Southern Hospitality in Savannah
Lively and Lovely
We all need a day of rest. I’m on a wonderful vacation. Time with our daughter and she’s a great tour guide to her new hometown! It’s been go go go schedule. We’ve seen a lot. And we need a little downtime. I’m discovering that I need quiet in the morning, and she needs quiet in the evening. So this is our first day of pause.
A little bit of laundry, wonderful yoga with Adriene and time to clean up and regroup. Refresh and reset.
I think no matter where we are, or who we are with, some quiet time is good. I can be as chatty as anyone.
My daughter has gone to the gym, and we both are pursuing our own sources of relaxation.
I hope whatever your schedule is, you will find time for inspiration and perhaps listen to a favorite podcast. For me, it is peaceful to listen to a bit of news just so I know what is happening in the world. I suggest you carefully curate your news intake and make sure you are listening to reliable sources.
Savannah is a lovely and lively city! It is well-designed city with lots of green squares.
James Oglethorpe, Savannah founder, planned a city with 36 squares before he left the shores of England. Today there are 22.
Oglethorpe’s original vision banned slavery and alcohol and eventually also banned lawyers and Catholics. As you can imagine , Savannah has a complicated history.
The alcohol ban, along with the others, did not last long. From the beginning, Savannah was supposed to be a silk and wine colony. By the time, George, Washington visited, Savannah’s famous very strong drink Artillery Punch was served to him!
Here is Southern Living’s version
Chatham Artillery Punch contains:
black tea
light rum
cognac
bourbon
Champagne
lemon
sugar
Recipe:
https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/chatham-artillery-punch
Savannah is known as the “Hostess City of the South.” Some notable residents include composer Johnny Mercer, inventor Eli Whitney and Juliette Gordon Low, Girl Scouts founder.
Savannah is also known as one of the most haunted cities in the United States. This is based on the many who were buried where they fell. Years of bloody battles, diseases, fires, and slavery contributed.
Savannah has been the setting for popular films. Most people remember iconic scenes from “Forrest Gump.” “ Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” bought more fame and tourists to the city. The most recent (2019) “Lady and the Tramp” was filmed in Savannah.
Coming from the desert, Savannah‘s green hits you!
Our daughter reports that it really isn’t green until the marshes pop with brilliant emerald during the summer. I will have to plan a summer visit!
This is my second trip to Savannah and on each visit we have met at the beautiful mansion hotel on Forsyth Park. It’s an easy Lyft trip into town and her to pick me up. I discovered that the hotel has been renovated and is under new management as Hotel Bardo. https://www.staybardo.com/
It’s a lovely spot for glass of wine on the terrace before dinner.
Our daughter gave me a re-orientation tour. The moss hanging from the oaks always strikes me as amazing! Almost every building in the city is fascinating. We headed for a casual dining spot, Hitch by Treylor Park https://www.treylorpark.com/
and as I ordered the ahi ahi tacos; I learned they were really sushi tacos, and they were amazing!!
Our visit covered a lot of territory:
-Bonaventure Cemetery, the original home to the famous statue featured in “ Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”
-City Market and the authentic American Prohibition Museum speakeasy bar
- the touristy area on the Riverwalk
-casual dinner again at Molly McGuire‘s on Wilmington Island
- a drive to the Savannah Wildlife Preserve in South Carolina where we caught glimpses of a bobcat, heron, and four alligators!
-the new Plant Marriott, which I learned is a re-fabricated power plant that was the main source of electricity for over 100 years. The history of the fossil fuel plant inspires the hotel’s theme. Incredible enormous geodes, dinosaur skeletons, and colorful backlit fossils make the lobby appear more like a museum than a hotel.
-famous Leopold’s ice cream https://leopoldsicecream.com/ an icon in Savannah since 1919.
-Dinner at Collin’s Quarter - Amazing pasta with pears
-Carriage Tours around historic Savannah (during our daughter’s first year here, she got a close-up look at the care of the horses during one of her first jobs; she requested a specific horse for our tour) https://savannahcarriage.com/
-American Prohibition Museum https://www.americanprohibitionmuseum.com
-High tea at Gryphon https://www.scadgryphon.com/#accordion a restaurant sponsored by SCAD, Savannah School of Art and Design. We learned that the many international students who cannot work off-campus are servers and staff at Gryphon.
SCAD https://www.scad.edu/ which was founded in 1977 by an innovative art teacher has purchased and renovated over 120 buildings throughout Savannah that serve as the campus.
During my last visit, I learned that both the novel and film, “ Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” and the School of Art and Design increased Savannah’s popularity and tourism exponentially.
-And the pièce de résistance and reason I chose this date to visit Savannah, the Savannah NOGS (North of Gaston Street) secret garden tour, sponsored by the Garden Club of Savannah.
So this weary, but wise traveler has declared a day of rest before pursuing more activities.
Today’s message: know when to take a break! At the moment, my feet are up and I’m taking time to be grateful for what I’ve seen. It’s important to be present in the moment and not to rush around! Enjoy the sights. As a West Coast native, the East Coast holds history that I have only read about in textbooks and novels or seen in photos and film! And there’s always so much more to explore and learn.
And as you can imagine, time with our daughter is precious.
Spring is perfect. I have missed the azaleas, but the Savannah Garden Tour was a highlight.
And if your plans are to remain an armchair traveler, I hope my photos and descriptions have whet your appetite to learn more about beautiful Savannah, Georgia.
Sketch time? I’m not sure if I will get it in this trip. I have some from a past visit and many more photographs!
On my previous visit, I explored the noteworthy Telfair Museum. I follow several Savannah-based artists, including Kip Bradley https://www.kipbradley.com/
and Julia Kamenskikh https://juliaartist.com/
I was hoping to catch Kip Bradley plein air painting at one of the squares, but missed him this trip!
I recommend a visit to Daedalus Gallery https://www.daedalusgallery.com/ The painter/gallery owner, originally from Provence, said she remembered me!
Travel tip! This was my first time using an AirTag. https://www.apple.com/airtag/
I generally carry on my tiny suitcase. However, my economy United tickets required me to check my bag. My AirTag assured me of its progress, even when I left it at my daughter’s apartment! I think a couple more might be a good idea!
Traveling is always an adventure! Expect the unexpected and enjoy each moment. Embrace challenges, such as posting a Substack letter from your phone!
Inspired by all of you,
Janis Commentz
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Loved the pics! I, too, have fond memories of Savannah. Charming city. E.W.
I LOVE SAVANNAH!! Only 4 hours from me! I still need to get up there for the spring garden tour!!