About ten years ago, I discovered Savannah as a dream destination for a foodie like me. What I didn’t yet realize was that my growing love for historic homes and design history would one day make it feel like the perfect weekend escape.
THE PLACE
The night before Valentine’s Day, Savannah greeted us with gas lamps flickering and the hum of a lively riverfront town. We arrived just in time for a seven-course dinner at Elizabeth on 37th – that first bite of pimento cheese in a pastry shell absolute heaven, and it never let up. Fireplaces glowed in nearly every room of the grand old house, deep-toned paint highlighting magnificent moldings and a plaster coved ceiling in our dining room.
We checked into The Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront and were immersed into equally lush and decadent décor with a moody, modern take on the locale. The hotel’s waterfront location was ideally situated for stepping straight into the rhythm of a town brimming with shops, restaurants, and the steady movement of the working river.
THE BUILDINGS
Our weekend started with a guided lunch tour – a great way to enjoy historic architecture and the Savannah food scene at the same time. Between stops for Beignets with Pecan Sauce, Shrimp and Grits, She Crab Soup, and Fried Green Tomatoes, we learned that the Colonial town had been ingeniously laid out in orderly squares by James Oglethorpe in 1733. Each of the original 24 squares was designed to include homes and community buildings, while providing a fire break to thwart enemy attacks.
We walked along River Street, marveling at cobblestone alleys paved with ballast stones from European ships. Historic mansions line the streets, including the Federal-style Davenport House, one of the first homes to be saved in the 1950s by a determined group of women who sparked organized preservation in the city. Their foresight is the reason so much still stands today.
THE DECORATING
The interiors were as memorable as the façades. At The Olde Pink House – its blush hue the result of a chemical reaction in the plaster over brick – we wandered, cocktails in hand, through sitting rooms, bedrooms, and ballrooms turned dining rooms, and a basement speakeasy wrapped in delicious darkness. Every space felt layered and authentic, drenched in paint colors that feel remarkably current 300 years later. Historic hues like dark brown, federal blue, yellow ochre, and salmon pink were set off by generous trim and moldings.
Even former mercantile buildings like the Cotton Exchange that houses Huey’s on the riverfront, or the former grocer that now holds Belford’s Savannah have been preserved and repurposed, their old brick walls contrasting well with thoughtful modern light fixtures. I would be remiss not to mention the crowning decorative element – one not created by human hands – as plentiful old live oaks draped in Spanish moss lend the city its unmistakable magic.
THE FEELING
This Valentine’s getaway left me with one prevailing emotion: gratitude. Gratitude for the preservationists who recognized beauty in what others might have dismissed as worn or outdated. Because of them, Savannah feels like a living museum – an immersive experience where you can wander freely without velvet ropes or whispered warnings. From carriage rides clip-clopping past moss-draped squares to watching barges glide along the river at sunset, the city feels both historic and vibrantly alive.
