Savannah and Charleston

Savannah is the literal definition of Southern Charm. I may be in the minority here, but if I had to choose between visiting Savannah again or Charleston again, I would hands down pick Savannah without a second of hesitation. I loved exploring this city, and here’s why. 

The city itself is just so walkable and easy to explore. every few blocks there is another square or park. Marissa and I went for a (very hot, sweaty) run because we were training for something, and we couldn’t help but stop over and over again to explore the different areas.

We actually started our trip with some museums and a little history, which you probably know by now is not my thing. However, these were outdoor history lessons and museums, which I am SO fine with because I love being outside.

Our first stop was the Georgia State Railroad Museum. (Note: according to this picture this is also a children’s museum. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed it. Obviously children’s museums are more my speed. See here, and scroll for my review of the Frist Art Museum in Nashville.)

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We then headed down to the water to just walk around and get some lunch. The waterfront in Savannah is a really nice place to explore, and if I did the trip again I would probably stay down there instead of in the downtown/historic district. It’s pretty easy to walk between the two, though.

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We actually ate two lunches that day because we are firm believers that time constraints should not cause food constraints, and we only had like 1.5 days in Savannah. We went to Fiddler’s Crab House for some fried seafood, which I guess we can call an appetizer, and then we went to Paula Dean’s restaurant, The Lady and Sons, for the main course. Fiddler’s was exactly what you’d expect for a crab house on the water, and it was delicious. Paula Dean’s restaurant was a fascinating buffet of southern food that you would probably never find in the North. Lots and lots of okra. It was okay, and I am not a buffet fan, but I feel like Paula Dean sold herself out on this one. She could’ve done better.

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That afternoon we did a historic downtown trolley tour around the city. It was a fun way to see the city and do history for someone who doesn’t like history, and the tour guides definitely made it interesting. At one of the historical stops, an actor dressed in a costume from the 1800s (or something) came on the trolley to tell us about “his time period” in Savannah.

We also hit up an old synagogue in the city, and it was really interesting to see Judaism in a very NON jewish part of the country.

That night after a delicious dinner at Local 11ten, we went to Leopold’s for some ice cream. Leopold’s is apparently the place to be for ice cream, and the line made that very clear. I don’t really love ice cream so ask Marissa or Eric how it was. I honestly probably didn’t even get anything because savory > sweet and when sweet is essential, chocolate cake > ice cream.

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The next day was Mrs. Wilkes. We were deciding between this and Zunzi’s for lunch. If you read my post on food, you’d know that we chose Mrs. Wilkes, and I am SO GLAD we did. Both are pretty well known and get long lines for lunch. According to Zunzi’s website, they are globally inspired food, and counter service. Sounds like you can get this anywhere. Mrs. Wilkes, on the other hand, is the definition of Southern charm and hospitality. Yes, you do have to get there before opening and wait on line, but it was worth it. They are only open M-F 11-2, and people begin lining up around 9:30/10 am. We were the last to make it into the first seating. They seat you at large tables with strangers and serve family style. They bring you huge servings of fried chicken, mac and cheese, okra probably, corn bread, and anything Southern you can think of. When you’re done, you bring your plates to a counter yourself to be cleaned. It is really like sitting in your Southern grandmothers kitchen having a big family dinner, and I highly recommend it.

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On our way out of Savannah, we obviously stopped at a cemetery. Here is proof that Finn can actually be a Jewish name.

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Next, we headed to Charleston.

Now, you may be wondering why I liked Savannah so much more than Charleston. I really like seeing places that are totally different from where I am from (which you’d know if you read my Melbourne post). I felt like Savannah gave me this experience in a way Charleston could not. Honestly, I just looked back at my pictures from Charleston and my first one is from an ice cream shop with lots of toppings on the walls. This is decidedly not that interesting or original, and I only have like 10 other pictures from my entire two days there (and I’m a picture person).

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Also, I sort of thought Charleston was a water city like Savannah, but when we asked the hotel for recommendations for restaurants on the water they looked at us like we were crazy. Maybe we should’ve gone to the beach towns near Charleston instead of Charleston.

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Anyway, on our first day, we decided to just take a stroll down King Street, their main shopping area. I found myself among Sunglass Hut, Lululemon, Forever 21, Anthropologie, Victoria’s Secret, J. Crew, etc., you get the point. I did not feel like I had to leave NYC to get a feel for Charleston.

We also walked through an open air market, which was fun, but also not all that inspiring.

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That afternoon we did a demonstration of “low country cooking” at Maverick Kitchen Store. I enjoyed the demonstration and actually learned how to use a knife, and the food they made was pretty good. Looking back, it may have been more fun as a cooking class than a cooking demo, but it was still fun.

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The one thing I really enjoyed about Charleston was the carriage tour. This was the only time I really felt like I was experiencing something that I couldn’t get at home. It was fun and charming, and a great way to explore downtown Charleston. Our friendly horse and driver took us over old cobblestone streets and showed us neighborhoods we probably never would have stumbled upon.

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I definitely left Charleston wondering what all the hype was about, but I would like to try again as I am constantly seeing and reading about people loving this city. So, people who have been there and loved it, tell me what I should do next time!