This past weekend we took a quick weekend getaway to Savannah with our friends and next door neighbors, Dave & Julie. We were only there for about 40 hours total, but we had the best time. It has been at least 15 years since our last time in Savannah, so it really felt like we were visiting a new place. I will give you a rundown what we did, where we stayed, and most importantly, where we ate.
One of the bedrooms in our lovely Airbnb property.
Where we stayed:
Leading up to our visit, Julie and I were scouting out hotel options, but nothing really grabbed us as the perfect place for us. We were looking to stay in the quiet, historic part of Savannah. Having recently had a great Airbnb experience on our last trip to New York City, we decided to expand from just hotels again. So glad we did, because we stayed in THIS beautifully appointed home right by Forsyth Park in the historic district. We did not use our car the whole time we were there. We either walked, rode bikes, or took an Uber to everywhere we wanted to go. The home was beautiful and so comfortable for the four of us to stay in. It was really nice staying somewhere you can hang out versus everyone going back to their hotel rooms.
If you have not used Airbnb for your travel yet, I highly recommend it. They really have their system down on how to make sure the places are all up to par. If you have never tried Airbnb and you’d like to book a property, use my referral link and you will receive a discount on your first stay.
Historic Forsyth Park in Savannah
Farmer’s market in Forsyth Park
One of many lovely Savannah squares
What we did:
We arrived on Friday early evening. After relaxing at the house for a while, we took an Uber to our dinner reservations at The Grey, a much-buzzed about restaurant that I will give you more detail on later. After that, we went to a bar on Congress Street called the Rail Pub.
Our full day was Saturday, and we really squeezed every drop out of it. We started early by walking to a really good local cafe, the Sentient Bean, followed by a stroll through the Forsyth Park’s Farmer’s Market. Afterwards, we picked up our bikes (which we brought with us from home) and headed out to explore all the historic, mossy squares scattered throughout the downtown. We basically just rode from square to square and would lock up our bikes when we wanted to stop and explore further. Julie had gotten a Savannah guidebook beforehand, and would fill us in on the history of each square. We also stopped at ShopSCAD and ART’s, two really neat outposts of Savannah College of Art and Design. ShopSCAD is a boutique/gallery curated with unique products like jewelry, paintings, wrapping paper, textiles and much more; all of which are created by students and alumni of SCAD. ART’s is a combination smoothie and healthy snack bar with slew of very well-designed SCAD souvenirs. No tacky stuffed animals and t-shirts here.
After square-hopping all morning, we ended up down by the riverfront. This is where a majority of the hotels in Savannah are located, and frankly all the touristy shops and restaurants too. Not bad, just not what we are into. We walked down the cobbled River Street for a little bit, but knew we wanted to shop and eat elsewhere, so we didn’t stay too long.
The Paris Market on Broughton Street
The Paris Market
The shopSCAD boutique, filled with student and alumni pieces
After River Street, we rode back to Broughton Street, where the shopping and food options were more appealing to us. We ate lunch at The Flying Monk Noodle Bar (more details below), and then split up. The guys found a bar to hang out at, while the girls shopped. The shops were a mix of chains (like J Crew and Anthropologie) but mixed with plenty of local stores as well. We enjoyed stopping at Savannah Bee Company, but fell head over heels with The Paris Market. If you go to Savannah, you must stop here. It is a one-of-a-kind boutique and Parisian cafe. I think we spent over an hour in there.
After shopping, we met back up with Brian and Dave, got an ice cream at Leopold’s (more details below), and then rode our bikes back to the house. We stopped at shopSCAD and ART’s again to pick up some things we regretted not getting the first time around 🙂 That night, we took an Uber to a place called The Florence. We were pooped after a long day of riding!
The next morning we walked back over to breakfast by the park, and strolled through the park one last time before heading home.
The Flying Monk Noodle Bar
ART’s cafe – one of SCAD students’ great eating options.
Where we ate:
We had some pretty darn good food during our brief stay in Savannah. We did not want to waste one single meal, so we pretty much researched every option and asked every local person their recommendations. Once we heard something pop up more than twice, we knew we had to go. Here’s a rundown of the places we ate. I would highly recommend ALL of them. We did not have one bad, or even mediocre, meal.
The Grey – Brian spotted this one on Food and Wine’s lists of Best Restaurants of 2015 list and we quickly got reservations. The restaurant is in a building that used to be a Greyhound bus station. It has been exquisitely brought back to life and the modern Southern fare they serve is just as exquisite as the restored building. We were entertained seated at a table that looked directly into the kitchen where the executive chef was shucking oysters. Favorite item ordered: Sizzling Smoky Pig with fried egg, hot buns and red pepper jelly.
The Sentient Bean – A great little vegan-friendly hippy coffee shop and breakfast joint. It was walking distance from where we stayed, so we chose to eat breakfast here twice.
The Paris Market Cafe – Not a full meal, but Julie and I both enjoyed a nice pistachio macaron here.
Flying Monk Noodle Bar – This was probably my favorite restaurant stop. The Airbnb we stayed at had this menu in their welcome binder. Once we got another recommendation for it, we decided we should give it a try. So glad we did. They had all kinds of Asian dishes, many of which highlighted the noodles made in-house. I feel like we ordered most of the menu and left there uncomfortably full because we could not stop eating. Favorite item ordered: Bangkok curry noodle.
Leopold’s Ice Cream – Leopold’s was mentioned over and over again as a must-visit. There was a line outside of the place, which almost deterred us from trying it. But we decided to give it a go anyways. Luckily, the line moved quickly and we did not miss out because this ice cream was pretty incredible. Some of the best ice cream I have eaten (although THIS place is still #1 in my book). The flavors really shone through. Favorite item ordered: I am obviously biased, but I would say my Honey Almond Cream was the best. Shhh…don’t ask the others or they would choose theirs.
The Florence – After a long day of biking, walking and eating, we almost ran out of gas that second night. None of us were that hungry, so it was hard to decide what we were in the mood for. The Florence had gotten a lot of great buzz, so we decided to try it out. It describes itself as: A neighborhood restaurant that highlights local and regional ingredients using Italian technique and background. We sat upstairs where there was a few dining tables and a nice bar. The atmosphere was super relaxed and refined, and the food seemed relaxed too. Not too fussy. But done perfectly. Highly recommend! Favorite item ordered: Cider Glazed Pork Ribs
Overall, it felt like the perfect weekend. We felt like having the bikes was such a good move. So much easier than getting in and out of a car. It felt like we really were a part of the city. In case you can’t bring your bikes, we did see a few bike rental places too. If you are looking for a perfect weekend getaway city, consider Savannah. We certainly will be coming back!
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