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{Honeymoon-Inspired} Travel Journal: Savannah, Ga.

Entry No. 44: Savannah, Ga.

As I previously mentioned, I recently went on a little Southern roadtrip (#greatsouthernroadtrip on Instagram). I flew over to my parents' home in Alabama and then we hit the road for Savannah and Charleston. Today, I thought I'd share a glimpse of our time in Savannah. It was my first time visiting the genteel city ...


What struck me the most about Savannah was how lush and green everything was. Ancient live oaks mingled with ivy and ferns ... and, of course, the enchantingly moody Spanish moss seemed to drip from every limb ... I think I could probably write a novel about how much I love southern Spanish moss:


One of the first shops we hit was the Paris Market and Brocante. It was only 2 blocks from our hotel and my Mom and I were really craving some French goodness ...


The beautiful white taxidermied deer was probably my favorite thing in the Paris Market - isn't he beautiful? The cafe was pretty darling, too:


Next, we headed out for a scenic walk in search of lunch and discovered this historic cemetery:



We enjoyed some window shopping, too, and I was a teensy bit obsessed with these magnificent canes and umbrellas ... I'd love to meet the Southern gents who carry these:


Continuing on our walk, we made our way through numerous park squares which dot the city - each so beautiful and calm. We were almost to our lunch spot, Gryphon, when we came upon a large group of elderly tourists in one of the park squares. We patiently let them go before us and then we realized they were headed straight for Gryphon ... gah. No good deed, right? Of course, when we went to ask for a table, there were none available and we had to move on to a new lunch destination. I was so bummed as so many of you had recommended this pretty little tea room for lunch. We even made the long trek back to Gryphon the next day {in pouring rain!} to give it another go but once again, they had no tables available for hours. So disappointing. :( So if you want to go, use my experience to your benefit and make advance resos.


But maybe it was all meant to be because we ended up stumbling upon Clary's, the old-school cafe/diner featured in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil:


So glad we had lunch here - it was just like in the movie and if you're a fan, this next photo will mean something to you:


After lunch, we continued the MITGOGAE theme and toured the Mercer Williams house:


Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside so I can't share the amazingness that exists in this jewel of a house but if you ever get the chance, please go on a tour. Our tour guide was fantastic, telling us so many fun tales and anecdotes about Jim Williams and his beautiful collection of antiques.

Across the street from the Mercer Williams house, I spotted this gorgeous home. I loooved the dried magnolia leaf wreath on the door and that exquisite white peacock perched regally in the bay window - isn't it just perfection? Wish we could have taken a tour of this home, too. ;)


We had to take a stroll through Forsyth Park ... it's just as beautiful as the photos show ...


And how pretty is this house that borders Forsyth Park?


My Mom had a big crush on the charming fish spouts we saw around town ... Okay, so did I. :)



On our last day in Savannah, we made the short drive over to Bonaventure Cemetery:


So beautiful ...

CB's Top Tips for Savannah

- Do go for a stroll through the residential neighborhoods. This was probably my favorite thing we did in Savannah - you'll escape the tourists and really absorb the southern charm of the city. Soak in the small details ... the wrought iron, the gas-lit lanterns, the sprawling live oaks, the manicured shrubs ...

- Do tour the Mercer Williams house. Whether you've read the book (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), seen the movie or done neither, this house deserves a tour. Its Southern grace is sublime and after an hour-long tour, I just wanted to sip iced tea on the back porch and hear our tour guide go on and on about the house's history ... of course, we were whisked right out past another awaiting tour group but the gorgeous decor is still in my mind inspiring me with new ideas for decorating. :)

- Clary's. Continuing with the MITGOGAE theme, I'd highly recommend dining at Clary's if you're a fan of the movie (it probably won't impress you otherwise). They have a pretty yummy selection of (greasy) fare so don't settle in hoping for a healthy kale salad. I had the reuben and it was delish. We had so much fun looking around and recalling the fun scene from the movie - it looks exactly the same and has the same down-home vibe. Love it.

- Forsyth Park. I feel a little silly even mentioning this as its so famous but it's famous for a reason - it is a gorgeous park and deserves a stroll.


- Skip Leopolds Ice Cream. I know tons of people will disagree with me on this but I just didn't get the hype. It's a somewhat charming ice cream shop but after waiting 15 minutes for a single scoop of mint chocolate chip, I was so underwhelmed I only took a few bites and was done. I guess I was thinking Leopold's would have more inventive, homemade flavors like Creole Creamery in the Garden District in New Orleans which wowed me so much, I'd make sure we stopped there every time we visited (which was a lot when we lived on the Mississippi coast). So, anyway, I wasn't that impressed with Leopold's but it does seem to be a Savannah hotspot with tourists so maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did.

- Gryphon Tea Room - I so wanted to give a glowing review of this cute tearoom but sadly, I can't really give any review. We attempted to go twice and were turned away both times as they didn't have availability. However, we still spotted several empty tables in the room which made me wonder what was up. I guess the secret is to be lucky when going or to call in advance for resos. Oh, well.

- Drive to Bonaventure Cemetery. Totally worth it - such a beautiful and peaceful slice of Southern history.

- Wormsloe Plantation. We didn't have time to make it here but it looks amazing with a long road framed by arching live oaks swathed in moss. If you go, tell me what you think! ;)

If you have any tips, insights, suggestions or comments, I'd love to hear them! Happy Honeymooning!

Did you miss the other entries of CB's Travel Journal? Click here to catch up! ;o)

Images by moi.

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