Travel through Time in Savannah, Georgia

The American South evokes a sense of charm, culture and nostalgia (albeit a complex history). My friend Kristin and her husband Russ visited Savannah a few years ago and picked this consummate Southern town because of its fascinating civil rights history and incredible food. So if you’re a history buff who loves delicious food, fascinating culture and gorgeous sites, Savannah is the perfect Southern town for you!

Kristin and Russ were only there for three days but managed to see and do so many things. Read on for their top recommendations and useful travel tips.

Where to go & what to do:

River Street is absolutely gorgeous and a fun walk along the river with lots of adorable shops such as the River Street Sweets Candy Store and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen where you can buy freshly made praline candy and taste free samples. This street was also where Kristin and Russ watched the fireworks on July 4th, which was an absolute blast!

First African Baptist Church is the oldest continuously running black church in North America! The awesome tour guide taught them so much fascinating history about the church. Their favorite part was seeing the bottom floor with small holes in it – because underneath it ran a tunnel that was part of the Underground Railroad! The white people never found out about it!

The Civil Rights Museum in town ended up being a major highlight of their trip. They got a private tour from a Savannah native who had lived there before, during and after the civil rights movement. He showed them one of the creepy water fountains he used to have to drink out of because he was black. They both got shivers when they saw the KKK robe and burned cross, too. It was quite an experience.

Dolphin Tour was absolutely awesome! It went out from the river into the ocean and they saw tons of dolphins jumping out of the water.

Historic home tours were fascinating. In fact, while they were at the Green-Meldrim House, the docents said that Robert Redford had just finished shooting a movie there. A year or so later, Kristin and Russ were watching “The Conspirator” and recognized the house!

What to Eat:

• Eat the pralines. If you go to Savannah just for the pralines, Kristin will high five you and probably ask you to bring some back for her! She said they were INCREDIBLE (her capitalization, not mine!) and I completely trust her food judgment! This girl knows her sweets.
• Drink the sweet tea! It tastes very different from what they’re used to in California.
• Try the blue crab cakes. They look like regular crab cakes but are made with blue crab.
• Eat dinner at Paula Deen’s restaurant, The Lady & Sons. Kristin and Russ had an incredible dining experience but now the memory is tainted by Deen’s racist comments. However, the peach pie there was quite disappointing because Kristin had hoped to have peach pie made with real Georgia peaches, but apparently Deen only uses canned peaches so that she can always have it consistent.

Useful Tips

• Everyone smokes and eats very fried food! As Californians, Kristin and Russ are used to non-smoking indoor areas, and eating much more produce and fresh cuisine. It was surprising to see how few options there were for healthy food. It might be worth a trip to the local grocery store to stock up on fruit and raw veggies for snacks.
• It gets hot and humid in summer. They visited in early July and were lucky that the humidity and heat were not over the top. If you’re uncomfortable with hot and humid weather, definitely pick a different season to visit.
• It’s a pedestrian friendly city. If you pick a hotel in the downtown area, you can easily walk to the historical sites and River Street. You can take a taxi from the airport and don’t have to rent a car to get around.

Kristin and Russ were surprised at just how charming it really was, even though they were already prepared for it. “Everything is absolutely beautiful, quaint and meaningful,” she said. Most importantly, if you are interested in learning more about the civil rights movement, Savannah is the perfect teacher for you. Not only were there historical sites related to the civil rights movement, so much of the culture of Savannah is infused with civil rights history.

Pack your thirst for knowledge, your sense of wonder and your hearty appetite, and let Savannah take you on a journey you will never forget!

Photos courtesy of Kristin Thebaud

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