Contributing Travel Editor Tracey Minkin shares an itinerary for three days of leisure in our favorite destinations around the world. Find more travel inspiration in Weekend Hop.
Is it time for us all to get matching I STAN J.E. OGLETHORPE shirts? I say yes because James Edward Oglethorpe’s progressive colonial vision for how a city might organize itself—chiefly around squares—forms the inimitable DNA of this always alluring Southern city.
For me, long weekends in Savannah revolve around these exquisite squares, their landscaping and fountains, their historic homes and hidden gardens, and it seems there is always a new corner (literally!) to turn.
More From Veranda
Here, for garden and historic architecture lovers like me, the formula for a perfect weekend hop. How many tours can we do in one visit? So many!
The Pursuit of Knowledge
To know Savannah is to tour her. Begin with the deeply knowledgeable Jonathan Stalcup, whose Master of Architecture degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design informs his delightful and detailed walking tours under his banner of Architectural Tours of Savannah, which he runs most days at 10 a.m.
Noble Jones Tours offers a robust Gardens & Historic Homes Tour most afternoons at 1 p.m.; for a more personal exploration of the city’s private gardens, book Noble Jones' horticultural-forward guide Michael Mack for a private tour.
And don’t miss Vaughnette Goode-Walker’s Footprints of Savannah Walking Tour, which centers the conversation around the cotton trade, slave trade, and urban slavery in Savannah.
Extra credit: Architectural Tours of Savannah’s Jonathan Stalcup shares his top three historic sites for weekend hoppers. First, he says, do not miss touring the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, a circa-1819 Regency style mansion with gardens, period rooms with decorative arts, and the property’s slave quarters: “It’s the most intact 19th-century property in Savannah,” he says.
Next, it’s off to the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist for Savannah’s soaring example of French Gothic architecture, which dates to 1874 (although a fire in 1898 inspired a rebuild dedicated in 1900.) “It’s so easy to get in!” Stalcup says about taking in the building’s twin spires, Italian marble, and Austrian stained glass.
Stalcup’s final stop is The Grey, the city’s circa-1938 art deco Greyhound Bus Terminal that is now the home of James Beard-award-winning chef Mashama Bailey’s restaurant. Even a drink at the bar, Stalcup says, is worth it to take in the building’s painstaking restoration.
For garden lovers, Stalcup says, “I recommend strolling along Jones Street (considered the prettiest street in Savannah) and peering into private gardens.” Stalcup also favors the William Scarbrough Gardens at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, one of the largest private gardens in the historic district and derived from a typical 19th century parlor garden. Don’t miss the property’s North Garden, which was added in 2012 and highlights historic plantings including a citrus and maple grove, a naturalist garden, and a view-blessed belvedere. Last but not least, of course, one must simply stroll Forsyth Park, Stalcup adds.
Sleep in Splendor
Finally, a hotel that rivals the beauty, charm, and artistic mien of its hometown. Perry Lane Hotel is the perfect match for Savannah, and the ideal basecamp for all cultural explorations. Housing more than 3,600 antiques and more than 1,200 artworks (175 of which were created by local artists and 81 of those have ties to the Savannah College of Art and Design), Perry Lane is as much a museum where you get to spend the night.
More to love about staying at Perry Lane? It offers a superb menu of bespoke experiences, from private architectural tours with Jonathan Stalcup to custom-designing a piece at Satchel’s handbag and leather goods flagship store.
The Shopping Edit
If you’re not making your own piece at Satchel on a Perry Lane Hotel excursion, you should at least visit the shop and pick out a new handbag—this season’s large Monte Carlo is the perfect weekend companion.
Now you need a caftan, and Summerhouse Savanah’s breezy pieces are perfect for everything from rooftop cocktails to weekends in the Caribbean (not to mention working the Sunday crossword)—find them at Tapley’s Mercantile and Satchel.
For rebounding from all that tromping around, pull into Yaupon Tea House & Apothecary for stimulating tea, skincare, and bath and body products made from the indigenous Yaupon Holly tree. Then tuck into Salacia Salts for salt soaks, moisturizers, scrubs and more.
Sustenance Stops
First, let’s establish that all good coffee pauses (and café-style meals) center on The Collins Quarter, which has maintained its chic and delicious allure since bringing Australian rules to Savannah coffee culture in 2014. Visit the original spot on Bull Street and consider brunch at the Forsyth Park location.
If you do gluten, do it at Big Bon Bodega on Bull Street (it’s bagels all morning and for lunch, then pizza at night). For the cocktail high/low, hit Peregrin, the Perry Lane Hotel’s swanky rooftop bar, and/or Pinkie Masters, a landmark dive bar (circa 1953) on Drayton Street, with every single wonderful vintage vibe.
And when it comes to dinner, all roads continue to lead to that art deco (and formerly segregated) Greyhound Station, where Mashama Bailey rules the culinary roost at The Grey. (Don't miss Marcus Kenney's painting of a bus with Black passengers in the front and white ones in the back.) For something on the water and rustic-fantastic, scoot just out of town to The Wyld for elevated dock fare like scallop corn fritters, shrimp rolls, and fish tacos.
Before You Leave
Pay a visit to the Savannah Botanical Gardens, 10 lovely acres just minutes from the Historic District that include camellia, shade, and fern gardens. Open seven days a week and free admission, the garden represents a lovely collaborative effort of local garden clubs and is a reminder of the power of those clubs to bring beauty and joy into the world.
Weekend Hop Must-Haves: Savannah
Daphe Wilde The Lulu
