[M]y love for Savannah started on a father / daughter trip about five years ago –  obviously I got to pick the destination – and something very strange happened to me…I felt at home there and that took me by surprise. I enjoy Texas, where I was born, and I love New York,  the place where my work and dreams are, but every time I get down to this small southern town I get that feeling of peace, that I am where I belong. Savannah has so much of what I love about New York to it: it’s walkable, has great restaurants, beautiful parks, great coffee, art, interesting people, antiques and historic dreaminess. I’ve gone back every year since over and over again, tweaking my list of must-dos, and must-eats. Here is my guide to Savannah if you’re just visiting like me or thinking about going to SCAD one day.

 COFFEE JOINTS

• Gallery Espresso
• Sentient Bean
• Foxy Loxy
• Collins Quarter

LUNCH SPOTS

• Gryphon Tea Room
• Blowin Smoke
• Zunzi’s (Fisherman’s Deck, both sauces. OMG)
• Green Truck Pub
• Mrs. Wilkes (best fried chicken in the world)
• Public
• Soho South Cafe

 

 

 

 

SWEETS

• Chocolat by Adam Turoni
• Back in the day Bakery
• Leopold’s

HAPPY HOUR

• The Olde Pink House (basement bar, live piano music)
• Rocks on the River (rooftop view where you can watch dolphins swim by at sunset, best Bloody Mary’s!)
• Perch
• P.S.- in the downtown historic district you can “take a soldier to go” and walk around with your drink! 

DINNER

• Local 11 Ten
• The Grey
• The Florence 
• Cotton & Rye
• Elizabeth on 37th (Southern romance)
• A.Lure
• Leoci’s Trattoria
• 700 Drayton
• Garibaldi’s

SHOPPING

• E. Shaver Booksellers
• Sylvester & Co. (great coffee in the back!)
• Prospector Co.
• The Paris Market
• One Fish Two Fish
• shopSCAD
• Alex Raskin Antiques (the building alone is amazing)
• *just take a stroll up and down Broughton Street*

HISTORIC HOME TOURS

• Mercer Williams House
• Owens-Thomas House
• Juliette Gordon Low House
• Green Meldrim House

SLEEP

• The Gastonian
• Marshall House (ask for a 2nd floor room facing Broughton Street so you can enjoy the balcony porch!)
• The Mansion at Forsyth
• Kehoe House
• Thunderbird Inn (budget travelers) 
• The Inn at Palmetto Bluff (30mins outside Savannah, STUNNING)

BEYOND SAVANNAH

• Bonaventure Cemetery  (hauntingly beautiful)
• Tybee Island
• Wormsloe Historic Site
• Okefenokee Swamp

SPA

• Savannah Day Spa
• JW Salon & Spa
• Poseidon Spa
• The Inn at Palmetto Bluff 

This is just a handful of our favorites! Savannah is full of much more from galleries, big brand shops such as Marc by Marc Jacobs, endless cuisines from around the world, and unlimited hotel / B&B options. There just isn’t enough time to try everything but these are the places we find ourselves going back to over and over again.

PS- I’d love to hear your favorite places so I can try them out next time!