Last weekend, I had the lovely pleasure of getting to visit Savannah, GA with two dear friends and fellow creative entrepreneurs. The three of us are in a small little mastermind group together, and the purpose of this weekend was to explore a beloved town in Georgia, and work through some big goals we have for 2018!
Day #1: Friday
We started the weekend with a visit to the Chick-fil-A Support Center (aka, CFA HQ). Daniel and I are down to one car these days, due to an accident that happened earlier in November (thankfully everyone was okay) so that meant the girls needed to pick me up at CFA.
Well, it doesn’t make sense to have them come pick me up without giving them the FULL tour! 😉
The people (and the perks) to working here are truly incredible… And it was fun getting to show these lovely ladies around my new workplace! The above photo is one of the classic photo-op spots, with CFA’s coined term, “Our Pleasure.” (better known as the “my pleasure” phrase that is said instead of “you’re welcome”).
We ended up getting on the road kind of late, due to exploring and hanging out at CFA HQ (totally worth it). So once we arrived – we checked into our AirBnb (here’s a link to the exact one, if you’re curious) and then immediately started walking around town. We went down to River Street and checked out all the charming old-school treat shoppes 🙂 I’m not much of a sweets person, but it was fun eating taffy and pralines made right there!
Day #2: Saturday
Saturday morning we woke up, and grabbed some delicious coffee from Collins Quarter (probably my new favorite coffee shop). They, like many other places in Savannah, had a lavender latte. If you know me but at all, this is my absolute FAVORITE drink! I didn’t get a photo of it, but the coffee drink even had little lavender buds on top. *swoon*heart eyes*
Also, this place was unique because they had a walk-up drink window. There’s a full restaurant with a cafe. We didn’t eat there, but it looked and smelled delicious. The experience is definitely fun, and a “Savannah Classic” (or so I’m told).
After coffee (because #priorities) we walked down to the Farmers Market in Forsyth Park. Not going to lie – Forsyth is an absolutely beautiful place! Really all of Savannah is, and we were double blessed to encounter some pretty incredible weather this weekend that truly made walking around the city icing on the cake.
Also, the Farmers Market was HUGE! Especially considering it was January (which my experience is that the farmers market is either closed or significantly thinner this time of year). Either way, I had some of the best bread and goat cheese of my life. AND I learned about charcoal bread (pictured below). This was the first time I had ever heard about adding charcoal to bread – definitely interesting!
After a lovely morning of exploring, we decided we needed to hunker down and break into our first session. Y’all, it was GOLDEN! When we started the weekend, we decided we would have an organic approach to how we were going to do our sessions. So this afternoon’s session just kind of happened… And it was so good. We ended up chatting with Lindsey about her goals for the year and help her work through a few different things on her list.
It was so fun and rewarding getting to help a dear friend, and hear more about her heart and business. Probably my favorite thing about these sessions was that each of us seemed to have this BIG problem that we had NO idea how to conquer/figure out – and the other two ladies would respond, “Really? That one is easy!” So just a side note: if you run a small business, I would say hands down that it is so imperative you find and connect with other creatives! It will literally make such a huge difference in your life and business.
Anyways – so for this session we settled down at The Gallery Espresso, one of Anna Kay’s favorite coffee shops in the city. It definitely had that coffee shop vibe, full of SCAD students. I took the above photos of AK and Linds because it just had that “coffee shop light.” It was the perfect place to hunker down and get this work done.
After a few hours really grilling into the details, we listened to our growling stomachs and grabbed some lunch at The Distillery. I had a burger – and it was absolutely delicious!
After lunch, we decided we would spend the rest of the afternoon stretching our legs and hopping around to different shops, exploring some Savannah favorites. This of course included the Savannah Bee Company and our favorite shop: The Paris Market (hands down, one of the best stores that’s ever existed).
We grabbed some drinks from PMC’s cafe, and enjoyed people watching just outside the shop. The atmosphere and weather were so perfect, and it was nice to truly enjoy being in the moment!
The evening we had Anna Kay’s session back at our AirBnb. One of the things I loved about this trip is that we would (unintentionally) start chatting and digging deep into different things… And then several hours would pass by! This happened when we looked at the clock and realized it was 9:30, and we needed to get some more grub. All of us are total foodies, so you know the conversation was solid when we all forgot to eat (at a normal time) twice in one day!
