Savannah Georgia is the poster child city for Southern gothics. Magnolia trees, Spanish moss, and wraparound porches make it romantic, while both ghost stories and true crime tales hint at a darker underbelly. Expect charm and beauty. It’s a bit like a small New Orleans in that you are allowed to walk all over town with an alcoholic beverage in your hand and there is no shortage of gothic cemeteries, but if New Orleans is a cute sorority girl, then Savannah is a debutante.
Southern Gothic:
“I’m going to take you to visit the dead,” she said.
-Miss Harty, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Savannah has a reputation of being the most haunted city in the US. As a result, ghost tours are serious business. While most cities large enough for tourism have a ghost tour or two, Savannah has dozens. You can ghost tour on a trolley, in a hearse, while pub crawling or in a specific haunted pub, with ghost-hunters, with psychics, etc. The tours range from light-hearted and family-friendly to deep dives into true crime. I did a pub crawling ghost tour, which was fun, but having read the historical notes of The Kingdoms of Savannah, a novel by George Dawes Green, I did feel conflicted about it, as it can turn the tragedies of marginalized people into entertainment.
In addition, visiting cemeteries is a major thing to do while in Savannah. Colonial Cemetery is within the city limits, while the more famous cemetery, Bonaventure, which was featured in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, is just outside the town.
Here are some of my photos of Bonaventure:
This dark fascination with death in Savannah isn’t terribly surprising. In addition to Savannah being old by US standards, its history is undeniably dark. The founder of Savannah, General James Oglethrope, was an extremely progressive fellow, dedicated to getting rid of debtor’s prisons, developing positive relationships with indigenous people, and committed to an anti-slavery stance. But once Oglethorpe left Savannah, so did the best of his influence, and Savannah ended up a major port for the slave trade.
Historic District:
In Savannah’s historic district, expect beautiful architecture and the famous squares of Savannah, which are mini-parks, which were planned by General James Oglethorpe. Tourists will likely spend most of their time here, as this is where you will find museums, beautiful historic churches, the city market, and rooftop bars. You will also find a really good restaurant scene, ranging from classic Southern institutions, like The Olde Pink House, to modern award-winning restaurants like the Grey. For the sake of space, I am grouping the north and south historic districts together here.
Places I visited included:
City Market: This is a cute commercial district with shops and restaurants. Definitely worth a morning or afternoon stroll.
The Telfair Museums: The purchase of a ticket gets you admission to the Jepson Center, Telfair Academy, and Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters that can be used in a 7-day period. I went on my last day so I only went to the Jepson Center, which features modern art in a light-filled modern building and the Telfair Academy, which contains 19th- and 20th-century American and European art in a more neoclassical building. While the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters sounds like an antebellum nightmare, from what I’ve read, they actually do try to teach history responsibly rather than glossing over the ugly things. It sounds like a more recent initiative, but I’m glad they have tackled it. I cannot confirm this as it’s the one Telfair site I missed, but I hope it is the case.
Fun fact: The Bird Girl on the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which used to be in Bonaventure, is now in Telfair Academy.
American Prohibition Museum: I was raised Baptist. I mean, Footloose-style no drinking or dancing or playing cards or piercing your ears, Baptist. Therefore, when I saw that Savannah has a Prohibition museum, I was all in. I looked around at all the anti-alcohol propaganda and felt right at home, just like I had attended a week-long revival meeting with my mother. Then I went to the museum’s speakeasy and washed down all that edification with a French 75. (The French 75’s are good. Really good.) 10/10. Would recommend.
I think this woman lived on my floor in my Baptist college dorm. Hannah, is that you???
Mercer-Williams House: This house, owned by Jim Williams, was the setting of the murder in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It is in the southern part of the historic district, closer to where I stayed, near Forsyth Park. If you enjoyed the book or movie, I definitely urge you to visit the house. Even if it’s not your thing, it’s still worth a visit because the house is gorgeous, especially if you enjoy antiques. My tour guide, Grady, was hilarious, and I feel like Jim Williams would have liked him. Things to know: You only get to see the first floor and there is no photography allowed in the house.
Sorry! It’s crooked, and I didn’t realize until much later.
Leopold’s: This is Savannah’s signature ice cream parlor. It is very hot in Savannah, so I imagine they must sell a lot of ice cream, and the cows are on the verge of a strike.
Common Restaurant, where I was introduced to chimichurri oysters, which are insanely good.
The Grey: The memoir, Black, White, and the Grey, about the opening of this restaurant originally got me interested in Savannah, so naturally I had to have dinner here. The head chef, Mashama Bailey, collects James Beard awards like Michael Phelps once collected gold medals. My pictures in the restaurant, a converted Greyhound station, did not turn out the best, so . . . enjoy pictures of my food? I started with oysters, as that’s what I like to eat whenever I am in a coastal area. My entree was middlins with scallops, shrimp, and green garlic. If, like me before visiting Savannah, you have no idea what middlins are, it’s a broken rice that has a risotto-like texture. Apparently it’s common in Lowcountry cooking. My dinner was very fresh, delicious, and tasted like spring. I wasn’t planning on dessert, but they had butterscotch pudding, and I’ve never had real butterscotch pudding, just the kind that comes in a snack pack. (They are not the same.) My server, Tim, was amazing at helping me pick out food and drinks, and he’s arranging to have a signed copy of the memoir shipped to me.
