Exploring Savannah Georgia

We had built up a lot of expectation before arriving in Savannah Georgia.   We had so many people telling us how beautiful and charming it is and it’s where true southern ladies and gents reside.  However with the riverfront being packed with tourists, we had to do a little searching to find the local hangout.

Our stop to the visitor’s center didn’t exactly set the right tone.   I realize that it’s a popular place and can get busy but it was crazy!  We had to pay to park in the visitor’s parking lot, which was a first, wait in line next to fanny pack tourists for what seemed like forever all to get overly touristy recommendations to chain restaurants and museums.  Since the visitor’s center was a bust, we stuck to what we know best and searched out a local’s coffee shop to get the real scoop.  We found The Starland Café, it was a hit and far from the land of fanny pack tourists!

After talking with some locals over lunch and walking square after square we finally started to get to the heart of Savannah.

I loved the vine covered buildings and the sweet smell of Jasmine that seemed to be on every other street corner.

Jason tried channeling his inner Forest Gump.  This is the area where the bench scene was filmed.  Too bad the real bench has been removed and placed in a museum.

While we did find some beautiful churches I found what Jason considers the devil…..vintage shops!  I have to admit, if I had been solo I could have done some damage!

To finish our time in style we found a tea house (Gryphon) with a affordable prices ($18 for full tea service) with a great atmosphere.  While it’s not true traditional tea service and the staff is clueless about tea, everyone was friendly and tea in the old pharmacy/library vibe makes it all feel as though you are in a special place.