Savannah: Day 1

As I began writing about our trip to Savannah, I realized that each day was so packed with new things that there was NO way I could squeeze it all into one post. So...here goes Day 1:
We left our house around 6:30 on Thursday morning, and managed to avoid all rush hour traffic! After a quick stop for breakfast and caffeine, we were on our way. The drive was easy and we spent the time chatting about everything from our wedding to house hunting. We got a little lost in conversation, and Ben didn't realize how fast he was going...so after our speeding ticket issued by good 'ole GA State Patrol, we were back on the road. 


We arrived at our Bed & Breakfast around 11am. I did a lot of research using Trip Advisor and we decided on The Catherine Ward House. One of my requests for our trip was to stay in a B&B. They have hotels in Savannah, but there is something about staying in an old, renovated home versus a brand new hotel that just completes the trip!

         The house was built in 1886

After settling in to our room, we grabbed a map and some advice from the innkeeper and took off to explore the city!


The inn was across the street from this famous park. We saw picnics, dog walkers, sunbathers, weddings, concerts, proms, and vendors here.

A well-known fountain in Forsyth Park. The most photographed structure in the southeast. 

The city is set up on a grid system, with squares throughout. Bull Street runs straight through the middle and is a very active street-shops, restaurants, historic sites & houses and squares. We took Bull St from our inn to the waterfront (River Street) where we took the "secret" elevator down to the water. There are steps (steep, uneven and made of cobblestone) but the locals take the elevator.

This is what I think of when I hear "Savannah":

The steps to River St.

Ben taking the elevator ; )

I love these buildings along the river-old cotton warehouses-converted to shops and restaurants

After our walk around River Street, we were ready for lunch!

Ben had a pineapple & ham burger with fried pickles. I had a BLT with avocado and sweet potato fries. (Hey, I never said this was a healthy eating trip!)

Back at the inn, I was able to snap some pictures of our room. We stayed in Nell's Room.

 I loved the fresh flowers in the room!

We spent some time relaxing, then it was back out to explore and have some dinner. We ended up at Kevin Barry's Irish Pub. I had the BEST turkey reuben ever! We sat in the downstairs pub area and listened to a guy sing some traditional Irish folk music. 

After dinner, we set off to find Savannah Smiles- a dueling piano bar. Let me say...if you only spend ONE night in Savannah, you must go here! The music was by request only...basically write your request on a napkin, throw a few bucks with it, and give it to the pianists. These guys played everything-Lady Gaga, Rocky Top, Backstreet Boys, Neil Diamond, and classic rock. 

The time definitely got away from us while we were there...the booze was flowing (a little too much!) and the music was awesome. We stumbled out of there around 1am and began the looong walk back to our inn. Whew...what a day! 

I will leave you with a little musical treat from the night