The Golden Isles of Georgia have three basic flight options. You can flight into Brunswick which is only minutes from the islands. You can flight to Jacksonville, Florida and drive north to the islands, or you can fly to Savannah, Georgia and drive south. Our first flight into the area ended in a MAJOR delay that left us stranded for the weekend. While this was a great and needed extension to that trip, our schedule does not allow for such a delay this time. So, we flew to Savannah.
We visited Savannah on our last trip our to Jekyll Island, but we were only able to spend a few hours. It is a neat city that needed to be explored more, so we stayed two days. In that two days, we took in as much as we possibly could. It was a great time!
Tulsa to Savannah
We had an early flight leaving Tulsa going to Savannah with a quick connection in Charlotte. A long flight needs a long movie.
Boar’s Head Grill & Tavern
Day 1 lunch was a quick lunch at the Boar’s Head Grill & Tavern before exploring Savannah. Fried Georgia Shrimp with collards and coleslaw for me and chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans for Audra. Boar’s Head
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Savannah River View
Bay Street
Love Locks on the Bridge
Namaste Savannah
When we were walking around the downtown area, we saw a Nepalese restaurant and decided we would come back for dinner to try it. The menu was very similar to an Indian restaurant. The food was good, however their cocktails were amazing! https://www.namaste-savannah.com
Witching Tour**
We love the paranormal experience of places we visit. Savannah is like most historical places, it is rich with stories of extraordinary encounters will those you have gone on. (Have been raised very strict evangelical, any encounters with those who have gone on were viewed as demonic and should be avoided at all costs.) I am open-minded to the notion that not all spirits that are encountered are harmful, nor evil. Misunderstood, most likely, but that’s a topic for another venue, please see my disclaimer. Our guide was Aries and she did a wonderful job of giving us the historical setting behind the encounters that many, many people have in Savannah (us included). We saw results from the paranormal equipment. The dowsing rods were pretty convincing!
Our last stop was at a house on a square near our hotel. Our guide introduced us to a local spirit they know as Tim. Tim loves to smoke with them. They light a cigarette that they place on the top of the wall of the court hard. She is talking to him and has a EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) device. (If you aren’t familiar with this term or its practice, here is a good link that is fairly neutral in its description. What is EVP?) The rhythmic static you hear in the video is the EVP device searching frequencies. It is hard to hear on this video, but when questions were asked you could hear an answer being picked up from the EVP or spirit box as they are sometimes called. Is it really the dead trying to communicate with the living? Can’t say for sure, but it seemed so. Regardless, it was definitely interesting!
**DISCLAIMER: This can be a sensitive subject that many people have strong beliefs on. This page is, by no means, the place to debate theology (or politics). This is a previewing of our experiences as we encounter them.
Savannah Belle Boutique & Gallery
On the walk back to our hotel from the Witching Hour Paranormal Walking Tour, we saw an interesting shop. It was closed, so we could only window shop. There are a few some interesting art pieces.
LuLu’s Chocolate Bar
After our paranormal tour, we wanted coffee and dessert. We found LuLu’s! WOW! A DEFINITE MUST! LuLu’s
Day 2 Breakfast
Just to show you we don’t ALWAYS eat out. Free continental breakfast at the hotel in Savannah. Raisin Bran, two JIF peanut butter and black coffee. Audra thought it was silly to snap a pic of hers, so I am not sure what she had, but it was not-so-gourmet as well.
Tybee Island
While the Savannah River gives the Port of Savannah access to the Atlantic Ocean, there is no ocean shoreline in Savannah. Tybee Island is the main coastal access point for Savannah. It’s about a 25 minute drive from downtown Savannah to the Tybee Island beach. It was too cold to get in the water, for us, but there were some brave souls trying to surf or just play in the water.
The city pier, just like all other piers around the world, offers a place where the public can access the water to fish or throw a crab pot. This day was no different. The pier was full of people fishing and crabbing. https://www.tybeeisland.com
Sundae Café
We were told the best lunch on the Tybee was at Sundae Café. So we had to check it out. We were only there one day, so we can’t vouge for it being the best on the island, but it certainly was excellent! Fried Georgia Shrimp with collards and coleslaw for me and the house special of chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans for Audra. https://www.sundaecafe.com
Hilton Head, South Carolina
We had a lot of time in Savannah so we decided to spend part of the day driving to Hilton Head Beach in South Carolina. It was only about a 36 miles or so from Savannah.
