Sorry that this is so long, but I really wanted to be a bit more detailed oriented than saying we had a great time. Hopefully this will help future visitors.
We just returned from visiting Savannah for 3 days. Savannah is a wonderful city for relaxing. We’re not tourist-trap people considering we live 30 minutes from Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge and rarely visit. We wanted to visit a place where we could stroll, relax, and take in the scenery and Savannah is definitely perfect for it. There are plenty of things to do in and around Savannah but we chose to stay in the historic district for the duration of our stay. So, here’s our review of Savannah.
We stayed at the Park Avenue Manor, our first time at a B%26amp;B. The house itself is very pretty. The outside is painted in shades of pink with hunter green trim. (The PAM website hasn’t been updated since the color scheme changes of the house.) I requested the Savannah Room based on the information from the website – the room was decorated in shades of blues %26amp; greens. The room was updated to a red, terracotta color. The room was nice along with the rest of the house. If you decide to stay here, ask for one of the rooms with the claw foot tub. I peeked into the one across the hall from us, no one was using it at the time, and the bathroom along with the canopy bed was gorgeous. I wish I’d booked it instead. There are several pieces of art and interesting items in each nook and cranny. I think one of my favorite things about the entire house was the color scheme of one of the parlors. The walls were painted a soft blue and the ceiling was done in pink/purple hues with a faux finish. It was such a calming and pretty room to be in. Breakfast was served on a different set of dinnerware each day, which for the little girl in me was wonderful! The breakfasts were bland to our taste, but not horrible. I do have to say though that the fruit each morning was wonderful! Our first breakfast included a berry mixture in yogurt, I’m assuming, and we both loved it. We did not get to talk to the owners very much except at breakfast. They were very helpful with suggestions of what to do each day. However, our stay wasn’t exactly perfect. We had never stayed and a B%26amp;B and really didn’t know what to expect and maybe had high expectations. We thought that part of the B%26amp;B experience was to be made to feel like family or friends. We didn’t feel that at all. No one was rude to us, but it still felt like we were intruding. Maybe our expectations were wrong. If so, please explain to us what the B%26amp;B experience is all about.
We walked a lot. Bring your walking shoes for Savannah. I thought I was in pretty good shape, but ended up with blisters from walking so much. Be prepared! We looked at several shops, all the squares, Forsyth Park, the river front, Bonaventure Cemetery, and took a ghost tour. Forsyth Park is absolutely gorgeous. The best thing about walking the mile to the historic district everyday was walking through the park. We did a lot of nothing – literally. After walking through the town, we’d sit in one of the squares, talk, and watch the squirrels and people.
Here are the places we visited and things we did.
Food: Vinnie Van Go Go’s Pizza – absolutely wonderful pizza. If you like pizza, go there. Vinnie’s is cash only, so be prepared. We also ate at a little take-out place called Zoonzi’s, there are tables outside as well. Oh my. Wonderful food. I had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad and my husband had the lasagna. Both dishes were great. And despite what I’d read, we were sucked in to going to the Lady %26amp; Sons just to say we’d been there. Heed the advice given here. Don’t go! The food wasn’t bad, but it sure wasn’t what it’s hyped up to be and definitely not worth the wait. We put our name on the list before 12 and were seated around 3. The night before, people were being put on the list at 5 for 9:30 dinner. Crazy! Go somewhere else. If you really want country cooking, buy a cookbook and cook it at home or heck, let me know when, pay me, and I’ll cook for you myself! It really isn’t that different from any other southern cooking. We also got some chocolates from the Wright Square Café. I’m a chocoholic and always want to try different chocolates. The chocolates are shipped in, not made there. The best one I tried was the French chocolate. It was very good, but overall, I’ve had better at The Chocolate Fetish in Asheville, NC. All their chocolates are made by hand in house. They are the ones that turned me to the dark side – literally. Dark chocolate is my favorite after The Chocolate Fetish. Back to Savannah.
Shops: There are several shops to visit and we didn’t get to them all but a couple of my favorites were Urban Cargo and the one next to it (sorry can’t remember the shop’s name). The owners were so very nice. They both support the local humane society %26amp; shelter and had adoption posters advertising the animals. The owner of Urban Cargo had his collie there and the local feline celebrity, Frankie, as well. If you’re an animal person, these two shops both had pet themed items along with Savannah souvenirs. If you are a cat person as I am (notice the name..lol), The Cat House isn’t that great. There wasn’t a lot to choose from. I’ve been to the one in Pigeon Forge and it was wonderful. The Savannah shop can not even be compared.
Sights: We did a ghost tour, the one that meets at the Urban Cargo shop at 7 %26amp; 9pm. The tour was ok. The first 20-30 minutes focused on ghost stories %26amp; legends, but the rest was more of a historic tour. I wanted more ghost stories but it was still interesting. So much, that I wish we had taken one of the trolley tours now just to get a generalized history of the area. So, if you go and have enough time, take a tour whether it be historic, ghost, or both.
We went into The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. All I can say is wow! The church is beautiful. Even if you’re not a Christian, you can admire the work put into the architecture and décor of the building. We didn’t do any of the house tours, but I would recommend it. That is something else I wish we had done.
We went to Bonaventure Cemetery and as strange as this may sound, this was a highlight for me. Not because of “The Book”, but because I’m kind of a weird outdoors type person. I love to be alone outdoors and just sit. Bonaventure is one of those places that I could sit for hours. The place was beautiful and so peaceful.
Something else that I noticed, the place smelled wonderful. Odd description I know, but with all the Confederate Jasmine growing, the flowers here %26amp; there, and the food, it was nice to be in a city that smelled of something other than pollution. I loved the Jasmine so much that when we got home I made a trip to Lowe’s to see if they carried it and I’m planting it this week.
Overall, we enjoyed our trip to Savannah and would like to return again.
Our Savannah ReviewThank you for taking the time to write all that. i am sure t will be a big help to those who come after you.
Glad you enjoyed yourself!
Our Savannah ReviewWonderful review. I love to hear about people%26#39;s vacation. I wish that more people would follow-up after their visits. Thank You
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