Down in Savannah
As you may have already seen through my Instagram account, Dan and I took a mini vacation down south. We hit up Savannah and Charleston, both of which had been on my list of places to visit. I feel like we covered so much ground in both places and I've decided to round up my absolute faves for ya. I'll start with Savannah. If you have been, I'd be curious if you agree with my roundup and if you plan on going, I hope this is helpful. Ok, first thing's first - food.
Where to Eat:
The Grey is located in the historic district and the space was formerly a Greyhound bus terminal. The interior is beautiful. Dan and I arrived early for our reservation so we grabbed two seats at the bar to kill a half hour. The bar has its own bar bites menu and we picked a few items to munch on while Dan enjoyed his cocktail. The jar of pimento cheese was bomb. We then moved into the dinning room for dinner. The atmosphere was pretty cool and our meal was delicious (crispy trout and braised lamb shoulder). However, if we were to make a recommendation, I think I would have been perfectly happy staying at the bar - I could have eaten all the snacks!
For brunch, we highly recommend The Collins Quarter. They have a great menu so it was a bit hard to choose!
But alas, we made our decisions. Dan had the swine time beni and I had the bacon and egg roll (the one smothered in cheese).
We always break for coffee! Popped into Savannah Coffee Roasters for some Joe. With much self restraint, we waltzed right on by the dessert case (IT LOOKED SO GOOD). Buuuut in full disclosure, it was because we had dinner ressies right around the corner. Can't spoil our dinner!
Our most favorite meal was from The Olde Pink House. This was formerly a mansion from the 18th century and now is a restaurant serving lowcountry food. At one point during our dinner, there was a woman in the adjacent dining room singing. I guess there's live entertainment as part of the dining experience! Dan had the flash fried (whole) flounder and I opted for the duck. Obvi we went halfsies.
Retail Therapy:
The Paris Market is a must! It's filled with the most beautiful home decor/gifts/accessories. There's a great little cafe inside with the most delicious macarons! Perfect spot for a shopping break.
Here's a peek at what's inside. I mean, how cute?! I was obsessed with the candles, but had to hold back knowing that I'd be bringing candles home from the candle making class at Candlefish in Charleston (stay tuned for that recap).
Honey lovers unite! On our walk to dinner, we stopped in at the Savannah Bee Company. We made our rounds and sampled all different kinds of honey. Aside from edible honey, the store also carries healthy & beauty products. I grabbed a flight of chapsticks (because I am not a lipstick girl) with fun flavors such as tupelo honey and mint julep (they made for great gifts).
PW Short General Store is your modern day general store. You can find anything from kitchen utensils, to decanter sets and wall sconces. It was fun to poke around the store and see what interesting items we could find.
I read about Number Four Eleven in the Departures magazine, so I immediately added it to my list of places to shop. They specialize in embroidery and the store has an amazing collection of items that can be embroidered. I LOVED the napkins and towels but Dan and I are just not in a place in our lives where we are hosting parties that require such elegance! Instead, we picked up a cute little bunny which is getting embroidered with a baby's name on it as a gift. This store is every monogram lover's dream.
Another cool store (and studio) that we stopped in was Satchel, a handbags and leather goods store all made in Savannah. It's a beautiful space and the bags are gorgeous! I'm NOT in the market for a handbag so I left empty handed.
What To See:
Dan and I took a quick 20 minute drive to Wormsloe Plantation. Upon entering the gate we were welcomed by the most magnificent driveway - straight out of a movie. Luckily, we went on a weekday so there weren't too many people around, allowing us to take some people-free pics of the grand driveway. We then took a self guided tour to view some of the sites, which was pretty quick (thankfully, because it was getting pretty darn warm!).
Where We Slept:
We stayed at The Kimpton Brice Hotel, a very trendy and fun hotel. In the mornings they have a coffee bar for their guests in the lobby followed by an evening cocktail hour with signature drinks and light bites. The open courtyard is also a gathering place for guests. We liked the location and it was perfect for our two nights stay.
All right - that about covers Savannah. Up next, Charleston!