Savannah and Charleston Trip Report
 

My friend and I planned a girlfriend’s getaway to Savannah and Charleston to celebrate our 40th birthdays. I got lots of information from these message boards (Thank you all) and we had a wonderful trip. We absolutely loved Savannah and felt only so-so about Charleston. However I will say that the biggest problem with Charleston was that we’d been to Savannah first. If we’d been to Charleston before Savannah, I think we’d have enjoyed it more.

We arrived in Savannah from the West Coast late on Thursday December 27th. We stayed at The Green Palm Inn and can’t stop raving about it. The inn was beautiful, the innkeeper Diane is gracious and welcoming, the location is perfect for exploring and the breakfasts are to die for. We were booked into the Royal Palm Suite which has a Queen bed as well as a twin daybed. The room is huge with a fireplace, armoire with television, dual closets, writing desk and a mini-fridge which Diane keeps stocked with water and iced green tea. There is also a coffee pot with various teas and coffees. The bathroom has a Jacuzzi tub, fireplace and is stocked with shampoo, conditioner, soap, bath soaks, a blow dryer and plenty of towels. As an example of the wonderful hospitality, Diane knew our plane was very late in landing, so after her partner Gary had kindly taken our over-stuffed luggage upstairs, Diane not only told us to wait until the next morning for “all that credit card stuff”, but insisted on driving us to our restaurant so we could make dinner. In the afternoons, Diane puts out plates of cookies, chocolates and various goodies. You are encouraged to help yourself to a glass of wine at any time, and the treats are left in the dining room if you don’t make it in the afternoon. If you have the good fortune to visit Savannah, you simply must try the Green Palm Inn.

We had dinner reservations for The Olde Pink House which we had to change due to our flight delays. The host was very gracious and assured me that whatever time we arrived, we’d be taken care of. We were. The food was wonderful (definitely try the Southern Sushi) and the service was personable and impeccable.

We walked back to the inn after dinner, (Must…walk...off…food) and accidentally went past the street we needed to turn on, because the blocks were so short. That was one of the things we liked best about the Historic District in Savannah: No matter how far it looked on the map, everything seemed to be no longer than a 10 minute or so walk away.

Day 2 – After a yummy, yummy breakfast, we headed out for our trolley tour to get an overview of the city. We’d booked tickets online for Old Town Trolley Tours with on and off privileges. There were many trolley companies offering tours, but we have Old Town Trolleys in San Diego, and I find them to be very fun and informative. We hopped on near the Davenport House and were lucky enough to have Denise for a driver. Funny and friendly, she was the best driver we had all day. We hopped off around noon near Monterey square, walked past the Mercer House which we later revisited, on to Mrs. Wilke’s for lunch. The line was around the corner and we did end up waiting a full 2 hours before being seated. The shop on the corner must do a brisk business from the bored customers waiting to sit down for lunch. The food at Mrs. Wilke’s was very good, though there was way too much of it. (Anyone know what they do with the leftovers?) We were glad we did it once, but we agreed we probably wouldn’t wait that long again, however there was one couple at our table (repeat clients) who’d driven up from Florida for 2 hours and then waited for 2 hours.

After lunch we attempted to walk off some calories by browsing the shops along Bull St. If you go nowhere else, stop into the SCAD store. They have loads of cool and unique things. We strolled to Forsythe square and wandered into the Mansion on the Park. I think they must have the nicest lobby bathrooms in Savannah. We hopped back on the trolley and rode to St. John the Baptist cathedral which Diane had suggested we see. It is definitely worth a stop. The cathedral was decorated for Christmas which made it even more spectacular.

After a brief respite at the B&B, we walked and shopped, shopped and walked until we stopped for a late dinner at Jazz’d. There was good music and good tapas. It’s a fun place to stop, but can be loud depending on where you sit. There seemed to be a wide age-range there from 20-somethings to 50-somethings.

Day 3 – Another incredible breakfast in our tummies, we headed out to Bonaventure Cemetery. What a beautiful place. I got some incredible pictures while we strolled around. Of course we visited some of the famous gravesites and I tried to imagine being there at midnight like John Berendt in “The Book”. No thanks.

We had reservations for afternoon tea at The Savannah Tea Room. The tea was good, the food only so-so. Our service was poor. Our server never came back to offer more tea, or even water. She was very slow compared to the other tables around us with different servers. I would chalk up our experience as perhaps not the norm. Be aware that they do automatically add on an 18% gratuity to the bill. We debated not paying it, but didn’t want to mess up our lovely day over arguing over a dollar or two. I’d try the Gryphon Tea room first, though, if scheduling a trip.

