Savannah

Nisheet has traveled to Savannah, GA numerous times for business, and every time he has come home raving about the food, culture, charm, and history captured in this tiny southern city. Several times I have tried to join him, but one thing or another always got in the way… timing, work, cost. But, this time I had the chance to tag along!

We arrived in Savannah around 9pm on Monday night and were starving. We quickly checked into our historic hotel on the river (River Street Inn) and headed to dinner. Since Nisheet has been to Savannah so many times, we didn’t need to do any research as to where we wanted to eat. We went to the Cotton Exchange nestled right in the middle of River Street. I ordered shrimp and grits (YUM!) and Nisheet got the crab stuffed shrimp. It was absolutely scrumptious and the wait staff was friendly and not shy about offering up their suggestions of what to eat and drink.

We skipped cocktails at dinner (gasp) because Nisheet had an extra special place to take me afterwards, Jen’s and Friends. It is an amazing martini bar with countless delicious creations. We sipped on a rice krispy treat martini, soaked in the atmosphere, and chatted until we realized if we stayed any longer we would be too tired to walk back to the hotel.

The following morning we got up bright and early to get breakfast at Nisheet’s favorite cafe before he had to head to work. Goose Feathers Cafe is a super popular cafe and bakery with lots of choices, but Nisheet didn’t even let me look at the menu. We got warm, sweet bread pudding with a dollop of whipped cream, a side of fresh fruit, and the coffee of the day (chocolate raspberry). After ordering, we found a table by the window, and our coffee and food promptly arrived. It was a great way to start the day, even it was still an hour before I would normally drag myself out of bed. (The photo below might give the impression this place isn’t popular from all the empty chairs, but that is just because we were there at an ungodly early hour.)

Nisheet gave me tips on how to spend my day in Savannah, and then we parted ways for the day. I headed down to River street for the morning and strolled down the street lined with the river on one side (obviously) and shops, restaurants, hotels, and bars on the other. While some of the stores are very touristy, some are worth a stop. My favorite shop was the Savannah Bee Company. In addition to sampling various types of honey (try the whipped honey!!) and honey comb, you can also try out their honey body lotions which will make your hands feel like silk. They also have chapstick in unique scents. I am addicted to their Earl Gray (Nisheet always picks me up some on his trips). A couple other stores to check out are the Candy Kitchen (hello pralines) and the Peanut Shop.

A short walk away from River Street is the Savannah City Market. It is only a couple blocks long, and the pedestrian only street is lined with boutiques and restaurants. Bryds is a favorite and has delectable key lime cookies that are a must try. Since it is Christmastime, they decked the city market out in rustic, charming decorations.

After all the shopping and walking, I needed a break, and I just so happened upon the most adorable little french cafe, Cafe M. The owners are the most delightful couple that grew up in Paris, came to Savannah on their honeymoon, and then decided to move here and open a cafe. Since I had over-eaten for the previous 2 meals, this cafe hit the spot with a nice, light lunch. I had smoked salmon on a buttery, flaky croissant and a pecan praline latte. I am so glad this cafe is 5 hours away or I would be here every single day. It really is that good. I even made Nisheet go here with me again before we left Savannah so I could get another latte.

I then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the beautiful squares. There are 21 or 22 squares (depending on who you ask) laid out in a grid pattern. You can start near the Savannah City market and make your way through each of the squares. Some have fountains, some have statues, others have people drinking coffee on benches in the sunshine.

At the end, you will come to the largest park in the historic area, Forsyth Park. It has a large fountain, lots of benches, tennis courts, and open areas to play fetch with your dog.

By the time I made it to most of the parks (I’ll admit I skipped a few towards the end), it was time to head back to the hotel and meet with Nisheet. Our hotel provided a free wine and cheese social in the evenings, and it was a great time to catch Nisheet up on what I did during the day and let him unwind before we headed out. We got a couple glasses of champagne and split a plate of cheese, crab dip, and beignets while sitting on the porch watching the activities on River Street. One of the huge cargo ships even made an appearance which was fascinating to watch. They are enormous yet so silent making their way down the river.

Before dinner, we made a quick stop at Wormsloe. It is absolutely breathtaking with both sides of a dirt street lined with oaks covered in spanish moss. It is definately worth the short drive out of the city for this! You can spend some time driving around, but for us, 10 minutes and a photograph was enough.

For dinner, Nisheet took me to the very romantic Olde Pink House. If you want to sit upstairs at a table, you have to make reservations or risk having a 2 hour wait. We went downstairs though and were immediately seated at the bar. It was a cozy room decked out with Christmas decor, a roaring fire, and a funny old lady singing and playing the piano. I felt like we had just walked in from a winter wonderland to a Christmas gathering, but in reality it was in the 60s outside. We both ordered cocktails and split a couple appetizers (perfectly light and crispy calamari and goat cheese stuffed artichokes). We listened to the lady sing and tell jokes with the locals while we devoured our food. Since we weren’t ready to leave when we were finished eating, we ordered a chocolate pecan pie and stayed a little longer. I’m drooling just thinking about how good it was.

Nisheet had to work the next day also, so I spent the morning wandering around looking at the beautiful homes. Jone’s Street in particular is amazing to walk down. Some of the houses have Christmas decorations up, some of the houses are showing their support of France, and all of the houses have that old southern charm to them.

In the afternoon, I took a Free Savannah Walking Tour. As you probably know by now, I highly recommend free walking tours and this one was no exception. The whole tour was approximately 1.5 hours, but it felt like it was only 15 minutes. We walked through a couple squares learning history tidbits and concluded at Forsyth Park. Did you know that most of the squares with burials probably have the wrong guy buried there? Or the reason there are so many house with large windows right at street level is because of a door tax? Or how pirates recruited others by essentially kidnapping them?

Nisheet got out of work a little early, so he picked me up at Forsyth Park, and we spent the rest of the afternoon at a cemetery. That might sound a little weird, but Bonaventure Cemetery is beautiful. There are oaks with spanish moss covering the entire cemetery, there are beautiful statues of angles and crosses, and there are creepy statues of little children. It isn’t your typical cemetery, and it is definately at the top of the list for Savannah attractions.

After the cemetery, we headed to our last dinner in Savannah. Nisheet was torn between a few great restaurants, but we ended up at Vic’s on the River since it was conveniently located next to our hotel. We decided we weren’t that hungry and we should split one entree… and we ended up ordering fried green tomatoes, roasted butternut squash bisque, scallops with a citrus risotto, and praline cheesecake. Every single bite was delectable but my favorite was the butternut squash bisque. It was creamy, flavorful, smooth… perfect.

Before making the drive back to Tampa Bay, we took a short stroll through Savannah once more and stopped at The Collins Quarter for brunch. Nisheet got a delicious eggs benedict, and I had the most amazing avocado toast I’ve had in my life. I also had a cardamon and orange coffee “cocktail” that was to-die-for.

Savannah Photo Gallery