Pinkie Masters: I’m grateful my ghost tour took me in here because it was on my to-do list as a Jimmy Carter fan. In 1976, Jimmy Carter stood on top of the bar at Pinkie Masters (Can you picture it? I cannot.) and announced that he was running for President. Pinkie Masters is, amusingly enough, a dive bar. One that makes a very generously sized Old Fashioned to go. If you go, please be aware they only accept cash. (There is an ATM inside.)
Forsyth Park and Surrounding Areas:
My AirBnB was across the street from Forsyth Park, so this was where I spent a fair amount of time. The obvious attraction is Forsyth Park itself, where you can find the famous fountain, and pictures really don’t do the park justice.
While you are strolling through the park, I recommend stopping at Collins Quarter at Forsyth for one of their famous spiced lavender mochas. Both my first and last meal in Savannah were at this restaurant, and it did not disappoint. In addition to the lavender mochas, their summer salad is amazing, and I will be posting the recipe to my own variation soon.
If you need a coffee or breakfast or both, The Sentient Bean is a great spot for good coffee and simple vegetarian meals. I loved that it felt like a ‘90s era coffeehouse before everything started to look the same.
Also for your caffeination needs, stop by Mate Factor which has both coffee drinks and yerba mate drinks. I was intrigued because my family drinks yerba mate. But since my parents grew up in Paraguay, we drink it the old fashioned way from the gourd. I wasn’t sure what to expect from mate lattes. As it turned out, my mint mocha mate latte was delicious. Their menu sounded tasty, as well, but I wasn’t there for a meal.
Starland District:
If the Historic District is classy and beautiful, Starland is vibrant and artsy. Here you can expect antique and vintage stores, art stops, lots of pride flags, and food trucks in Starland Park. Savannah is home to an art college, after all, the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and it’s here that you can see the college’s influence.
I visited:
Picker Joe’s, an antique and architectural salvage store. So fun to look through! Alas, everything I fell in love with was too large for a carry-on, and I felt it was in my wallet’s best interest that I not ask if they do shipping.
Gypsy World Vintage: Super cute vintage store. They even have a section for curvy girls, which is not something you typically find in a vintage store.
Starland Strange and Bazaar: So so cute! Gifts, graphic tees, art, and jewelry from local artists. And there’s an ice cream shop inside.
Starland Yard Food Park: Alas my photos were too terrible to post, but this is worth a visit. Food trucks, a bar, a pizzeria, and a bookmobile. What more could a girl want?
What to Know:
Getting There and Getting Around:
If you don’t live within easy driving distance of Savannah, you will fly into the Savannah Hilton Head airport, which is 20 minutes outside the city, where you can either rent a car or Uber into the city. All of the tour guides will assure you that Savannah is walkable but–Oh. My. Blisters.–wear sneakers. Big sturdy sneakers in the Georgia heat. Sandals are probably fine . . . if you bought them at REI. I wore sandals that I’ve worn for other walking-heavy vacations, but they were not up to the task of Savannah’s uneven brick-paved walkways. There is a free shuttle that runs through most of the city, which is very helpful, but the Dot does not run every 10 minutes as advertised, and it only runs 7 to 7, which means if you haven’t seen it before 6:30 pm, you’d better start walking.
Lodging:
Hotels and inns in Savannah aren’t the most budget conscious, as most tend to be $300/night. If you can afford it, they look gorgeous. I cannot afford it, so I got an Air BnB with an amazing location. Isn’t this cute? It’s listed as Romantic Canopy Apartment Forsyth Park on Air BnB if anyone is interested.
What to Eat:
Traditional Southern food is a given, and Savannah does it well, but there are also many up-and-coming restaurants here too. Classic Savannah foods include shrimp and grits, fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, and ice cream from Leopold’s.
What to Read Before You Go:
Please see my previous post, 4 Books Set in Savannah GA.
What to Watch:
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is the obvious selection. Glory, Forrest Gump, and The Legend of Bagger Vance all have scenes set in Savannah. Randomly enough, a 1989 movie with Heather Locklear named The Return of Swamp Thing is filmed in Savannah and as a devoted fan of bad movies, I must watch it.
What I Wish I Knew Before Going:
- While I wouldn’t have rented a car if I could have a do-over of my trip, I would have either included Ubers in my planned budget or did one of the jump-on-jump-off trolleys that are everywhere.
- Bonaventure is not within the city limits. If you don’t have a car, you’ll need to Uber there.
- Not everything in Starland is open Monday/Tuesday. Same goes for some restaurants in the Historic District. If I had known that, I might reordered my agenda for more efficient travel patterns. And fewer blisters.
What I Regret Missing:
- The Olde Pink House: You really need to do reservations well in advance. I thought since I was going during the workweek, I could reserve a few days in advance. Nope. Make your reservation when you book your flights or lodging.
- First African Baptist Church: Sure, Google lists them as being open until 5 pm, but they only do tours (which is the only way for tourists to visit) at 1 pm. This is one of the oldest Black Baptist churches in the country, and they are rumored to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad.
- Tybee: Just east of Savannah is Tybee Island, which is a small island town with a lighthouse, seafood restaurants, and cute shops. Being Midwestern, I deeply regret not seeing the ocean while being so close to it. If I go to Savannah again, I’ll go to (and stay in) Tybee half of the time.
Overall, I do recommend Savannah as a destination for solo travelers, couples, and girls’ trips. It will be enjoyed by those who enjoy history, antiquing, bar hopping, ghost tours, and trying new restaurants. Ideal visit length would range from a weekend, if you really narrow down what you want to do, to five days, if you want to really get to know the city.
An Unexpected Chapter 
Leave a comment