaborate tombs and moss hanging from the live oaks lends a certain element of creepiness. The sheer volume of plots for small children was a stark reminder of the disease and death that once plagued this beautiful city.

Our last meal in Savannah was shared on the patio of the Little Duck Diner and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Heading back to Baltimore in just a couple hours where we knew the cold weather awaited, we made sure to soak up as much sunshine as we could. I generally don’t expect any restaurant that has “diner” in the name to be that mind blowing, but Little Duck was a very pleasant surprise. Just look at this spread. Duck eggrolls, salmon salad, tomato soup with goat cheese, and those biscuits. Oh, those biscuits! Again, I advise you – bring the stretchy pants!

And just like that our unexpected trip to Savannah came to an end. We hope to be back some day soon – hopefully for a St. Patrick’s day celebration. We heard they rage.

Cheers,

Megan & Matt