Hopefully you read the 1st part of my Savannah trip where I talk about the food and drinks, if not you can read about that over here. But since there is more to travelling then just eating ( although, I'm up for the challenge), time was made for sightseeing and shopping. While I try not to appear like a tourist when I travel by avoiding overpriced souvenir shops and not wearing a fanny pack, when in Rome, you have to buy the stuff.
The Shopping:
Aleksandra Gift Shop: Located on Abercorn St, right off of Broughton St, this is a small and vibrant place with minimal crowds, but unlike the other shops that I visited, the customer service was great, the items were up to date, and they had affordable pricing.
Photo property of Aleksandra's Gift Shop
Civvies (New and Recycled Clothing): Although the word 'new" is listed in the name, I was on the search for cute vintage items, and this is a mini mecca of it. I could have spent hours (and hundreds of dollars) in this place, but I held myself back from the dress purchase of a lifetime (it looked cute but I had no where to wear it) and settled for something more practical. Even if you don't buy anything, this is a fun place to play dress up.
Cassandras Jewelry Imports: Located on River Street (right next to wet willies), I thought that this would be a tourist trap that preyed on the intoxicated person looking for pretty things. Tipsy I may have been, but preyed on I was not. The ladies in this shop are personable and the items are unique. From inexpensive St Patrick's day sales, moderately priced bracelets and sterling silver rings, you can find items here regardless of your budget.
Eating while Shopping
Savannah Bee Company: If you are so inclined, you can come here and buy health and beauty products made with honey, eat samples of raw honeycomb and artisan honey. Or, if you are like me you can do that AND participate in a mead tasting (an alcoholic beverage made with honey and other fruits) of 5 beverages for only $7. My personal favorite was the Monks Mead from Atlanta, made from Wildflower Honey with an essence of beer and champagne.
Savannah Candy Kitchen (City Market/River Street): If the sweet smell of sugar doesn't stop you in your tracks, the free samples of pralines definitely will. This place has every treat your childhood self can imagine. It's like being in Willy Wonkas factory, rows of fudge, chocolate covered everything, baked goods, taffy...I could go on. Since I have similar places like this in my area, I decided on the traditional pralines. Almost like eaten a pecan pie, their pralines are sweet but savory enough that you wont go overboard when eating them. I've been trying to find similar places in my area without luck, so I may have to bite the bullet and splurge and buy them online....its worth it.
Sightseeing
Forsyth Park: Lets be honest, I love finding a good backdrop to take a cute picture for a social media profile, and that is really all I go to a park for. Forsyth is located right in the middle of Savannah, an easy 5 minute walk from River Street. While there isn't really much to do or see (except the giant xylophone), the grounds are beautiful. From the trees covered in moss, flowers, and fountain you can easily spend an hour just gazing at the things around you.
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist: It's been a practice of mine to visit a Catholic Church during my travel. Since most places I travel to are for 3 days or longer, and I was leaving Savannah on a Sunday, doing this slipped my mind. It wasn't until my travel mate mentioned this church, and I'm glad she did. The inside is ornate and the atmosphere is peaceful and perfect for meditation or prayer, despite being filled with people oohing, aahing and snapping photos. I suggest arranging a tour with a docent to get more background and history of the church.
Snack Break
Mirabelle Cafe: Located directly across from the Cathedral of St. Johns the Baptist, this charming eatery is both a hotel and eatery that features authentic belgian liege waffles. While I didn't try one, due to fullness from breakfast at my hotel, I had a small fruit filled pastry that wasn't too sweet or heavy.
Marche de Macarons: I'm a sucker for sweets, and macarons are a "semi-healthy" treat at about 70 calories each. They are typically so sweet that eating more than one is impossible, so stopping by here for a treat was a must. I had the Tybee Turtle: it has a salted caramel filling of salted caramel and pecan, dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in more pecans. A word of warning, make sure you ask if they were previously frozen, the associate had mentioned it and they were not completely thawed when I ate mine. I expected a creamy texture but was left with a semi frozen treat. It was tasty, but not what I am accustomed to.
Pie Society: A traditional British bakery is not something that I expected to see in Savannah. Serving savory pies, English breads and tea, (and with several hours til dinner) I had to stop in here while in the City Market area to have a snack. Since we were doing a lot of walking, I opted for a treat that I could take on the go, and their sausage roll was perfect. Flavorful sausage with a flaky buttery pastry crust surrounding it. this was a nice blend of savory and subtle sweetness.
Until next time...those are my Savannah Travel. See Part 1 of my travels here.