Hi there!
If you happen to know my mom, then you know that she is a very spontaneous and adventurous woman. Although my OCD/planner-like personality can occasionally interfere with spontaneity, having my mom around and tagging along in her adventures always make for great memories and a good time.
My mom and I’s latest adventure took place this past September in Savannah, GA. Although this trip was very last minute, we made the best out of the long weekend and enjoyed every second of it!
If you are looking to take an easy long-weekend road trip (from Tampa) to a cute town that is full of history, great food, and lovely architecture, then I would highly recommend Savannah, GA! Below I will share with you what my mom and I did during our stay in this charming town.
Friday (Day 1)
We started our road trip first thing in the morning and arrived just in time to check into our hotel and grab a late lunch. We decided to stay at Mansion on Forsyth Park, Autograph Collection which is a Marriot hotel. The hotel was beautiful with its elegant decor and unique artwork displayed all throughout the property. The hotel location was key considering it was right across the street from the famous Forsyth Park and was walking distance to the main attractions of Savannah.
Hotel Information:
Mansion on Forsyth Park, Autograph Collection
Address: 700 Drayton St, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 238-5158
For our first meal in Savannah, we randomly stopped in one of the first restaurants we saw on our walk in the town which was called Hitch. This restaurant offered a very cool rustic/industrial interior and had a great modern American menu. When ordering our drinks at the bar while we waited to be seated at a table, we met this young couple from Tampa that were visiting Savannah to take their engagement pictures. Small world, is in it? Anyways, I highly recommend getting the Wicked Kiwi cocktail, the Avocado fries, and the Savannah Hot Chicken & Waffles (all of which was recommended to us by the bartender and server, and they did not disappoint)!
Restaurant Information:
Hitch
Address: 300 Drayton St, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (888) 873-9567
Website: https://treylorpark.com/hitch
After lunch we took a stroll around the town to admire the charming architecture of the homes around the area.
During our walk, we stumbled upon this adorable ice cream shop called Leopold’s Ice Cream which that come to find out has been around since 1919! I was feeling chocolate and order rocky road while my mom got butter pecan – both of which were phenomenal. On the other side of the ice cream shop, they have a room that tells the whole history of Leopold’s Ice Cream. The charming aesthetics and the amazing ice cream make this spot a definite must visit when in Savannah.
Ice Cream Shop Information:
Leopold’s Ice Cream
Address: 212 E Broughton St, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 234-4442
Website: https://www.leopoldsicecream.com/
After our ice cream stop, we continued our stroll through the town then headed our way back to the hotel just in time to catch the Tampa Bay Lightning Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Since we ate a late lunch, we ended up going to the lounge downstairs at our hotel called Bosendorfer Lounge for Caesar salads and wine while we streamed the Lightning game from our phone.
Lounge Information:
Bosendorfer Lounge
Address: 700 Drayton St, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 238-5158
Website: https://www.kesslercollection.com/mansion/dining/
After dinner we went back to the room to finish watching the game and called it a day!
Saturday (Day 2)
We started off the day by having breakfast at this very cute spot right in the center of Forsyth Park called Collins Quarter at Forsyth. I ordered their avocado toast and it was so delicious!
Breakfast Spot Information:
Collins Quarter at Forsyth
Address: 621 Drayton St, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 298-6544
Website: https://www.thecollinsquarter.com/
After breakfast, we took a stroll through Forsyth Park that at the time was having a farmer’s market that was full of vendors!
Farmer’s Market Information: https://forsythfarmersmarket.com/
Once we checked out all the vendors, we decided to do a tour of Savannah to learn more about the town. It was a gorgeous day, so we choose to do an open-air bus tour. The company that we used is called Old Town Trolley of Savannah. This tour offered an all-day pass that allowed us to get off at any spot to explore on our own then hop on any of the Old Town Trolley buses as we pleased. The tour guides on every bus we rode in was great and informative. One of my favorite spots that the tour guide pointed out was Forest Gump’s bench at The Legend of the Chippewa Square Bus Stop.
Bus Tour Information: https://www.trolleytours.com/savannah
During our bus tour we stopped at a few places in town to explore, shop, and grab a bite to eat for lunch. I will list these places below:
Savannah’s Candy Kitchen –You name the candy and they have it! They also had homemade fudge, caramel apples, and fresh popped popcorn.
Savannah’s Candy Kitchen
Address: 242 E Lathrop Ave, Savannah, GA 31415
Phone: (912) 232-2639
Website: https://www.savannahcandy.com/
Rocks on the Roof – Chic top-floor hot spot at the Bohemian Hotel. This rooftop offers great views of Savannah along with the Savannah River. The Savannah Wings with the peach-ginger BBQ sauce were amazing!
Rocks on the Roof
Address: 102 W Bay St, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 721-3901
Website: https://www.kesslercollection.com/rocks-river-grill/
Marriott Savannah Riverfront – I know, this seems odd to stop inside a hotel that you are not staying in, but the views from their massive lobby were breathtaking. This Marriot is literally right over the Savannah River and probably has the best view of the river.
Marriott Savannah Riverfront
Address: 100 General McIntosh Blvd, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 233-7722
Byrd’s Famous Cookie – The cutest cookie shop full of unique flavors! They also give out unlimited cookie samples which is a nice touch. Their Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits and Almond Shortbread cookies were my favorite!
Byrd’s Famous Cookie
Address: 423 E River St #1222, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 721-1566
Website: https://www.byrdcookiecompany.com/category/cookies
We ended the night by going to the biggest sports bar Savannah has to offer so that we would watch Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. This bar was called Savannah Taphouse and it had massive TVs on every corner!
Sports Bar Information:
Savannah Taphouse
Address: 125 E Broughton St, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 201-2877
Website: https://savannahtaphouse.com/
Sunday (Day 3)
We decided to try and get back home at a decent hour to have time to prep for the work week ahead, so we left mid-morning and made our way back to Tampa listening to Carrie Underwood’s new Christmas album that was just released at the time!
Overall, I had such a good time with my mom on this long weekend, exploring a new town neither of us have ever been to. Sometimes it is okay to not have a plan and go with the flow. Change things up and try to be spontaneous occasionally. If you are looking for a new adventure that is an easy road trip from Tampa then I would recommend Savannah, GA and hopefully my suggestion above will be of use!
Yours truly,