At the end of April, Scott and I travelled to Savannah, GA with our friends Kali and Kevin and their 18-month son (our godson), Ender. We rented an AirBnb about halfway between Historic Downtown Savannah and Tybee Island which saved us a lot of money on the rental and was the perfect set up for visiting both the city and the beach!
We got in on a Friday evening and after picking up our rental car, we drove to the Pirates’ House for dinner. I ordered the Georgian salmon with peach piccalilli, sweet potatoes and broccolini. Our friends got the crab dip which they gave good reviews but I don’t do shellfish. They also had a kid’s menu which was great for Ender.
Kali and Kevin were in the middle of the 75 Hard Challenge during our trip so after dinner we went for a long walk around town and along the river, which was really beautiful. There were a handful of people singing or playing jazz on trumpets down by the water too.
The next morning, we decided to spend the day exploring downtown Savannah. We started the day with brunch at Alexander’s Bistro. I noticed the employee who rung up our food was wearing a shirt from one of my clients at work so I struck up a conversation and made a connection which was really cool. She said she was in school at SCAD but she loves Wisconsin and wants to go into advertising after college so maybe someday we’ll reconnect.
Scott and I both had the Slow Start Scramble breakfast sandwich and I ordered a glass of Fairy Juice which was Butterfly pea tea and lemonade – both were phenomenal! After a delicious breakfast, we walked over to Forsyth Park to see the iconic fountain. There was also a big farmers’ market going on so we walked through and one of the vendors gave us some honey sticks after we stopped to pet her dog.
On our way out of the park, we came across a street magician who we learned was named Jack Murdock. We stopped to watch his show which was really fun and pretty impressive! The most shocking was when he somehow got an audience member’s dollar bill inside of an orange without cutting it open or any of us noticing him put it in!
That afternoon we went to the Oatland Island Wildlife Center. It was pretty much like a big zoo with a lot of walking trails. We saw some alligators (both in captivity and wild!) and a big cougar came up to the glass and jumped up at us and then started wrestling with the other one! Definitely the most action I’ve ever seen at a zoo!
We were pretty tired after being out all day so we went back and dropped off the boys at the AirBnb and Kali and I went and picked up a couple of pizzas from Mellow Mushroom for dinner. I really enjoyed the Pacific Rim pizza which was like a spicy Hawaiian! After dinner we all drove back downtown and got Ben & Jerry’s for dessert.
The next morning (Sunday), we drove over to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, to the same area where Kali and Kevin spent their honeymoon. We stopped in at the Hilton Head Social Bakery in Shelter Cove for some chai tea and pastries. The fruit tart I ordered was amazing, but our chai lattes were made way too strongly so we took them back inside to see if they could remake them. Someone else came out and we explained the situation. The employee grabbed Kali’s drink and took a sip, immediately looking repulsed (it was truly like straight cinnamon juice). He started remaking them right away, and Kali reminded him to put almond milk in hers. Suddenly, he turned around and said, “Almond?! I’m allergic to almonds!” He panicked and grabbed a water bottle which he began chugging and I dug through my purse and pulled out a couple of blister-packed Benadryls. He declined at first, saying he would be okay, but I insisted he hang on to them just in case. He finished making our drinks and we walked outside. Not five minutes later, he ran out to our table and told me that he was feeling super itchy and thanked me, saying he had taken the Benadryl. Then he ran down the sidewalk and we didn’t see him again!
We walked down the sidewalk in that direction and even checked the bathrooms, but he was nowhere to be found. It started to rain so we ducked into one of the souvenir shops and bought some t-shirts and hats while we waited for the cloud to pass. It was a heavy rain, but was over fast so we changed into our swimsuits and started walking towards the beach.
It was about a 30-40 minute walk but when we arrived it was so nice to be on the beach. It was a bit windy and the water was kind of cold, but there’s just something about being near the ocean. We ordered some piña coladas and enjoyed having our feet in the sand.
Kali had made dinner reservations at Ela’s, their favorite restaurant from their honeymoon, so we walked back to the Shelter Cove Marina. Scott and I split a Caesar salad which was served on really unique teardrop plates. Since I’m not big on seafood, I ordered the Vegetarian Pasta Primavera which tasted super fresh and delicious!
After dinner we walked around the marina a bit and took some pictures and then drove back to Savannah. We watched an episode of Ted Lasso at the AirBnb and then called it a night after Scott dozed off and started talking in his sleep!
The next morning was our last full day and it was time for a beach day at Tybee Island! A lot of the breakfast spots in Tybee didn’t open until later, but we found some tasty food at The Breakfast Club. Unfortunately, we also got a parking ticket, so definitely make sure you pay attention to signs in that area! Even if the sign is way down the block they will hold you accountable!
We drove down to the beach after breakfast where we made sure to pay for our parking and then found a spot to camp out on the sand. Scott walked Ender down to the water to splash around while Kali and I dug holes in the sand to take some fun photos.
Later we walked over to the pier to film a video and take some more pictures. I jumped on Scott’s back for a picture and when he put me down, I wasn’t expecting it and fell backwards onto the sand! In my moment of surprise, my reflexes kicked in and I reached to grab onto something and accidentally pulled Scott’s swim trunks down to his ankles! After the initial shock and embarrassment of the moment, we all had a good laugh about it.
We walked along the pier and got some frozen treats to cool off and then walked around the island so Kali and Kevin could get their 45 minute outdoor activity in for the 75 Hard. For dinner we drove back to Savannah and went to the rooftop restaurant, Bar Julian. It’s on top of the Thompson Hotel and overlooks the Savannah river. Our salad and both pizzas were fantastic, but I have to call out the most unique thing we ordered – the pepperoni butter! It’s hard to describe other than it was salty, buttery, and well, pepperoni-y and it went perfectly with the freshly baked bread it was served with. It was easily one of my favorite meals from the whole weekend.
After dinner, we closed out the trip with a walking ghost tour in downtown Savannah! Our tour guide was really great and pointed out lots of buildings with paranormal reports and eerie stories behind them.
After the tour, we walked down to the river one more time and bought some more t-shirts and souvenirs and then got ice cream from Leopold’s. The line was way down the street but my lavender ice cream was definitely worth the wait. Thanks for the good vibes and great memories Savannah!
Exploren with Lauren 