Written by February 17-21st, 2020 Age: 22 Months
Mom & Dad had the great idea to escape CLE winter (albeit, a mild one), and took me down south for a mid-week get away! We had a fun time exploring Savannah, GA and Hilton Head, SC.
As we made our way into the Historic District of Savannah Monday night, they took me out for an extra yummy treat – ice cream from Leopold’s before bedtime! We all enjoy ice cream in our household, and Mom/Dad have certainly indulged in their fair share of sampling it a lot of places…yet, Mom claims this may be one of the best. My banana ice cream was tasty, but I also kept nibbling on Mom’s pistachio ice cream while Dad tried this parlor’s house favorite – Tutti Fruit (Rum ice cream, with fresh pecans and candied fruit).
We started our first full day in Savannah off with a visit to a super fun cafe, Henny Penny, where we all enjoyed breakfast amongst the artwork made by fellow kiddos…such a cool concept, cafe + kid’s craft workshops. I admired all the colorful displays while chowing down on my churro-muffin, Mom liked her horchata latte/gave a kolache a try (she’d only had the cookie form before, but this savory breakfast alternative is still approved as a kolache she’d have again), and Dad braved the “Eye Opener” (Nitro Stout + 2 shots of espresso) to pair with a donut. We were surprised to find a bit of a tex-mex influence throughout the city.
Following breakfast we ventured down to the Wormsloe Historic Site. Wow…the rows of oaks (400+) covered in Spanish moss were so impressive! The guy that planted them did so for the birth of his son…I’m thinking Mom & Dad have some planting ahead of them to catch up 😉
We also had the chance to visit the Georgia State Railroad Museum – I was thrilled to see so many BIG trains in one place! We saw several historic trains throughout the round house. Outside seeing some old steam engines, we learned about a train car from the Jim Crow era and saw an all wooden train car (estimated to be from the early 1800’s) that was recently used for the filming of the new Lady & The Tramp movie (used as Tramp’s house).
Other highlights from our visit included spotting the following sites:
- River Street– was nice to stroll for some casual shopping, people watching, and more views of the water front.
- The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
- City Market
- The Historic Savannah Theatre – one of the oldest, continually-operated theaters in the U.S.
- Mercer Williams House
- Colonial Park Cemetery – Established when Savannah was the capital of the last of the 13th colonies, and the resting place of many killed by the Great Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1820 (burials here ceased in 1853).
- Andrew Low House – known as one of “the most comfortable accommodations in America” and the homesite of the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low.
- Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace – Also, the original Headquarters of the Girl Scouts.
- Owens-Thomas House– Historic homesite, museum & slave quarters. Interestingly enough, slavery was originally banned from Savannah; but, as the founder returned to Britain it became one of the most dominated areas for slavery.
- Sorrel Weed House – noted as Savannah’s most haunted site; and, for it’s Greek Revival/Regency architecture.
- Ghost Coast Distillery – While I napped, Mom & Dad made a visit here and had fun sampling their local creations. Mom mentioned her mocktail was tasty (I have a brother or sister on the way) and they seem to specialize in various spirits lending to a fun looking cocktail sampler; while, Dad opted for their various flavored whiskeys and a bourbon.
- The iconic fountain at Forsyth Park & Mansion on Forsyth Park – I had a blast at this playground and chased some of the mom-stroller workout class around the area 🙂 Dad also reminded me to stop and smell the (roses) flowers!
- Multiple Squares/Parks – Savannah deserves some bragging rights for the numerous, picturesque squares around town. Full of beautiful trees, greenery, and so nicely manicured – many with a fountain, statute or some serious blooms! This includes Chippewa Square, where the famous Forrest Gump scene on a park bench was filmed, just outside the Historic Savannah Theater.
- Paula Deen’s – didn’t stop to eat, but Mom enjoyed this cute store front.
- It was also fun to stroll through the Savannah Bee Company (where I proudly adopted a honey bee!)/Capital Bee Company, and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen (the sample of fresh praline was a mighty fine treat). Also worth a mention – check out the size of their rice crispy treats (Mom took a photo with a phone next to it for some frame of reference)!
- River Boat Cruise on the Georgia Queen – We enjoyed rounding out our last day in the city riding down the Savannah River, learning more about what a big port town this is, the size and scale of the ships, bridges, etc. and even learned the Eugene Talmadge Bridge may soon need to be resonated or replaced due to ships continuing to grow in size (even though it was expanded just in the past decade).
Throughout the week we had plenty of good southern meals – including:
- Mrs. Wilkes – go hungry, for this all you can eat/family style southern classic meal! It felt like Thanksgiving, replacing the turkey with fried chicken! We even got to see the chair President Obama sat in while visiting this local favorite.
- Savannah Seafood Shack – had a casual, low county seafood boil in a bag for lunch here. The staff was extra friendly to me and made me feel right at home.
- The Olde Pink House – This classic recommendation didn’t let us down. Charming, historic building with a nice menu and cozy ambience.
- The Coffee Fox/Henny Penny/Foxy Loxy Cafe – our family loved this collection of cafes. Be sure to stop at one while you’re passing through town!
- Savannah Coffee Rosters – was also a great breakfast stop for our family one morning.
And, a couple we made note to try next time:
Mom & Dad would also recommend a drink at:
- Artillery
- The Grove(Rooftop) – if Mom wasn’t pregnant, she most definitely would have dove into a Champagne Pop (Prosecco paired with a locally made, fresh fruit popsicle).
Mom’s cousin lives in the area, so we had a nice time getting to visit one evening with her family and seeing their precious little girl that was born in the fall of 2019 (thanks again, Julie, Ryan & Parker). We also made our way to Hilton Head for a nice day trip. I really liked exploring Sea Pines/Harbour Town – I had a blast running around the marina, admiring all the boats & big lighthouse, and welcomed the fresh Atlantic breeze! I told Mom & Dad we should come back here sometime to veg out by the beach and make a return visit to The Salty Dog Cafe (while I was a fan of the dog statues, I really loved talking to the parrots inside Jake’s Cargo)!
Most helpful products for this trip:
- REI Backpack – supportive, compact with many storage compartments, and the perfect companion for helping me take along some extra things for entertainment on the go, snacks, a water/milk cup, etc. Mom & Dad also like it for getting me accustom to carrying some of my own stuff when we travel (it also has a built in safety whistle I haven’t learned about just yet).
- Lands’ End Rain Coat/Patagonia Micro D Snap-T Fleece Jacket – with the rain/slight cold front that came through, it was helpful to have some layers to keep me comfortable.
I’ll look forward to more time down south one day!
Miles Logged to Date:
By Car: 3,600
By Plane: 23,808
By Train: 104
Scenic Seitz 