A Return Trip to Savannah, Georgia

On this return trip to Savannah we explored nearby history and nature sites in the mornings, and relaxed in Old Town Savannah during the afternoons. I’ll share where we went in this blog, it seems to be mostly restaurants! (Go to my Georgia category of blogs if you want to see what we explored on our first visit.)

Here’s a map of some of the places I mention in this blog.

Azalea Inn

We chose to stay at the Azalea Inn at 217 East Huntingdon Street not only because it was charming, but because it is located in a quiet area of historic Savannah. The inn is filled with antiques, has a lovely front parlor, attractive back garden (with a small pool) and delicious breakfasts. In the evening, they also put out hor d’oeuvres and yummy desserts! Staff was very nice too.

The Azalea Inn is just steps away from beautiful Forsythe Park. You can walk to Chippewa Square (what I consider the heart of old town) in about 15 minutes.

Forsythe Park

Naturally, we walked through Forsythe Park and the adjacent streets. There’s always something to look at in Savannah, whether it’s the public squares, the Victorian homes, or the amazing trees.

Good Restaurants in Savannah

Because we were tired after arriving on our first evening, we chose to eat at the Veratina Italian Restaurant. It is located next door to the Azalea Inn and is a local hangout. We found it a bit noisy inside, but the back deck was attractive with outdoor lights. The only problem was they  played American Oldies in Italian. Imagine “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” sung in Italian! It got on my nerves after awhile.

However, the thin-crust mushroom pizza was SO GOOD. So I do recommend this restaurant, especially if you want to get away from the tourist areas.

Alligator Soul

My favorite restaurant in Savannah was Alligator Soul. If you want an experience – eat here. They serve wild game like alligator and wild boar. The food was delicious and the ambience fantastic.

Alligator Soul is located downstairs in the original part of a historic building. The brick walls, flagstone flooring, and beamed ceiling are all original. The basement that contains Alligator Soul was built in either 1870 or 1885 (historians debate the date). It was designed as a grain warehouse. Because of its architecture–underground with street-level windows–the basement was likely used to store beer during prohibition (1920 – 1933). Our waitress talked about “escape windows” to the street, bootleggers, and pirates. All of that seems reasonable except for the pirates; they were gone by the mid-1800s. But what a place for a speakeasy!

Belford’s Seafood and Steak

Belford’s restaurant is located in the touristy area of City Market. However, it is a fun area to visit, and though the restaurant was large, we were able to hear each other talk and the food was delicious. I had elk with mushrooms and my husband had filet mignon. Both were great!

Dessert at The Olde Pink House

We’ve never eaten dinner here (the Olde Pink House is expensive and I’m not sure it’s worth it), but we have gone down to their tavern twice–for dessert and/or drinks. The tavern is cozy and they have a nightly piano bar.

We sat in the best seats in the tavern, two comfy chairs near the pianist. They have different pianists, but the night we were there we got to hear Dave Duckworth. He was an excellent pianist! He could play everything from Fats Waller to Frank Sinatra to Tom Petty. Dave was classically trained, but he took lessons from the son of jazz musician Dave Brubeck’s producer. That connection enabled him to switch to jazz thirteen years later. (If I got the story wrong, I’m sorry Dave!)

We really enjoyed listening to Dave’s music while eating our scrumptious desserts. My husband had key-lime pie and I had cinnamon-crust pecan pie with chocolate. Mmm-mm.

Here’s a short video of Dave Duckworth (dd@daveduckworth.com) playing the piano:

Caterpillar Square

And one funny story to round out this blog about Savannah. While sitting on a bench under an oak tree one late afternoon, my husband and I noticed a little caterpillar crawling toward us on the ground. I thought it was cute:

“Look, there’s a caterpillar. And another!”
“Hey, there’s one on my arm. How did it get there so fast? And here’s one on my shirt!”
“There’s one on my dress! They’re dropping from the trees!”

We jumped up.

“There’s caterpillar poo on your shirt! Are there any on my front or back? How about my hair?? This isn’t so cute anymore!”

So we renamed Telfair Square to Caterpillar Square and left it then and there.

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