Savannah Georgia – February 2018

I LOVE SAVANNAH!  Our daughter is a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).  We live in Des Moines Iowa.  It is heartbreaking at times to have her so far away, but one of the benefits to her college choice is that we get to visit Savannah on a regular basis.  In February of 2018, I made the trip alone to have a long mother/daughter weekend.  The winter was dragging on in Iowa and it was wonderful to fly away from a foot of snow into 70 degree weather!  The area is so beautiful with all the trees, the river, historical sites and grand old buildings… and the ocean nearby!

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I arrived late in the afternoon, rented a car, picked up my daughter and checked into the hotel.  We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn on Bay Street in the Historic District of Savannah.  It was the perfect “home base” location, within walking distance of most places we wanted to visit.  Our room was clean, comfortable and had a mini fridge and microwave.  The hotel was undergoing renovation during our stay, so the restaurant, pool and other facilities were unavailable.  We were however, able to use the neighboring hotel’s pool and hot tub.

We had a fantastic long weekend together – although there’s never enough time to do everything we plan!  Here are some of the highlights of our weekend.

• Oatland Island Wildlife Center – I loved touring the museum and walking the trails to see the many different animals – farm animals, alligators, cougars, gray wolves, and so many more. This is a great activity for all ages!  It is a short drive outside of Savannah – a nice way to see the area.
• Girl Scouts museum (juliettegordonlowbirthplace.org) – Juliette Gordon Low is the founder of the Girl Scouts! The museum consists of three buildings in the historic district.  We enjoyed this tour for the historical buildings and the amazing story of the history of girl scouts.
• Sorrel Weed house tour (https://sorrellweedhouse.com) – Educational and fascinating tour of the house and other buildings on the property. The guides are very knowledgeable and provide a lot of interesting info about the house and the families who lived there over the many years.  They also offer ghost tours!  I highly recommend visiting!
• City squares – The city of Savannah is a great place to walk and enjoy the scenery. There are 24 historic squares with beautiful flowers, trees, and statues.  The Chippewa Square is featured in the movie Forest Gump, the location of the bench where Forest sits waiting for the bus (the bench is now in the Savannah History Museum).  We stopped at several squares along the way to our destinations!
• River Street – River Street is full of restaurants, stores, markets, hotels, and bars overlooking the beautiful river. We enjoyed some shopping, food, and just watching the cruise ships and boats!
• Bonaventure Cemetery – This cemetery is very old and considered one of the most beautiful in the country. It is full of colorful flowers and fantastic sculptures and monuments.
• The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (https://savannahcathedral.org/) –  This is one of the most impressive buildings I’ve ever seen.  It is full of intricate painting and beautiful stain glass – absolutely gorgeous.  It is definitely a must-see landmark!
• Savannah Bee Company – This is a fun and unique store with more honey and bee related items than you can imagine! They also have mead, a delightful, bubbly alcoholic beverage made from honey.

Savannah has many, many fabulous restaurants, it is always tough to choose.  I found several that I would definitely dine at again!  Here are several of the places we tried.

• Little Duck Diner (littleduckdiner.com) – They offer a huge variety of food and drink options -breakfast all day, sandwiches, soups, salads, tacos, rice bowls, and other entrees. They also have milkshakes and dessert options.  We enjoyed our delicious dinner in their outdoor seating area.
• Collins Quarter (thecollinsquarter.com) – They serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a variety of drink options. We had brunch one morning and were very satisfied with our choice.  They offer many unique options that will please any group.
• Fox and Fig Café (foxandfigcafe.com) – A Vegan café offering many meal choices, coffees, desserts, and pastries. We love our veggies and highly enjoyed our lunch, but it may not be for everyone.
• Crystal Beer Parlor (crystalbeerparlor.com) – There are many options to satisfy anyone – burgers, salads, sandwiches, lots of appetizers and desserts. They also have an extensive beer list, as the name implies.  It is the oldest restaurant in Savannah!
• Leopold’s Ice Cream (leopoldsicecream.com) – A charming old fashioned ice cream parlor with tons of ice cream flavors, milkshakes, sandwiches and salads to choose from. We can’t pass it up!
• Mabel’s Cupcake Emporium – A delightful variety of cupcakes, macaroons, pastries, and other treats!

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