Savannah, the City of Southern Charm

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As budget travelers, we’re suckers for free housing. We received an invitation to stay at a family beach house and we were ecstatic, but the catch? It was in Florida (Destin, to be exact) and we only had Friday thru Sunday. But obstacles are meant to be hurdled so we decided on a whim to go for it. To kill two birds with one stone, we also wanted to stop in Savannah for a day; one of the tricks we've learned from our travels is that to save money, you need to combine trips. Hence, we love finding long layovers in a new city to add an extra destination without paying more. Since Savannah is conveniently located off Interstate 95 along our way to Destin, it was an obvious decision to swing by and pay a visit to the City of Southern Charm.

Savannah was a strategically placed port during the American Revolution on a river which gave the city its name. Its ideal location by the water now provides a scenic river walk that visitors can enjoy while getting a history lesson. The best way to tour this city is by foot, unless you're prepared to hit one-way streets, stop signs, red-lights, pedestrian crossings, and everything else associated with old infrastructure. However, the lack of city-planning from previous centuries contributes to Savannah's intimate and rustic feel. Historic cities across America like Philadelphia, Boston, and New Orleans aren't known for their skyscrapers or technological ingenuity. No, it's the cracked church bell, the old pub, and home made soul food that draw you back to these broken down, god-forsaken towns. The same applies to sweet ol' Savannah, because at every turn you’ll see a picturesque square, a well-manicured park, and loads of public space rarely seen in modern day cities. While cobblestone roads are annoying if you're driving in a car, Savannah wasn't meant to be driven on... it was meant to be walked in and floated across. Best of all, it’s extremely dog friendly so our 9-week old pup, Chubbs, explored with no reservations. Pro tip: if you plan on bringing a puppy on a long roadtrip, Benadryll works wonders.

You can start your walking tour of the city by finding parking on Broughton Street, the shopping avenue around this area. One of the downsides of Savannah is that parking is more scarce than a Redskins' win (only football fans will understand), but several circles around the block will find you a parallel space to keep your car for 2 to 3 hours at a time. You can stroll up and down Broughton where you will find typical big brand stores such as Kate Spade, but also little gems unique to Savannah. One must stop is the Savannah Bee Company (104 W. Broughton St), a honey mecca that is renown the world over. A bar on the left side of the store showcases more than 10 different types of artisanal honey, from the traditionally sweet to the exotically spicy, while the back of the store is stocked with bath and body goodies, a Burt's Bees of sorts, but better. The best part? You can sample everything in the store. Our favorite from the honey tasting was the winter white honey--a finely whipped honey that resembles the most wholesome icing you've ever tasted. The staff was also incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and even took care of the pup while we explored the store. After a quick honey fix, our next stop further elevated our sweet tooth. Leopold’s (212 E. Broughton St) is an old-fashioned ice cream parlor that earned the Toronto Sun's ranking as the 5th best ice cream spot in the world! Whether you're yearning for some Rocky Road or Chocolate chip, you won't be disappointed by the experience of sitting in a retro cafe with soda fountains and spinning red, white, and blue pole signs only found in barber shops. The servers act their part, the jukebox plays its part, and the ice cream definitely tastes the part. So if you're in town, visit this place or you'll regret it forever. Kristina and I decided to split a Thin Mint ice cream on a waffle cone, and much to our delight, they brought Chubbs a puppy cone (a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cup and an itty bitty cone to top it off).

After your tummies are growling from an odd mix of honey and ice cream, walk a few streets northwest to City Market and scope out the shops there. You’ll be greeted with horse carriages, brick paths, and boutique shops. One such shop is the Candy Shop, a Willy Wonka wannabe that lives up to expectations with fudge fresh off the press and made in-store before the eyes of curious patrons. Once your parking on Broughton expires, you can move your car over to the Riverwalk. Parking is only $1 here and free after 5 p.m. Unless you choose to eat dinner here, you should only need an hour or two to explore the small strip of waterfront stores. A quick stroll through this boardwalk and we were ready to try some southern cuisine, so we elected to eat dinner at a humble restaurant a little outside the city called Sweet Potatoes Kitchen (6825 Waters Ave). We ordered the pork chops, fried catfish, sweet potato fries, and green beans. The portions were generous and the food was amazing, and had we saved room for dessert, we would have gone for the “world’s best banana pudding”, as proclaimed by Adam Richman from Man vs. Food.

If you’re up for an after-dinner stroll, you can head to Forsyth Park on the southern part of town to see the elegant fountain and sprawl out on the grass. One walk through this romantic park under the heavy canopy of trees will have you hooked. We lucked out and came on a day when there was a concert so it was bustling with families and recent SCAD graduates. A nearby park is where Forrest Gump made his famous opening scene on the bench, which we unsuccessfully attempted to locate, only to discover the bench was relocated to a museum years earlier. Nonetheless, our walk around town was a nice and relaxing way to end the evening, preparing us for the 7-hour drive down to Destin the next morning.

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Photos

Leopald's Ice Cream
Ranked by The Toronto Sun as the 5th best ice cream parlor in the world.