We recently celebrated our daughter's birthday, which made me reminisce about her last birthday and where we were. While this year we were pretty much stuck inside due to a freak ice storm, last year we were lounging around the warm and wonderful Savannah, Georgia. With the magnitude of grossness happening outdoors I was reminiscing hard. If you’ve never been to Savannah you should definitely put it on your bucket list. Even if you haven’t read the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt, you should go. I would recommend reading it though; it's fantastic! Don’t cheat and watch the movie, it doesn't do the book any justice. the book is based on a scandalously true story and many of the places mentioned in said novel can be toured and explored within the city. The book kind of acts like a walking tour, only with murder and voodoo (the best kind of tour guide).
The first time we went to Savannah, GA was in 2008. I incorrectly assumed we could see enough of the city in a couple of days (I was wrong). I immediately fell in love with the whimsical trees and atmosphere. We stayed at The Marshall House. Built in 1851 it served as a hospital for soldiers, a gorgeous historic four-story building with a shared balcony on the second floor only. One of the coolest features of the balcony is that you can only access it by climbing through the massive window in your room. The concierge was incredibly personable and polite and made sure we stayed on the second floor. Room 215 became one of the nicest and most unique places we’ve stayed in with a claw-foot bath and incredibly high ceilings. The Marshall house features nightly wine and cheese socials with backgammon tables (my favourite) and the best breakfast you can imagine. The whole experience is just luxurious and our small taste of the city and culture left me wanting more.
We didn’t get a chance visit again until 2015, this time with our 2 children in tow. We decided to spend a couple of nights in Savannah on our way to Athens, Georgia for a family wedding. Our daughter was about to turn 3 at that time and being that we named her Savannah we thought it would be really special for her to turn 3 in Savannah. Once again we stayed at The Marshall House, and they surprised our daughter with a staff signed card wishing her a happy birthday, which I am still impressed with to this day. In the short time we were there we did manage to visit the Savannah Children’s Museum and the Georgia State Railroad Museum. We made some really meaningful memories there, so while looking longingly out the back window as we drove away, I promised myself we would spend an entire week the next time we visited.
That’s exactly what we did in April of last year! We rented an apartment right in the city on Liberty Street. I fell in love with the historic 2 bedroom apartment, located in the Historic District right on the border between tourism and local living. I could have spent the week just walking the streets around our apartment admiring the stunning homes and gardens. We enjoyed tourist activities such as the Trolley Tours, exploring Davenport Museum, eating ice cream at Leopold’s (this truly is the BEST ice cream I have ever tasted), eating at the Pirates House (which authentically was an Inn where pirates rendezvoused dating back to 1753) and walked around the waterfront on River Street. Then we started talking to locals and finding all the little gems the city has to offer. An amazing little hole in the wall offering amazing sandwiches and craft beer, spending an afternoon at Tybee Island lounging around the sandy vast beach, and walking the lovely Forsyth Park.
We also heard all about Bonaventure Cemetery, which is located just outside of the city and was the location where the Bird Girl statue featured on the infamous cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was photographed. The Bird Girl was relocated as she became so popular that there was concern with her crumbling due to being touched by admirers. She was relocated to Telfair Museums' Jepson Center for the Arts, where she can be both viewed and cared for. As photographers we felt it was a necessity to visit Bonaventure Cemetery, so we loaded up our kids and spent the afternoon in the most beautiful cemetery I have ever been in!
There is a piece of my heart in Savannah, Georgia and I cannot wait to return and fall in love all over again. Is there a place that makes you feel that way? I would love if you would be willing to share your favourite place and why!
Thanks you for walking down memory lane with me!
Love LOCPS xoxo
Here’s a list of websites to some of the places I’ve mentioned in case you want to find out more-
The Marshall House- https://www.marshallhouse.com
Georgia State Railroad Museum- http://www.chsgeorgia.org/GSRM
Savannah Children’s Museum- http://www.chsgeorgia.org/SCM
The Pirates House- http://www.thepirateshouse.com
Bonaventure Cemetery- http://www.bonaventurehistorical.org
Forsyth Park- http://www.savannahga.gov/1813/Bicycles-in-Forsyth-Park
