The Southern Weekender

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Savannah Weekend Guide

Savannah

32.0835° N, 81.0998° W

Perfectly positioned along the coast of Georgia, the port city of Savannah, Consistently named one of "America's Favorite Cities" by Travel + Leisure and one of "America's Friendliest Cities" by Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure, is synonymous with hospitality. Often nicknamed the Hostess City, Savannah is the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low and the Girl Scouts, and yours truly. So experience Savannah the right way and live it up like the Joneses. Even if you can't keep up. Here is the perfect guide for making the most of your Savannah visit.

Quick Facts about Savannah:

US

State: Georgia

County: Chatham

City Nickname:  The Hostess City

Demonym: Savannahian

Best Known For The Garden of Good and Evil, long southern drawls.

Local Fact: Savannah is home to over 100 distinct neighborhoods in six principal city areas, including Downtown, Midtown, Southside, Eastside, Westside, and West Chatham.

Local Fact: Some architecture in Savannah’s Historic District includes Federal, Victorian Regency, Greek and Gothic Revival, and Italianate.

Stay

Mansion on Forsyth: Victorian Mansion on the Outside, Swank Bohemian Luxe on the Inside. One of the 9 Keesler Hotels in the Marriott Autograph Hotels, this Mansion keeps up with the Jones in a very southern, costly way. And who doesn’t like throwing the word ‘mansion’ around in everyday conversation?

Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront: Luxury located along the riverfront.

The Marshall House: Refined, rustic, historic. Airbnb: I recommend Jones Street, Bull Street area, so you can walk to parks and hop on the light rail to take a quick trip uptown.

Eat

Soho South Café: Small plates. Big Flavor. This New York-style rustic café is a Southern brunch staple for Southern Comfort foods. Famous Soho Tomato Basil Bisque, Fried Green Tomatoes, Chicken Fried Chicken

704 Drayton: Located inside the Mansion on Forsyth, this upscale restaurant marries a posh historical inn with colorful African décor and a heaven menu! Beef Carpaccio, Pan Roasted Maine Scallops, 1855 New York Strip Steak.

The Grey: art deco bar converted from an old Greyhound bus station ticketing room. Roasted Yardbird, Cucumber Gazpacho

The Public Kitchen: Elevate casual dining. Savannah Shrimp and Grits

Back in the Day Bakery: Sweet treats in a cute little shop! Salted Apple Cider Pie

Play

History Tours: The quickest way to see and learn about the city. Old Savannah Tours offers an on and off-tour option to capture your instagrammable moments without wandering downtown and driving around in circles. This fun tour combines an in-depth knowledge of Savannah’s history with humorous tour guides and fun meet-and-greets with characters from the past. You might catch Forest Gump sitting on a bench on the right day.

Mercer Williams House: The Midnight of the Garden of Good and Evil. The book and subsequent film future the legendary haunted house as the main character surrounding the true-life crime tale surrounding the shooting death of Danny Hansford

Forsyth Park: When the weather's nice, you'll find everyone strolling about in Forysth Park. The entrance to the historic Wormslow

Jekyll Island: If you're in Jekyll Island for the day, take a drive out to Driftwood Beach and catch the sunrise; grab a bite of tongue-torching shrimp or a smoking shot at Tortuga Jacks, the island's only oceanfront restaurant (their enchiladas made me a believer), and swing by Beach House to drink one of the 24 draft beers on tap.

Historical Tours

Mansion Tours

Off the Cuff