Our recent trip to Savannah was filled with amazing food, rich history and absolutely beautiful scenery.
Savannah, Georgia was the first place Dave and I visited for a vacation as a couple. We were 24 or 25, broke and smitten with scenery in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (what a way to decide where to go on vacation, ha!). But, as expected it turned out to be an absolute dreamy place to visit. Truly magical.
So when we were ready to travel again after two years being hunkered down due to the pandemic and for our 15th wedding anniversary, we both decided it was time to revisit beautiful Savannah. Warm weather, southern food and charm, potential ghost sightings – yes please!
I hope you have fun checking out my tips below on where to stay, what to eat and drink, and what to do while visiting this gem of a city. If you all have been and have other recommendations, please send them my way. We’ll probably go back again and again!
To Stay:
To Eat:
The Olde Pink House / Flock to the Wok / The Paris Market / The Vault / Husk / Randy’s BBQ
To Drink:
Treylor Park / Alley Cat / The Peacock Lounge / The Lost Square / The Bamboo Room Tiki Bar
To Do:
Bonaventure Cemetery / Underground Walking Tour: Slaves in the City
Where to stay in Savannah, Georgia
First things first – where to stay in Savannah! Dave found the 17hundred90 Inn, and once I reviewed it and found that it is the most haunted place to stay in Savannah, that was that. Book it Dan-O.
There is a main Inn and restaurant and several adjacent buildings that are part of the Inn. We stayed in the pink building below that was perfectly quaint and quiet. The location was great as we could walk to nearly everything, we’d definitely stay here again. I mean, the Ritz doesn’t have fine floral bedding like this. 🌸
Where to eat in Savannah, Georgia
You will find the Olde Pink House on nearly every best of Savannah restaurant list so we had to go see what all the hoopla was about. We booked our anniversary dinner here and y’all, it did not disappoint. From the charming ambiance to the impeccable service and perfect delicious dishes, we were blown away.
We had the fried green tomato appetizer with a delectable wedge salad, a perfectly cooked filet, fried chicken and a surprise chocolate ganache dessert. I know that Dave and I often say “This is the best [insert food we’re eating] we’ve ever had” especially when on vacation, but it’s coming again. This filet was sheer perfection. A must have for anyone visiting Savannah. This whole meal was a dream.
Next up we took a departure from classic Southern food and visited Flock to the Wok for some tasty soup dumplings for lunch. Dave became obsessed with soup dumplings after having them in San Francisco so I wanted to snap up this opportunity to try them for myself. These little dumplings lived up to the hype! Hearty, belly warming bites of joy.
For breakfast, you absolutely must visit The Paris Market. It’s an adorable little shop with a café that has wonderful pastries, quiche and a fantastic cup of coffee. A lovely way to start your day in Savannah.
Another wonderful place to visit is The Vault. We stumbled onto this restaurant after venturing out of the historic district on a walk. After lots of heavy eating I was dyin’ for a fresh salad. It’s easy to forget vegetables when you’re on vacation. So I got the cobb and Dave got duck tacos, both delicious. This spot was filled with locals, so I think we discovered a little hidden gem!
Next up – another remarkable dinner. We had visited Husk in Charleston and absolutely loved it, so when we had the opportunity to try the location in Savannah I booked it right away. We treated ourselves to their caviar service which was decadent and delicious. Truly every bite here was pure perfection.
Alright friends, let’s bring the foodie portion of this blog home with some BBQ! We hit Randy’s Bar-B-Q on the way out of town to hit our next stop Charleston. An uber driver told us about this spot and said that it’s legendary among locals so we had to hit it. There is always a long line but it’s worth the wait and you get to watch the pitmaster tending to and mopping the ribs. We loved the whole experience. The ribs were tender and slathered in a fabulous bright mustard sauce that made my heart happy.
Where to grab a drink in Savannah, Georgia
When we first landed we wanted a lil’ something to snack on and a local cold beer. We went to Treylor Park and it satisfied that need just perfectly. We had fried banana peppers and I had a South Carolina beer (close enough?) – RJ Rockers Son of a Peach that was lovely.
After beer we were onto some cocktail-ing! Who knew it, but Savannah, Georgia has some pretty rad speakeasies. We first hit the Alley Cat Lounge, which is a bit hard to find, since it is actually down an alley and then down some stairs. But it is worth the hunt! Adorable atmosphere, friendly bartenders and delicious + unique cocktails.
We found another speakeasy – remember Flock to the Wok above where we grabbed lunch? Well, to get to the Peacock Lounge you have to walk through the restaurant and find the stairs at the back – head down and this is what you’ll find!
It’s a beautiful dark, moody setting and the drinks are spectacular. We loved it so much we ended up going twice in just four days. Yes, we drank a LOT of cocktails on this trip!
Since we had been spending so much time in basements, we decided we had to hit the Lost Square which is a rooftop bar (above the Alida Hotel). It has lovely views of the city and luxurious yummy drinks. Check this bad boy out!
Last, since we didn’t feel like we had tiki’d enough, we had heard that the Bamboo Room Tiki Bar was a fun place to swing by for a fruity cocktail. The rumors were right on – these were some of the tastiest drinks of the trip!
What to do in Savannah, Georgia
On any trip I always encourage travelers to walk around. It sounds simple enough, but Dave and I always walk miles and miles on vacation. We take in the architecture, stumble onto adorable shops and cafes and explore all of the parks and nature.
On this visit I was determined to get to Bonaventure Cemetery. It’s only about a 12 minute drive outside of downtown, and so worth the trip.
The cemetery is on over 100 acres and has beautiful large oak trees dripping in Spanish moss. It’s an incredibly serene and peaceful place to visit for an afternoon. Several scenes were shot for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – so you know I had to go!
Finally, we wanted to do a walking tour and found the Underground Tour of Slaves in the City. The tour was led by Sista Patt, who is Gullah Geechee, which means she is a direct descendant of Africans enslaved on the coast of Georgia. She is an incredibly inspiring figure in the local community who is working to preserve the history of the Gullah Geechee people.
While the details we learned were heartbreaking, we felt like it was an important part of southern history that we owed our attention to. Sista Patt also shared stories of resistance and resilience that will stay with you long after the tour is over.
That’s a wrap!
I hope you enjoyed bopping around Savannah with us! I’m sure we will visit again, so if you have favorites we missed on this trip – please let me know.
Signing off dreaming of fried green tomatoes!