My husband and I took a last-minute trip to Savannah, GA, over Memorial Day weekend in 2019. We enjoy visiting new places together. My husband travels for a living, so finding a city he hasn’t been to can be challenging.
Of course, we picked the hottest weekend of the year to go farther south. I have nothing to back up that statement, just a guesstimation based on all my sweating. The temperatures reached the high 90s, and we walked around in 3-digit heat indexes with high humidity.
Staying Cool
Despite the heat, we had a great time exploring this historic city. A unique feature of Savannah is the 22 Squares. There were 24 squares, but only 22 remain today. These squares are like little city parks, each a little different from the next. In the squares, you will find statues of historical figures, benches, flowers, and trees draped in the iconic Spanish moss. We didn’t have time to visit all the squares but saw a few of them. And our trolley tour drove past several of them. The history of this town is incredible. If you are a history buff, one weekend in this town probably isn’t enough.
Ways to See the City
Trolley Tour
The trolley tour brought a welcome break from the heat when it was in motion. That breeze felt good, even if it was a 90+ degree breeze. The driver, who works on tips, shared facts about the city and the squares using humor and telling jokes. This particular tour was hop-on-hop-off. At some of the stops, we were greeted by an actor adorned in historical garb, waiting to share their character’s story.
Walking Tours
In addition to the trolley tour, we also did a walking ghost tour. When visiting new cities, I recommend seeking a walking tour (ghost or otherwise). Preferably on the first day/night.
The tour guides are incredibly knowledgeable and proud of the town they represent. The guides provide insight and history about the city that you won’t find on the back of a pamphlet. The guides are usually very eager to share their favorite spots with guests, most of which are local favorites, for those who want to experience the local flare without all the tourists.
If you wait to do a tour on the last day of your vacation, you won’t have an opportunity to check out the guide’s suggestions. If you prefer to ride while seeing the city, a ghost tour will show you the town while you ride in a customized hearse.
Dining in Savannah
Food, food, and more food. I heart food. I think eating is one of my favorite activities when traveling. Eating is a must when traveling, and I am so glad about that! When we travel, we always seek new places and avoid the chain restaurants we can patronize at home. I am not saying we never visit chains, just not the ones we can find in our hometown.
The best breakfast in town
One morning for breakfast, we ate at the World Famous Clary’s Cafe. The cafe was quaint and didn’t have a waiting area inside. We waited outside with the other patrons for an available table.
Clint Eastwood’s film, Midnight of the Garden of Good and Evil, featured Clary’s Cafe, which makes this cafe a popular tourist setting. This local breakfast spot has been in business for over 100 years. I recommend checking out this restaurant, but plan accordingly; you will likely have to wait for a table. The food was delicious, and the wait staff delivered that Southern hospitality which keeps folks returning.
Waterfront Dining
We ate lunch at Chart House on the waterfront. We were lucky to find a seat on the covered deck overlooking the waterfront and the cobbled street below. A great spot to “people watch.” It was still warm and stuffy due to the lack of a breeze, but we didn’t mind. We were thankful to be sitting down and out of the blazing sun. The food was good, and the views were incredible. I am one happy girl whenever I can look out over the water. We watched the barges coming into the port. The size of these vessels was incredible. We attempted to count all the containers on deck but lost count; there were so many.
Movie Famous Pub
Before our ghost tour, we stopped at Six Pence Pub on Bull Street for a drink and an appetizer. This pub was the setting for a scene in the movie Something to Talk About. The pub’s interior was mesmerizing. The shelf behind the bar was lined with historical figure beer steins. We made a game out of trying to identify each one by name. If you are keeping score, my husband outscored me. We ordered the nachos, which were more than enough for both of us, especially paired with a beer.
Anniversary Dinner
We spent some time at the hotel pool to cool off before heading out for our anniversary dinner. We try to incorporate one fine dining experience into our travels. Not that we eat like paupers the rest of the time, but we don’t want to break the bank on every meal either. We heard about the 17Hundred90 restaurant and wanted to check it out. The restaurant is located in a historical building on the Inn’s ground floor. Upon entering, we noticed the inn’s check-in desk felt cramped with low ceilings and narrow halls but extraordinarily charming and warm with the exposed brick and wooden rafters.
We were seated immediately at a table near a window, not in the center, which is always a plus in my book. A piano player was at the other end of the dining room. I love live music, and piano music (or acoustic guitar) soothes my soul. Our server was great and improved our dining experience by sharing his personal experiences working in this haunted establishment. I should mention that this building has a history of ghost sightings. They boast that one room is particularly haunted and available for reserving, that is, if you are into spirits awakening you at night. The back of the menu provided a lengthy story of the ghost residents at the Inn. I won’t spoil it for you, but the waitstaff doesn’t like to be in the kitchen after hours, from what the staff told us.
Heavenly Honey
Once our drinks were served, we were greeted by a young lady with a basket of gold. Well, not technically gold, but it might be considered gold by some. She delivered a warm, soft biscuit drenched in honey from the basket to our plates. We didn’t leave a crumb behind. Our entrees provided the same delight and satisfaction.
Landmarks
On Location
There are so many things to see and do in this town. So much history. If you are a movie buff, check out the settings for some infamous movies. Everyone’s favorite Forest Gump was filmed here. Here is a little nugget of trivia, the traffic pattern around the Squares in Savannah travels in a one-way direction. For the movie’s filming, they changed traffic direction, so the driver could see Forest sitting on the bench when the bus stopped, and the driver opened the door. That iconic bench in Chippewa Square where Forest sat during his life’s narration is now located in the Savannah History Museum.
The live-action version of Lady and the Tramp was also filmed in Savannah. Our ghost tour guide mentioned they turned one of the Squares into a winter wonderland for some scenes.
And as mentioned previously, Something to Talk About, starring Julia Roberts and Dennis Quad, has a scene filmed outside the Six Pence Pub. Another movie we heard about during our stay was Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. This movie, based on the nonfiction novel by John Berendt, was also filmed in Savannah. One of the scenes was filmed at Clary’s Cafe. You can tour the Mercer House, home of John Williams, the movie’s main character. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit this home but plan to next time.
We did manage to get one house tour in and visited the Old Sorrell-Weed property. We toured the home during the day, but they also offer evening ghost tours. The home is furnished and showcases some fantastic architectural details.
In addition to the landmark homes and historical buildings, Savannah has some ancient cemeteries. Our tour guide had a mantra she repeated throughout our walk, “the city was built on bones.” We walked through Colonial Park Cemetery, dating back to 1750 and closed before the Civil War. Among those buried here are those who perished in dueling battles and died due to the yellow fever epidemic.
In addition to the cemetery, there are also beautiful grand churches.
A World War II memorial commemorates the veterans of Chatham County that served in the war along the waterfront. The memorial features two hemispheres of the globe that visitors can walk through. On the wall of the split earth, monument are the names of the veterans.
This Southern town is rich in history, charm, architecture, and beauty. There are so many things to see and do in Savannah. This is an amazing city, and we can’t wait to go back and explore some more of this beloved city.
What are some of your favorite spots in Savannah? Any must-see things that we missed on this trip? Please share in the comment section.
Some other great places to visit: Key West, Boone, NC, and Baltimore, MD.
