Savannah, GA is a beautiful town full of antebellum homes, picturesque squares, delicious food, and trees covered in Spanish moss. After the success of our weekend in Austin, my two best gals and I hopped on a plane to Savannah for a girls weekend in the city. We were hoping for a laid-back weekend where we could explore the city, eat some great food, and dive into the local history. Our weekend turned out exactly as we had hoped! In this guide, I lay out some of the best places to stay, eat, explore, and play in this historic riverside city.

Stay

When we decided to go to Savannah for a girls weekend, I reached to a family friend to find out where to stay. She recommended the River Street Inn, and I am so beyond thankful that she did! The River Street Inn is a historic hotel overlooking the Savannah River on River Street. The hotel features original hardwood floors, exposed beams, brick walls, and historic period furnishings. It was breathtaking! The location was so convenient, as we could easily access River Street (without having to take the scary historic steps!) and walk the historic district. Additionally, the concierge team was so kind and gave us wonderful recommendations every time we asked, which was fairly often.

If River Street Inn doesn’t sound like your style, there are plenty of other options in the city! The 17hundred90 Inn and Restaurant is the place to stay if you’re a ghost junkie, especially Room 204. The Marshall House is another great option for ghost hunters, as it served as a Civil War hospital! A number of hotel chains can be found in the hub of Savannah, including Hotel Indigo, Embassy Suites, and Hampton Inn. As always, AirBnb is an option.

Savannah Eats

Savannah is full of drool-worthy restaurants! We ate and ate while we were in the city and I feel like we barely scratched the surface on restaurants. The range of types of restaurants was so surprising to me, with options from experimental ~trendy~ foods to classic American cuisine.

Meals

One the best brunches I have ever eaten in my life came from Huey’s Southern Cafe on River Street. Huey’s serves cajun food, including beignets that are indescribably delicious! If you’re going for brunch, I recommend the crabcake benedict – it has friend green tomatoes on it, which is a total game changer. Huey’s was so good that we ate there twice.

Another solid meal option is the Pirates House! The Pirates House has been welcoming visitors since 1753, with a portion of the building being built in 1734 (making it the oldest standing structure in Georgia!). Once you’ve gotten your fill on yummy food, you can take a pirate-led tour through the various rooms of the house and learn more about the awesome history!

We were really craving seafood on our first night in Savannah, so we asked out hotel concierge for a recommendation and he delivered with Fiddler’s. At Fiddler’s, we ordered a half dozen Apalachicola oysters on the half shell and the seafood platter for two. It was SO much food and the three of us ate every bit of it (the picture above is JUST the seafood platter – doesn’t include the sides that came with our meal!!!).

If you’re looking for a very interesting meal, head on over to Treylor Park. Treylor Park is a bar and restaurant that serves treats like avocado fries, PB&J chicken wings, and shrimp & grits tacos. It’s worth experiencing!

Sweets

If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, then Savannah is for you! First up is my new favorite cookie shop: Byrd’s Cookie Company. Byrd’s has been around since 1924 and serves bite-sized cookies. I’m not exaggerating at all when I say I thought I died and went to heaven when I tried the Georgia Peach Cookie (I bought 2 giant bags to take home!). Head into one of their 5 locations to try these sweet treats for yourself.

On our first walk down River Street, we wandered into the Savannah Candy Kitchen because we were told there were free samples. The banana toffee – good. The ice cream – great. The cheddar popcorn – game changing. Definitely walk in and look around Savannah Candy Kitchen, even for just a few minutes!

My last sweet spot is Leopold’s Ice Cream. The first thing you need to know about Leopold’s is that there is always a line out the door, so be prepared to wait at least 15 minutes. The next thing you need to know is that it is delicious. I got the caramel swirl and it was such a nice treat, especially after walking around the heat of Savannah all day!

Caffeine

I’m a major coffee addict, so, naturally, I needed to find a place to get my fix. I was lucky enough to find TWO places to caffinate in Savannah – Vic’s and Gallery Espresso. Vic’s serves fresh coffee, as well as ice cream and cocktails. It’s basically a one-stop-shop. Gallery Espresso serves hot coffee and about a million types of tea. They have all sorts of retro couches and chairs to sit on while you enjoy your beverage.