We parked at the Folly Beach parking lot and headed down the boardwalk to the water. , At the midway point of the boardwalk sat a small plastic storage box with 12 well-used tennis balls. Zip-tied to the box was a With an 8 ½ ” x 11″ laminated paper with a picture of a dog on the beach with a tennis ball that said IN LOVING MEMORY OF MOLLY. After a little research I found the story behind the box. Molly was the dog of a lady from Winchester County, New York. She vacationed in Hilton Head often and would bring Molly to play at the beach. Molly loved running and playing ball. In the interview in Island Packet, Liz Farrell spoke with Susanne Brown, Molly’s owner. Check out the Instagram honoring MissMollyGirl @iammollygirl.
Burnt Church Distillery
On our drive back from Hilton Head, South Carolina, we saw a cool looking building reminiscent of the Old St. Peter’s Basilica (inner building). We saw it, commented on it, and drove on. The more we chatted about it the more we wanted to see it, so we turned around to go back and we are glad we did. What an amazing place!
The structure was incredible. It was like walking into a church building. To the left was a gathering room called The Study. To the right was The Mercantile where you could be various gifts to include their spirits. Straight ahead was The Sanctuary, which was the main entertainment room and bar of the facility. Had this been a little closer to our hotel, we would have gone back to try more of their cocktails. There are several we wanted to try, but because we were traveling, it wasn’t a good idea. The food was great, too! If you are in the area, THIS PLACE IS A MUST STOP!
https://burntchurchdistillery.com
(Anita’s Choice, Devil’s Elbow, Burnt Church Pear Vodka, Sippin’ Saint)
Vic’s River Grill
Our last night in Savannah before heading to St Simons Island, we had a late dinner at Vic’s River Grill. This was the happening place. We didn’t have reservations, but luckily they found a nice spot for us by the window. I was a little disappointed because I didn’t get the drink I ordered. I ordered the Drunken Pecan which I was really looking forward to, whoever they brought the Over the Moon Manhattan. It was a great Manhattan, I will admit. The food was amazing and the dessert to die for. A definite stop again, next time. If you plan to eat here, make reservations. Vic’s on the River
The river boat that is moored outside the restaurant (on the river side, of course) is the river boat casino on a the Netflix thriller Ozark. This is not the Missouri Belle, this is the The Big Muddy Casino.
in a Praline Bowl
The Cat House
On Street in downtown Savannah, there is a cat house. Not THAT kind of cat house! It is a spa of sorts, called Pounce Cat Café + Wine Bar. You can schedule an appointment (good luck with that!), drink some wine and be in a room full of cats. It is supposed to be very relaxing. We checked it out, but they were completely booked for the whole time we were in Savannah. POUNCE
City Tour
Savannah is a city steeped is rich history. Some of its history is good and positive and some is bad and negative. Sadly, a lot of folks are trying to erase the past of the bad things as if it didn’t happen. We should never destroy the past or the artifacts there of. It is important to learn the whole history; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Edmund Burke said “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” Accepting the bad history is not a tolerance of evil practices, it is merely understanding what happened and working to prevent bad things from happening again.
I was so wrapped up in the tour, I forgot to take pics along the way. The only picture I have is of the two of us on the bus.
Pirate’s House
Just before leaving town for the St Simons Island, at the recommendation of our friend, we stopped at the Pirate’s House for lunch. (Had we not be driving, we would have loved to have had a couple of drinks there. They sounded amazing! https://thepirateshouse.com
Savannah Harley Davidson
No trip is complete without a quick stop at the local Harley dealer to look around and at least get a poker chip. Check out these gems that are outside the shop.
Savannah–Round 2
We drove back to Savannah on Saturday to look around a little bit before we had to catch an early flight home Sunday morning.
Colonial Park Cemetery
The Colonial Park Cemetery was created in 1750. It has been closed to burials since 1853. Many of the bodies buried in Colonial Park are Revolutionary War heroes. Among some of the notable people who are buried here are Button Gwinnett (a signer of the Declaration of Independence), William Scarborough (Sea Captain), Archibald Bulloch (governor of Georgia’s Provincial Congress) was well as nearly 700 victims of the Great Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1820.
