This is a bit of an older adventure, so please bear with me as I attempt to recollect the trip. What I hope to do with these Travel Journals is not only shoutout the wonderful places that we visited, but showcase the design and creative work that went into those places, when applicable. Otherwise, I hope to feature interesting sights and beautiful places, so that I may look at them later and remember myself what the trip was like.
My husband and I got married in March of 2019. We delayed our honeymoon by a few months to recuperate funds and not be so unkind to our workplaces, and decided to visit Savannah, Georgia in May 2019. Neither of us had ever been to Savannah before, so we hoped our honeymoon would be filled with equal parts appreciating the history of Savannah and exploring the modern Southern city it had become, or rather, was in the process of becoming. On our trip I couldn’t help but notice the revitalization happening across the Riverwalk, new hotels and businesses popping up where there were industrial warehouses before. Many of the ‘modern’ sites we visited had been in the city for less than three years, and it reflected a changing Savannah, one trying to keep up with the times and demands of the Millenial leisure-traveler.
Where We Stayed — The Alida Hotel
We stayed at The Alida, a Marriot Portfolio Hotel. It’s a four-star hotel on the Savannah Riverfront, boasting three (four if you count the Pool Bar, but it wasn’t open when we went) bespoke F&B (food and beverage) outlets of its own on-premise. The Alida was every Instagram-Influencer’s dream; modern and cozy interior design, well-considered amenities, a great location, and fantastic service, ever corner was social media-ready. Named for Alida Harper Fowlkes, a celebrated female entrepreneur Savannah-native, the Alida hopes to come across as nostalgic and quintessentially Southern in its expression, while still celebrating the city’s contemporary spirit. The Alida spotlights it’s partnership with SCAD as often as it can, stocking their gift shop with student wares and dedicating a section of their welcome book to a branded pattern made for them by a fabric arts student.
The Alida’s Interiors, including that of The Rhett, the Lost Square, and The Trade Room, was designed by MakeReady. The photos below were taken from The Alida’s Facebook account. Branding and graphic design for The Alida and it’s outlets was done by LMNOP Creative. Photos of print/branded assets are attributed to LMNOP Creative.
Drinking & Dining at The Alida — The Rhett, The Trade Room & The Lost Square
The Rhett, a classic American restaurant located in the basement level was our go-to for breakfast two days of our week's stay. It acts as the central kitchen for The Alida, providing food to its other outlets and room service. The service and the food here were incredible, and breakfast was pretty reasonably priced all things considered. The interiors had a slight nautical feel to them, mixed with a modern diner aesthetic made for an interesting vibe. The visual language was limited to a printed menu and a postcard that came with our check, playing up the sailor vibe with simple illustrations. I always enjoy the work by LMNOP Creative; their brands are always so delightfully simple and engaging.
The Trade Room, the Alida’s lobby bar that we frequented while sitting poolside since the Pool Bar was closed during our stay. The Trade Room wasn’t frightfully busy during our stay, which allowed me to chat up the bartender and get into a conversation about craft cocktails and beer in the area. The decor made the space feel like a high-end den, where you could feel comfortable sipping a drink while checking emails or gabbing with friends over happy hour. One of my favorite details here were the floor tiles and stuffed pheasant on the bar.
The Lost Square, a rooftop bar that we visited twice, boasting gorgeous views of the city and classic drinks. Again, the tile here was a favorite of mine. Sunset here was a sight to see, and it seemed to be popular with the locals too.
Playing Tourist — Downtown Savannah & Tybee Island
Savannah, if you’ve never been, is a beautiful coastal city with a lot of history. We spent the majority of our stay exploring the downtown area, admiring the old buildings and taking in the historic landmarks. Savannah is meticulously arranged on a grid; the city’s founder James Edward Oglethorpe (also founder of the Georgia colony) had drawn out a plan for the city three years before the first brick was ever laid. It’s very easy to navigate around downtown Savannah, and even when we got a little lost, we happened upon the many beautiful city squares and took these moments to realign ourselves with the city’s grid. We visited SCAD, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. John’s Episcopal Church, and peaked into the beautifully manicured yards of people who call the historic district home.