Exploring Savannah

Savannah is busting at the seams with things to do! We walked the historic district a number of times and kept finding new and beautiful things at every turn. It is so easy to sit back and relax in the stunning squares, wander into unique shops, and tour home after home. We left Savannah with a lengthy list of things we’d like to visit when we eventually return!

Walk

Count on walking A LOT when you’re in Savannah! While there are a number of hop-on, hop-off tours that drive around the city, walking really gives you more time to take in the city (rather than just focusing on the highlights).

On our first night in Savannah, the girls and I decided to do a walking ghost tour/pub-crawl with Ghost City Tours so that we could get our bearings and discover as much of the city as possible! A wonderful guy named Aubrey led our tour. Aubrey took us through the majority of the historic district during the 2 and a half hours we were on the tour. We did the Savannah Haunted Pub Crawl because it was 21+ and we didn’t want kids around, but I think we would have enjoyed any of the four tours Ghost City Tours offers! Definitely book your tour in advance, especially so you can get 10% off with the code GCT16!

We walked the historic district on our own the next day (using the tips Aubrey gave us!) and navigation was so easy! We wandered past the Colonial Park Cemetery, around the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and into some lovely homes, which brings me to home tours!

Tour

I am absolutely obsessed with touring historic homes, so Savannah was a great place for me to visit! We were able to tour two homes on this trip, though there are tons more around the city. First, we visited the Harper Fowlkes House. Built on Orleans Square in 1842, the Harper Fowlkes House features many of the furnishings owned by Alida Harper, who purchased the home in 1939 and is basically single empowered female goals. The Greek Revival mansion also showcases some architectural features, like the stunning elliptical opening on the ceiling of the first floor. Tours are $12 ($6 for students!) and take place Monday and Wednesday – Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

The second home we toured was the Davenport House. Built from 1820-1827 by Isaiah Davenport, the Davenport House is a fantastic example of American Federal architecture. The interior of the house has been restored and furnishings are mostly period pieces that are not original to the home. The showstopper of the Davenport house is the hanging staircase! Tours run every day, cost $9, and last approximately 40 minutes. You can enjoy the grounds for as long as you’d like after your tour!

Shop

Savannah has SO many cute (and local!) shops! I could spend days wandering in and out of all of them holy moly. My two favorites were The Paris Market and the Savannah Bee Company. The Paris Market reminiscent of a Parisian flea market and is basically mecca for anyone who loves boutiquey vintage pieces, handmade soaps and lotions, unique fashion, and art…so much art! The store is 2 levels, so plan to take at least an hour to take in all The Paris Market has to offer!

The Savannah Bee company is a honey lovers dream! They have a honey bar where you can sample all the honey your taste buds can handle. They have an area with mead that you can sample. Beauty products are everywhere, with lotions, chapsticks, soaps, and even hair products! They also have dog treats, human treats, teas, and so much more. Basically, if it has anything to do with honey, they have it. I bought some of their body butter and it is phenomenal (I plan on ordering more, soon!).

Play

You see people drinking at all times of day, mostly due to downtown’s open container law. We hopped around bars but didn’t go too hard, mostly because we were so worn out from the heat. Wet Willie’s is a watering hole we were so thankful for. Wet Willie’s is a spiked slushie bar on River Street that is sure to cool you down! Their most famous drink is the “Call-A-Cab”, which my best friend loved and I hated (it tasted exactly like cough syrup to me!). The plastic cup that they give you with your drink is super cute and a great souvenir!

Alcoholic slushies seem to be a bar staple in Savannah and I found my favorite at Tondee’s Tavern: “Mermaid Water”, which basically had me thinking my childhood dream of becoming a mermaid could actually come true. Other fun bars in downtown Savannah include The Warehouse and 17hundred90, which has these key lime shots that are shockingly yummy. I know I mentioned Treylor Park above, but it’s worth noting that they have a great beer list and even better cocktails! We were recommended Rocks on the Roof at the Bohemian Hotel for sunset drinks, but weren’t able to go because of a private event that was happening. I definitely plan on visiting Rocks on the Roof in the future!

I loved my long weekend in Savannah so much and hope to visit again in the future! We decided to get away from Savannah for a few hours on Sunday to lay on the beach at Tybee Island, which I definitely recommend if you have time to spare.

Have you ever been to Savannah? What’s your favorite part? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,

KB