Next Stop Morocco

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March 29, 2018

Weather: 78/80 in Savannah and 70/75 in Folly

States: Georgia

City: Savannah

Miles: 117 miles

Hours Driving: 2 hrs 18 min

Hours Walking: 4

Hotel: Fairfield Suites Marriott

Food: free Marriott breakfast, Smith Brother’s Butcher Shop, Cha Bella, Walls BBQ, Zunzi’s, Our Daily Bread Cafe, Nuts About Savannah and Leopold’s Ice Cream- Folly Beach- Folly Crab Shack and Dolce Banana Icecream

Sites: City of Savannah, Savannah Taste Experience

Books:

Gas: 1

Bodies of water: 4



Well Today was an amazing day. We love Savannah. What a beautiful city everywhere you go. There is an old charm. The streets are line with charming historic (and haunted) homes dotted with little restaurants that surround the many squares throughout the city. The squares are similar to the squares in Europe only smaller like a little park. They were created to be a center for each little area of the city surrounded by homes and stores. Each sustainable on their own. Oglethorpe wanted to create a utopia. Very unique city with an interesting history.

After we had breakfast at the hotel, we walked over to the location where we were meeting our tour group for a foodie lunch tour around Savannah. Was this one of the best things we’ve done on our trips. Our tour was the Famous and secret East Side tour. We wanted something a little more unique. Our kids are great and adventurous eaters (as are Paul and I). They said they could accommodate my glutin free and dairy free diet but they gave me 20%!o(MISSING)ff our entire party anyway. Yay. We started at a cool butcher shop. We met our group and our guide. Our guide, John, was great. He is an actor and comedian. We met our group of 16, which sounds like a lot but they were very nice and having the group allows you to participate or hang back on your own. We did a little of both.



1. The Smith Brother’s Butcher Shop- Est. In 1824- We had a beautiful sausage charcuterie board and a beet dip. The sausage was all made in shop. There was a spicy andouille, a Tuscan and my favorite, the blueberry sausage which tasted like breakfast. The beet dip was an amazing red/pink color and was delicious. We sat at a long wooden table in the front window of the store. Picture perfect (see picture). We packed up and headed to our next location which was supposed to be a bread shop but it was closed to the publc because a movie starring “The” Will Smith (believe me, we looked for him) was filming there.

2. We stopped in one of the squares to learn a little history and to eat a salmon croissant from another bakery. I couldn’t eat it and, this doesn’t sound comparable, but they gave me a warm spicy carrot citrus dish which was really good. I am sure theirs was better but the feeling I’d have after isn’t worth it. Then, off to the next location.

3. Cha Bella- Maybe one of the cutest restaurants I’ve been to. They had a beautiful outdoor area with swings and a garden. There were gasps by everyone. John actually works there as well as a bartender. We all sat on the upper level of the outdoor space and they gave us a glutin free mushroom appetizer. Again, delicious. Even Matthew tried it. He thought it was good but still can’t come to terms with the texture of a mushroom. It had a rice flour breading in a vinegar glaze. I ate Matthew’s other half. We went inside after and a bunch of people ordered specialty drinks in the bar. In Savannah, you can walk around with alcohol but only one. No two fisting like in New Orleans. 250 dollar fine if caught with two in hand. Paul had an old fashion. Seemed appropriate. I was DD just in case.

3. Wall’s BBQ- He skirted us through another historic square of ghostly tales and disappearing moss from the trees. Elizabeth was skeptical while analyzing the content and holes in the story. I liked the chilling tale of a guy coming back each night to take the moss off of the trees in this particular square. A little strange they don‘t have moss only in this square. At one side of the square, there were a couple of cute little (old) houses that he told us a family has been living for generations and that we are going down an alley to the back of one for a barbecue that they have been selling out of the back for 90 years (?). We walked right into, basically, the kitchen where the family was cooking away and welcomed us in. They are not open for lunch so we got to come in off hours. They fed us pulled pork sandwiches, mine without the bun. Delicious. I love pulled pork.

4. Zunzi’s- Back down the alley to Zunzi’s after passing through yet another square surrounded by mansions. (The Kehoe Mansion, once own by Joe Nameth who partied it up there for years. He wanted it to be a playboy mansion but they would not give him a liquor licence.) Around the corner was a little hole in the wall with an awning and signs all over saying “this is the Sh#$.” John grabbed the bag of food and we went back to the square to eat our Cajun Chicken with the Sh#$ Yeah sauces. He proceeded to explain that one sauce was “the sh$%!”(MISSING). The second sauce is the “Yeah”. Put them both on and you’ll say, “Sh#$ Yeah.” I will not mention which child (Ben) liked the concept (Ben) of this restaurant (Ben) and took every opportunity to share it‘s message with an added, “Sh#$ Yeah....Bit#$@#!” It was a Cajun chicken sandwich and mine was without bread and over lettuce and Sh#$ Yeah, it was good.

5. Nuts of Savannah- We stopped in a little nut shop to tasted some roasted almonds, cashews and peanuts.

6. Leopold’s Ice Cream was our last stop and an important one because the night before, Missy and Jeff said that they wanted to take us there after dinner. When we arrived, the line was down the street which is apparently the case all day. But...it was on our tour and we got to skip the lines. Yay! We rubbed it in a little and sent them a picture of us in there. Sorry Missy and Jeff. They gave them Pecan ice cream and everyone said is was really good. Elizabeth didn’t really want that kind but ended up really liking it. I had a raspberry sorbet which, I swear had cream in it. It didn’t. Really good.

It was a great tour and I highly recommend it. You eat, walk and get a history of the city. We were more than full. They accommodated me completely. I did not feel left out in the least. The kids had an amazing time, too. They are stilll talking about it. Well worth the time and money. After our tour, we picked up our magic bus and headed to Folly Beach, about 2.5 hours. We arrived at our house, “Next Stop Moracco”, and fell in love. What a perfect beach house. Everyone was giddy with excitement about the house and everyone said, “Mom, you did it again.“ Perfect for us. Beachy theme inside. Just the right size with 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms but not an oversized place. There are two bedrooms downstairs and one huge one up. The kids wanted to be together so we brought a twin up there and they all slept up there together. They have the best view. the house is right on the beach. Literally waves crashing onto the deck stairs when the tide is in. The kids enjoyed the water...in their clothes. God forbid we wear our suits.

We unpacked, they showered and we went to Folly Beach for dinner. We ordered Seafood buckets at the Crab Shack and had ice cream at Dolce Banana. The kids hung out upstairs in their room while Paul and I sat out on the deck sipping vino and listening to the ocean. Ahhh. Great day. We are blessed to have these great experiences and this is only day 3!

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