Jennifer and I are equally anal about organizing and planning things so we set off to do research about what we wanted to do. I developed a list of things I was interested in, and Jennifer looked up reviews about each one. Tom and Ken (in true Tom and Ken laid-back fashion) went along for the ride. We all took off work on Friday and left early so that we could make it to Savannah by lunch time. You see, the whole trip was really about the food. Seriously - we ate the whole time. I gained 3.5 pounds!
The first thing I noticed about Savannah were the gorgeous trees! Them, combined with the beautiful architecture, made the city so warm and inviting. Of course, Tom is allergic to oak trees, and the city is FILLED with live oaks. Small flaw in our research there, but oh well. He survived :-)
We ate lunch on Friday at Mrs. Wilkes. This is basically a whole in the wall place in the basement of a townhome. It's family owned and has been for decades. The food is served family style - heaping bowls of 2 meats and 22 sides. Yes, you read that right - no typos there. It was amazing. Part of the ambiance or rite of passage you might call it is the waiting in line - the line stretches all the way down the block. We waited for about an hour and a half, and I'd say the experience was worth it. Of course, Jennifer insisted that we bring water to stay hydrated in the line, but she forgot the bottles when we dropped them off to go park the car. I remembered to bring them thankfully because we were glad we had them. If you know Jennifer and me, you'll think this story is pretty par for the course. :-)
Next, we went to check into our hotels - Kennifer stayed at the Hilton while Tom and I opted to stay at a bed and breakfast called the East Bay Inn. Obviously, this trip was meant to be because Jennifer and I picked these places independently only to find out they were next door to each other in a great section of town! God's always looking out for us!
We found a great deal in Oglethorpe Trolley tours - you pay $20 per person for a two day pass. It starts with a 90 minute tour of Savannah to get acquainted with the layout and history of the town. We did this Friday afternoon, and it was a really good and interesting tour. Then, it includes pick up/drop off service on demand all over the city. Needless to say, we really got our money's worth out of it.
That night we went to The Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant. The food was good and mostly the same items as we had at Mrs. Wilkes. We compared each and ended up with a draw - some things were better, some weren't as good. The restaurant itself was very nice though and actually takes up 3 floors of a building - 2 for seating and one for the kitchen!
The next day, we started with a food tour called Savor Savannah by Savvy Savannah Tours. I had never heard of a food tour, but now, I will certainly look one up everywhere I go from now on! It was awesome - we walked around to six different restaurants (off the beaten tourist path) and got to sample a signature dish at each. What a neat way to experience the city! I'd have to say my favorite was this place called Low Country Gourmet - the owner makes his own balsamic vinegars and olive oils, and he infuses them with all these crazy flavors like peach, lemon, and even chocolate! You get to wander around and taste all of them - it was really neat.
That afternoon, we explored the city a little more. We had delicious gelato at Gelatohh (we had ice cream at the famous Leopold's the afternoon before)! We walked along the river and saw the big boats with their hundreds of containers. We saw the amazingly ornate Catholic Church. Wow. 
That night was our fancy dinner so we got gussied up and went to The Olde Pink House, right around the corner from our hotels. The food was delish and not nearly as pricey as I was expecting, and the restaurant was gorgeous.
Sunday morning, Tom and I got up early to go eat breakfast with my 90 year old great aunt and uncle who live just outside of Savannah. I hadn't seen them in 15 years, and I didn't think I remembered much about them. I was wrong. It was really neat to see them and notice how family spans the test of time and distance. We had a really nice visit, and I hope to go back and see them soon. They told us about an oak tree - one of the oldest in Savannah - in a neighborhood called Majestic Oaks that we just had to go see. The thing takes up most of a block by itself - they weren't lying - it was a sight!
We headed back to town, picked up Kennifer, and went to eat lunch at a place called Papillote, kind of a fast-food French restaurant. Fancy french pastries and sandwiches served on styrofoam plates but it worked. The food was really good, and the chocolate mousse was wonderful! After that we had to make a second trip to Low Country Gourmet before hitting the road and happened to stumble onto one stop I wanted to make that we had been unable to find - the Savannah Bee Company! I was so excited! I had read about it and all the different types of honey and how you got to taste them all - I'm so glad we found it.
We then started our trek back. It is notable that we all get along in another way - we love music. We spent most of the way there listening and singing our hearts out to Disney songs. On the way back, we each took turns picking a song (which we mostly streamed via our smart phones - what a world we live in...). I'm still singing Burn by Usher... thanks a lot, Ken.
We really had a fabulous trip, and everything that I mentioned here I would definitely recommend to anybody planning a trip! Great food, great friends, great songs, and a really fun trip. Needless to say, Jennifer and I have already made a list of top places to visit next. Stay tuned! :-)
