“Savannah is amazing with the town squares and the hanging moss and the French colonial houses. It’s brutally romantic.” David Morrissey
When we were thinking about honeymoon destinations, we didn’t want to spend a ton of time traveling, nor was our yearly trip to the beach one we wanted to experience again. At the time, Savannah, Georgia kept jumping out in my mind. The small southern town framed by the river and built on rich history was the perfect destination.
While there are several large hotels and resorts in Savannah, to get what I felt like would be the full experience had me searching diligently for small bed and breakfasts. I researched several inns but kept coming back to the McMillan Inn. It is a gorgeous, lovingly restored 1888 inn that has managed to keep the 1800s classic décor and feel, yet is equipped with modern amenities and convenience. Plus, the owners are the sweetest. Melissa and Eric were incredibly welcoming and available for any questions or directions that you might need. We didn’t eat breakfast at the Inn (I know, I know, that’s half the point of staying at a bed and breakfast. But I love checking out the locally recommended restaurants.), but from what I have heard all of their food and snacks are delicious. We stayed in the Carriage House, which is slightly set apart from the main inn; however, you do go through the inn to reach it. The carriage house has its own kitchenette as well as the best view in the inn of the courtyard and small pool.
Of course, being from the south and vacationing in one of the premier southern cities means fabulous food and speaking of breakfast, you cannot go to Savannah and not visit Clary’s Café for the stuffed French toast. They have everything you could imaging on the menu, but I’m telling you, nothing can be better than strawberries and cream cheese stuffed inside French toast and dusted with powdered sugar. It only got better from here.
Armed with several recommendations I would have to say that my favorite restaurant was The Pirates’ House. The exterior is the epidemy of shabby chic and doesn’t look like it would seat very many guests. When we arrived, I was so glad that we had made reservations. I couldn’t have been more surprised going inside. It is a massive space with both upstairs and downstairs dining and the portions are big enough to feed an army. Without a doubt, I can say that their honey pecan fried chicken is the best I have ever had. We also tried out The Lady & Sons, which is Paula Deen’s signature spot. At this time, they are currently close, but I’m sure they’ll be back soon and be better than ever after remodeling. The best advice I could give is make sure to have reservations if at all possible.
One of the best things that we found to do was wander around and enjoy the city itself. Savannah feels like taking a calming step back in time. Just to walk around and see all of the old homes or walk through Forsyth Park can’t be beat. Although, if riding rather than walking is more your speed, I highly recommend taking a carriage tour around the historical city.
We chose to take a carriage tour one morning and it was fabulous. A horse drawn carriage picked us up at the McMillan Inn and took us on an hour-long tour around the city pointing out all of the classic landmarks and the rich history from the origin of Savannah, through its grand standing in the civil war, concluding with modern day. Our tour finished and dropped us off on River Street where there are tons of shops as well as restaurants.
Conveniently, River Street is the location of our final adventure. I don’t feel like you can be this close to the river and not do some sort of a cruise. The Savannah Riverboat offers so many different cruises to chose from, no matter what time of day, whether you want to eat a meal on board, or sightsee, that it is hard to choose just one. We ended up choosing to do the gospel dinner cruise where we met some of the sweetest people. Just so happens that we were seated next to a couple that had been married most of their lives and had such an inspiring story.
Savannah has something for everyone and reliving it makes me want to plan another trip soon!