Our first full day in Savannah was a great success! I definitely understand why Lindsey and Anna Kay both absolutely adore this city and will frequent it whenever they get the chance. It’s now on my list of favorite places to visit, as well!
Day #3: Sunday
Sunday morning we woke up, grabbed more coffee at Collins Quarter (because I am officially obsessed now) and I tried my first ever cortado! Again, completely obsessed. Also, not sure how I ever went through life without having a cortado… But anytime I need caffeine and not a ton of liquids (aka every time we drive anywhere) this will officially be my new go-to! Also, I had it made with almond milk… and just yummmm. *zillion heart eyes*
Anyways, I could obviously rant about my coffee obsession, but that’s not what this post is about.
So we spent the morning drinking delicious coffee and walking around a bit. We grabbed breakfast at a little biscuit/donut shop – I feel like the kind of quirky combo that you would only find in a place like Savannah.
The weather was literally PERFECT today, so we did our best to do as many things outside as we possibly could! In fact, since today was our last day in the city, and time for my session, we decided that we should do it in the park! Definitely think this was a fantastic choice. We found a little park with a fountain (aka perfect background noise) and started getting to work.
After my session, we were all hungry and wanted something light to eat before getting on the road. We stopped at the Kayak Kafe and I kid you not, I had one of the BEST salad bowls I’ve ever had in my entire life.
I never thought hummus would be delicious as a dressing… But my mind is officially changed. I am super thankful for this trend to more delicious options for the vegetarians out there, and this meal did not disappoint. It. Was. So. Yummy!
Our very last stop, was of course, visiting Paris Market one last time (yes, we’re truly that obsessed). We did a little impromptu photo (thanks, Lindsey) to get some updated profile pictures of us.
By the way, if you go to The Paris Market, you HAVE to get their Garden Iced Tea. It has lavender in it (because, duh) and it is absolutely divine! I’m not an iced tea/coffee person (it’s just not my thing) but this drink is literally liquid gold. No exaggeration (okay, maybe slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean).
After our little visit, we packed back into the car with all of our stuff, full hearts and inspired minds, and headed back to Atlanta. So thankful for these ladies, and so glad we were able to snatch a little self-timed photo before the end of the weekend!
Above photo of the three of us is thanks to Lindsey LaRue Photography (definitely visit her website and check her out). Follow her on Instagram as well: @lindseylaruephoto
Also, while I’m at it: Go ahead and check out my sweet friend Anna Kay Artworks and follow her on Instagram over at @annakayartworks
Here’s a few more photos that I snapped throughout the weekend:
Savannah is SUCH a beautiful and walkable city! I would highly recommend you visit, especially in the Spring when the weather just encourages walking! If you do plan to visit, definitely stay tuned for a *recommendations* post coming soon, and a couple things to keep in mind (outlined below).
A few things to keep top of mind:
+ Parking is hard to find, and there is only paid parking available
+ IMO: Savannah is relatively small (when it comes to cities) and there’s a lot to do within only a few blocks. However, do prepared to walk a lot because different things are in different parts of town.
+ Definitely would recommend taking an AirBnb. I find that the prices are competitive to hotels, but WAY more homey/accommodating. If you’re traveling with a group, then an AirBnb is definitely cheaper and it’s nice to have a “home” to come back to after a long, but fun day exploring.
+ Some of the more popular/touristy attractions you do need to drive to. There are some remarkable beaches, lighthouses and other fun places to visit while you’re in the area.
That being said, I’m going to be posting a follow up blog post soon with TONS of recommendations of places to eat and things to do when you’re in Savannah! This weekend we only had a small taste of what this beautiful city has to offer, so I’m glad I asked a few local gals to share a list of their faves in Savannah!
Lastly – I made a little video commemorating our trip! Watch below:
P.S. We made a roadtrip playlist of a few of all our favorite songs. If you’re a Spotify person, you can check out the list here.
Also, the above song (in the video) is one of my favorites. It’s “Comme Des Enfants” by Coeur De Pirate.
