Ditch Valentine’s Day dinner at your favorite local restaurant and think big. Delay gratification and book a trip for this coming weekend to Savannah, one of the most romantic cities in the country.
Plan it right and a three-day getaway is as good as a week’s. Here are some ideas:
This reporter’s favorite place to nest in Savannah is the Ballastone Inn, a 16-room Victorian Bed and Breakfast that’s beautifully located. Unpack and put on your walking shoes. Get a map from the front desk and head to Lunch at the Café at City Market, a Euro-style eatery in one of the city’s restored edifices. Then it’s time to walk it off. Lace up your Nikes again, and further explore this most walkable of cities. Start at the Bull Street and Abercom Street Corridors. That will take you past many of the city’s landmarks, and nine of its 21 squares. The one place you don’t want to miss is Forsyth Park. The fountain is magical, the sound masking the rest of the muddled world. This signature Savannah landmark is on Bull Street.
What we’re doing here is working up an appetite for the evening. Leave the center of town and make tracks for River Street. Stroll, but do it carefully. There are loads of cobblestones about – ballastones really, rocks once stored in the holds of sailing ships to keep them stable. Don’t let them throw you for a loop. Make sure your shoes are made for walking.
One final trek before heading back to bed: Bedford’s, a local institution favored by the likes of Clint Eastwood, Debra Winger, and Ben Affleck. Order up the crab cakes, maybe some greens and grits. End the meal with Marlowe’s white chocolate cheesecake. The way you and your beloved finish off your post-Valentine’s foray is entirely up to you.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Images: nostri-imago, jeffgunn)