More shopping and walking along the River and searching for an elusive postage stamp by walking miles around Savannah, and it was soon time for dinner. This was our last night in Savannah and we’d booked reservations at the New South Café which is not in the historic disctrict, but rather on Skidaway just south of the turnoff for Bonaventure Cemetary. The building is non-descript, but the food is divine. The best meal we had the entire trip. Our only regret, that we wouldn’t be able to make it back. Do try it. Thank me later. We waddled and rolled back to our car for our last night at the inn.

Day 4- Our last delectable breakfast (some kind of bazillion-calorie French toast) eaten, we sadly checked out for our drive to Charleston. While searching on these message boards for trip suggestions, many people encourage more time in Charleston vs. Savannah. More shopping, better restaurants, more to do, a nicer city (one person we met in Savannah raved about Charleston’s cleanliness). However when we drove in to the city, we looked at each other in disappointment. Maybe it’s just that we got caught in Savannah’s spell, but neither of us found Charleston to outshine Savannah. In fact we thought it rather paled in comparison. Instead of the individual and quirky shops along Bull Street or Broughton, we drove down King Street past Gap, Banana Republic, Pottery Barn, Saks Fifth Avenue, etc. It is a lovely enough city and I think if we’d gone there first, we’d have been more impressed, but (sorry Charlestonians) it just didn’t hold the charm that Savannah did for us. We checked into the Barksdale House Hotel. A renovated home on George St. between Meeting and King streets, it was a good location though knowing what I know now, I think I’d rather stay closer to the City Market. The Barksdale House Hotel is pretty bare-bones, but it was adequate. Continental breakfast consisting of juice, coffee or tea, fresh fruit and a pastry could be either taken downstairs, or delivered on a silver tray to the room. A few of the rooms had fireplaces. Our room was on the third floor (that darn heavy luggage!) and had 2 queen beds. There was no closet, only a large armoire that had drawers in the bottom half and doors on top which hid a small TV. on one side and a bar with hangers on the other. The bathroom was small, but clean.

After check-in, we walked to the Aquarium for an enjoyable afternoon. After the Aquarium, we walked along King Street, but many of the shops were closing or closed by 5:30 p.m. We had dinner reservations for Poogan’s Porch. We had a nice dinner and the food was good.

Day 5 - New Year’s Eve. We went out to Magnolia Plantation. The Nature Boat isn’t running at this time of year, but we did everything else. This was definitely a highlight of the trip. The grounds are amazing. We enjoyed the Nature Train which takes you all around the plantation grounds. Plan to spend lots of time here. We spent a full 1 ½ hours touring the gardens and another 1 ½ or so walking the swamp gardens. Along with the house tour, the petting zoo, the orientation film, it’s easily a full day. I’d love to see it in the springtime with everything in bloom. It must be spectacular.

That evening we had dinner reservations for The Library at The Vendue Inn. After enduring misinformation, disappearing staff, and a bungled reservation we found ourselves without reservations on New Year’s Eve. Happily we ended up getting into Magnolia’s for a 10:30 seating. This was our second best meal of the trip. Ordering was off the menu, and both the food and the service were impeccable. Champagne, hats and blowers were distributed just before midnight. We had a fabulous evening.

Day 6 – We breakfasted at Hominy Grill, then headed to the City Market for shopping. We really enjoyed wandering the various stalls and tables proffering the wares of the vendors. We had booked a cooking class at Charleston Cooks that afternoon. We had a great time, a nice lunch and got a discount in the cooking store after class. If you have a chance, I highly recommend taking a class. Maverick Kitchens also runs S.N.O.B and High Cotton. After class we tried to take a carriage tour, but found that they had all gone on their last tours. That night we had a low-key dinner at Bocci’s.

Day 7- Due to the high recommendations on this board, we had booked a Gullah Tour. Since the Gullah Tours operates Tues. – Sat. and were closed New Year’s Day, this was our one and only chance to take the tour. We were so glad we did. It was definitely a trip highlight. Alphonso is so personable and knowledgeable. Our only disappointment was that we had to leave immediately following the tour. We would have liked to have gone back to some of the places we visited on the tour. This is a must-do for Charleston and really ended our trip on a high note.

Thanks to the many trip reports and recommendations people take the time to post. Because of these message boards we had a great time and found gems like the Gullah Tour. We had a great time and the guidance we received played a big part in that.

What a great report, SandyP. I also slightly preferred Savannah to Charleston.

You did several things we didn't get around to doing (Gullah tour and some of your restaurant picks) so I am bookmarking for a future trip.