Celebrating Friendship in Savannah
My husband and I both went to Northeastern University. We’re fortunate to have a close group of friends from college, whom we see at least once per year. Since our days in Boston, Ben and I moved to NJ and others have ventured to Washington, D.C. and St. Louis, while half of our crew has stayed in MA.
Our annual get-together started as Friendsgiving in college. We would cook a Thanksgiving meal and do a Yankee Gift Exchange. It has morphed into a weekend away, our first getaway was to Nashville, TN which was a lot of fun – except we all had to DRIVE home because Nashville was getting one of its worst snowstorms on record and all of our flights were cancelled. Last year, we traveled to Savannah, GA in February – which was an uncharacteristically warm and sunny weekend. This year, we’re staying in the northeast and venturing to Mystic, CT in April … we’re pushing the weekend back a bit so we hopefully have better weather and can accommodate a new momma and baby!
Savannah was absolutely beautiful! We stayed in an Airbnb which was a little far from downtown, but walkable. It had 5 bedrooms, 2 kitchens and a pool table. Allowing us lots of space to relax and enjoy each others company. If you haveyet to try AirBnB – check it out! If you use my link, you’ll get $40 in credit when you sign up! We personally think it’s great for traveling with a group of friends or family, you’re able to stay and relax together comfortably, put the kids down for a nap or bedtime and even cook meals at home!
Our arrival day, Friday, was really relaxing as well all arrived at different times. Our friend Kim was driving up from Atlanta, so she graciously stopped at a grocery store and stocked up on the essentials. Another quick trip to the store and we were ready for the weekend! Another tradition from college that continues to live on is Make-Your-Own calzone night! We have a myriad of toppings available, it’s easy to put together in any kitchen and its personalized!
On Saturday we made the 30 minute drive to Tybee Island. We were blessed with a beautiful and uncharacteristically warm day. We explored the grounds and museum of Georgia’s oldest and tallest Lighthouse and climbed up to the top. Then we strolled over to the beach and let the girls run around. Kayleigh wasn’t so sure what tomake of the sand at first – but in a matter of minutes, she loved it! She also didn’t mind the cold Atlantic waves! We waited waaaay to long for a table at A-J’s Dockside Restaurant, which has good reviews on Tripadvisor, but I cannot recommend. Unfortunately the first table that was available for our group of 10 was indoors – to be expected for a large table on a beautiful day. The menu was very limited, most everything was fried and not even that tasty. Try somewhere else! On our way back we stopped at Tybee Oaks – an adorable strip of one of a kind, colorful, local shops that sell homemade and unique goods. There’s also a restaurant and coffee shop. We got Kayleigh the cutest jellyfish stuffed animal and two handmade collars for our fur babies back home!
That evening, we got take out meat by the pound for the guys from Sandfly Bar-B-Q. They were in heaven and stayed home playing pool, with the little ones. The girls got dressed for a night out! We enjoyed dinner at a.Lure, which was tasty but pricey. If we were back in town I’d check something else out. Afterwards we had drinks at AlleyCat – their shareable champagne cocktail bowl was delicious and the space is pretty neat.
On Sunday we explored Savannah. We had hoped to go on a pedal bike tour of the city, but logistically it didn’t work out. So we strolled instead, past beautiful fountains and moss filled squares. Stop for a to-go cup at Savannah Coffee Roasters! The girls had two favorite parts of our day, the first –running around and climbing in and out of the toy tugboat on River Street; second – ice cream at Leopold’s. The line was huge, but it moves really quickly, we were even fortunate to score a table outside.
Our final dinner of the trip was at a Savannah staple – The Olde Pink House. We made reservations well in advance for our party of 10, plus two kids.I think the combination of the size of our party and the request for 2 highchairs got us a private room – complete with its own fireplace! It was so nice and cozy, the service was fantastic and the food absolutely delicious. We made sure to split a bunch of appetizers so we could all try the local favorites like shrimp and grits and fried tomatoes.
Once again, we had a wonderful weekend traveling as a group of friends! I can’t wait until next time 🙂
