Savannah Favorites.

We only really ended up having one full day in Savannah but we packed a LOT in! I will say that the two things I really wish we’d had time for (or been able to get a reservation at) were the SCAD Museum (the Christian Siriano exhibit looks amazing) and dinner at The Olde Pink House. I also heard really good things about Common Ground. Also, Artillery Bar! I made a highlight on my instagram page with my Savannah favorites, and this google doc has all of YOUR recs.

All of that said, before you go, I can’t recommend reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil enough. Or watch the movie. I’ve seen the movie and am admittedly still reading the book. It will give you a great idea about Savannah. It follows the story of an antiques dealer on trial for the murder of a male prostitute. The cast of characters is amazing and the story is true (at least, depending on who you ask, it’s true!).

Some kind of wild stats (taken from the book’s Wikipedia page)… In 1993, the year before the book’s publication, Savannah had five million visitors, who spent almost $600 million during their time in the city. Two years after the book’s release, Savannah was seeing a 46% increase in tourism. Twenty years later, the number of visitors to the city had jumped to 12.5 million, spending $2.2 billion. I’m sure other things were at play but this book had a real impact on Savannah’s tourism!

Savannah Favorites

On our first night, we had dinner at Bar Julian, on the roof of the Thompson Hotel.

The drinks were amazing, the views were pretty great, and this is such a strange thing to comment but the bread is just INSANE. We started out with the mezze platter (above, right) and I was blown away by how good it was (literally right out of the oven… perfectly crispy on the outside and a soft doughy cloud inside).

Truly could not love this kaftan more… and these sneakers are the perfect shoe for exploring a new city… we walked a LOT!

My favorite meal we had was at The Grey.

The restaurant appeared on Chef’s Table (I can’t wait to watch the episode) and ever since then, it’s been pretty impossible to get a reservation. It occupies a 1938 art deco Greyhound Bus Terminal (restored by the owners!) and serves up delicious (but not too heavy) Southern food. To start we got four appetizers (the tuna crudo, the shrimp, a salad, and the crab beignets). We then split the french dip sandwich (not something I would usually order but our server’s whole face lit up as he talked about it). Everything we ate was divine but the crab beignets were out of this world.

After brunch, we did a bit of shopping.

The Paris Market came highly recommended by all of you and while I didn’t end up buying anything (I was tempted by the glassware and pottery but didn’t want to carry anything), I could have spent all day perusing their treasures.

And after shopping, we went up to the roof of The Perry Lane Hotel.

This was such a vibrant and happy spot. (And really centrally located plus the hotel looked very chic – I would absolutely stay here if I were to come back.)

My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Mercer House (now the Mercer-Williams House Museum) and taking a tour.

This is the house from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It was pretty amazing to get to see it in person… and to learn more about Jim Williams’ life (plus see his collection of beautiful objects and artwork). Again, please! Read the book and then tour this house. It was really cool.

Another favorite was E. Shaver Books!

This is an incredible independent bookseller but the best part is definitely their three cats: Mr. Eliot, Morticia, and my favorite (but the most aloof) Bartleby. Such a special spot but the cats were really the icing on the cake.

Another really cool spot for shopping (and GIFTS!) was Chocolat by Adam Turoni.

Artisan chocolates, merchandised in what looks a little bit like a bookstore or library. There is one in Charleston too.

Lastly (below!) we had a great dinner at 700 Drayton (in the old Forsyth Mansion).

We went all out and did The Savannah Experience (a 5 course tasting menu, meant to take you on a culinary tour of Savannah). It was very good. I wish we had come hungrier as it was a lot of food!!!!

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