Of course, no visit to Savannah would be complete without visiting Forsyth Park. Movie-lovers will know this park from Forest Gump. If you haven’t seen Forset Gump, surely you’ll recognize Forsyths’ well-known fountain, modeled after Parisian fountains found at the Place de la Concorde. Added in 1858, the fountain sits at the northern end of the thirty-acre park, and is surrounded by beautiful greenery. In the heat of the summer, bumblebees and butterflies whizzed about, and locals and tourists alike did just the same. Walking through Forsyth lets tourists glimpse a slice of life in the Hostess City, with locals enjoying sunny strolls and artists lining up to paint their city’s fountain en plein air.
Visiting Savannah isn’t complete without visiting Savannah’s beach; Tybee Island. We dedicated a day to exploring Tybee, spending a couple of hours on the beach despite the blustery weather. On our way to Tybee Island proper, we stopped at Wilmington Island to pay a visit to Savannah Bee Company’s HQ and Showroom. Here, they bottle their products, test new ones, and give tours of their ‘teaching hives’. My husband has an obsession with bees, so we thought it would be a great pit stop to learn about these cute pollinators. There, we got to don some beekeeper gear and get up close and personal with a hive, even holding a frame of the hive covered with honeycomb and crawling with bees.
Once we got to Tybee Island, we were pretty famished. All the recommendations we had gotten from friends and the internet said we had to go to The Crab Shack, ‘where the elite eat in their bare feet’. Living in Atlanta we don’t exactly have regular access to fresh seafood, and I had never had crab legs, so stopping here seemed like a no brainer. The crab legs did not disappoint. I also highly recommend wandering around the restaurant a bit; they have ‘Gator Lagoon’, and as it sounds, is an enclosure where you can feed or just watch alligators. Be forewarned before you visit though; if you’re a designer like me, their humanoid crab-hybrid mascot is nightmare fuel. Click if you dare.
Our last stop on Tybee before heading back to Savannah proper was at the Tybee Island Lighthouse, Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse. My husband and I have a tradition of visiting lighthouses whenever we visit a coastal city, climbing to the top to see the glorious views, despite his fear of heights. Climbing lighthouses is a great workout, and this one, in particular, was 178 steps to the top.
Favorite Sips & Bites — Downtown Savannah
No vacation would be complete without taking in the restaurants and bars that only exist in that specific location. This travel journal is already much longer than I anticipated, so I’ll just list out our favorite spots, what we loved about it, and link to their website.
Ghost Coast Distillery | ghostcoastdistillery.com
Walkable from the Alida, we visited here three times during our honeymoon. The bar offers flights of all the spirits they distill on-site, but you can also do mini-cocktail flights of drinks made with said spirits. You can also order full-sized cocktails, and with Savannah’s Historic District being open-container, you can take said cocktails to-go. Our favorite thing we tried at Ghost Coast was their Tiki Spiced Rum, of which we purchased a bottle.
Alley Cat Lounge | alleycatsavannah.com
A craft cocktail bar that was, for me, the highlight of the trip. Their menu is B E A U T I F U L and extensive, but we didn’t order off of it. Instead, our server encouraged us to be adventurous and list out flavors we were in the mood for and our spirit of choice, coming back with cocktails that the bartender mixed up off the cuff. A definite stop if you are a craft cocktail aficionado. I’m still looking for something similar to it in Atlanta.
Savannah Coffee Roasters | savannahcoffee.com
We came here twice for breakfast. Savannah Coffee Roasters has been in the business for over a century, and the quality of its coffee definitely reflects this. Best coffee we had in the city, and the breakfast was cheap and delicious.
The Ordinary Pub | theordinarypub.com
Admittingly we stumbled into Ordinary Pub after having a couple of strong drinks at Ghost Coast, so I don’t remember a whole lot of it. But I do remember it was Taco Tuesday, and every Taco Tuesday they offer a ‘Big Ass Taco Plate’ for $20. What’s the Big Ass Taco Plate? Its eight delicious tacos and tator tots, a great deal that helped sober us up.
Le Cafe Gourmet | lecafegourmet.com
We’re suckers for cute French cafes, and after reading that Le Cafe Gourmet was owned and operated by a French couple that came to the states to realize their dream of opening a cafe, we had to stop in. Delicious crepes and pastries abound at Le Cafe Gourmet, but the canelles especially are to die for.
Chive Sea Bar & Lounge | chivelounge.com
Mussels with roasted garlic, leeks, turmeric, yellow curry, cream and white wine. Do I need to say more?