Wedding Blog
Mr. Bee and I made a New Year’s Resolution to go on a vacation every 3 months, even if it’s just a day trip. While Mr. Bee doesn’t really need vacations (he’s a machine), they’re an essential part of my life. Whenever I come back from a vacation, I always feel inspired and have tons of new blog ideas. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery. 
My last trip was to New Orleans with a good friend of mine (my pc with all the pictures died, which is why I haven’t blogged about it). It was my first visit to the south and I completely fell in love with it, so Mr. Bee and I plan on visiting Savannah in late May. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Savannah!
In late summer/fall, we hope to go to San Francisco. Mr. Bee lived in San Francisco for two years, I went to college in the Bay Area, and my family drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco every year when I was a child to visit my grandpa. SF is one of my favorite cities and I haven’t been since 2001, so I’m way overdue for a visit.
Me and my MOH in front of Lombard Street a decade ago!
So dear readers, please tell me everything I must do in Savannah. We’ll only be there 2 nights and 3 days, so we want to check out the best highlights.
And while I’m already familiar with the Bay Area, I’ve never stayed at a hotel there, so please let me know if you have any hotel or restaurant recommendations. We’ll most likely zipcar while we’re there!
Because we’re seeing a big trend of minimoons, especially with the economy, some of the Bees are writing a post about their hometown as a minimoon destination. Stay tuned!
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Share this post: Savannah and San Francisco Bound!
That’s a great idea for a New Year’s resolution — way more fun than working out or eating well. 
Ooo, I hope Candy Corn, Cupcake or Bell Pepper writes about Philly!
Savannah musts. The Creepy Crawl Haunted Pub Tour. The guide is amazing and you get a good unique tour of the city and some entertaining stories. He get’s you into some areas you may otherwise not be able to go but most importantly the guide is an awesome storyteller.
Also you should check out Paula Dean’s restaurant, The Lady and Sons. Be prepared to be stuffed when you leave. It’s so delicious. I’ve found lunch to be the best time to go. There are crazy long lines around dinner time.
You should read Midnight in the Garden of Good an Evil before you go. It gives you some background on the city and a ton of landmarks are in the book. There are even a couple of tours based on he book.
Savannah is an incredible city. No matter what you do you’ll enjoy your time there.
I LOVE Savannah! Like ceciliap said — GO to Lady and Son’s. Call about potentially making a reservation as the wait is usually enormous. It’s totally worth it though.
Take a ghost tour — they’re hokey but so much fun. And make sure you spend some time wandering around all the gorgeous squares and parks.
You need to wander around River Street and definitely stop into one of the sweet shops. Also, if you’re there around St. Patrick’s Day they have fun specials like green grits (a southern food staple) and there’s a ridiculous parade down River Street that involves a LOT of alcohol.
Enjoy! Savannah is one of my favorite places ever!
@MagPie518: I’m such a suburbian and I don’t go out in the city enough! But thanks for thinking I’m cool enough to have the inside scoop Hehe.
i don’t have any hotel recommendations for the bay area but here are a few of my favorite restaurants in san francisco:
- coco500
- delfina
- fresca
- piperade
I’ve never been to Savannah, but I would go to the lady and sons-paula deens restaurant just because I love food! If your wanting to stay down town in a large hotel in Sf the hyatt is always great. I would recommend slanted door for a nice dinner. I’ve seen those zip cars! How fun!!
After watching countless hours on Food Network, Paula Deen’s restaurant http://www.ladyandsons.com/
I’m mimimooning in san fran and napa valley. we’ve never been before so would appreciate any recommendations or ‘inside’ info!
Oooh, never been to Savannah but that’s on my list!
As far as SF, I posted about a few restaurant/day activities for foodies, culture lovers, and romantics.
Hit up the Ferry Building, Gary Danko, Boulevard, Aqua, and Bix near the financial district/embarcadero.
Foreign Cinema, Cha Cha Cha, and Medjool in the Mission are all fun, and in my old neighborhood, Isa and Bistro Aix are great finds.
If you have the time, plan for a day trip up to wine country. that’s a whole other thread, but some of my faves are here.
Enjoy your planning, can’t wait to hear about your trips!
Uh, if you are in the City in July, you should try and come to our wedding 
i moved to savannah about a year ago and have so many suggestions. in my opinion, unless you are a die-hard paula deen fan, i think you can totally skip the lady and sons. if you want southern home cooking, mrs. wilkes boarding house is the place to go for it (lunch only). other restaurant suggestions:
-local 11ten
-the olde pink house (the basement bar has the coziest atmosphere with fireplaces and live music)
-weekend brunch at soho south is amazing
-if it’s warm when you’re here you should get drinks at the mansion on forsyth and sit on the outside patio overlooking the park
-cupcakes at back in the day bakery are to die for
there are some great stores if you feel like shopping:
-one fish two fish
-paris flea market
-@ home
-shopscad
and a great little day trip is to drive out to bonaventure cemetery, which is gorgeous and located on the water.
If you don’t already have lodging booked I highly recommend the 1895 Inn. It’s every bit as wonderful as their reviews on Trip Advisor.
Lady & Sons is always crowded and is by far the most “well-known” of the restaurants and I also recommend trying it at lunch when it’s less crowded. I honestly wasn’t that impressed. Our faves are the Olde Pink House (a nice dinner out option, just make a reservation). Leopold’s Ice Cream is a nice cooling treat since it can be quite hot and humid down there. Zunzi’s takeout is nice for a picnic in one of the squares, and I love Cafe Ambrosia and soho south. Make sure you have some pecan pralines from one of the shops on the river.
I second the Creepy Crawl Pub Tour as opposed to some of the other Haunted walks. Check out several of the home tours, each have their own highlights, and some allow you to see more of the house than others. The trolly tours can be a nice way to see lots of things and get a feel for what you want to go back and see more of. Bonaventure cemetery is really beautiful, but it’s not in historic Savannah so you’ll need to either take a tour or drive out to it. Check out the art & other various shops boutique, especially the SCAD (Savannah college of Art & Design) shops.
Lady and Sons! But definately for lunch so you can enjoy their buffet. They don’t take reservations, so be sure to get up early and wait in line at 9am.
Moon River Brewery has some great brews. Get their samplers.
Carriage ride of the city is so romantic. Get the private ones near the market. They’re just as much basically as a trolley that you have to fight for a seat on.
Leopold’s Ice Cream is delish for an evening treat.
And one of my personal fav’s of Savannah-you can walk around with alcoholic beverages, yay! So grab an everclear slushee and have fun!
Good call ggsb. The SCAD shop is great.
Yay for SCAD! That’s my alma mater…and their mascot is the bee, so how fabulous that you will be visiting! Unfortunately I won’t be of much help in recommendations as I was hardly ever able to get out of my room (too much homework) while I was in Savannah, but there is always the Bonaventure Cemetery which has some very beautiful and old monuments. The whole city is amazingly historical, southern and downright gorgeous!
Cafe GelatOhhh! is fabulous too!!
@ annie - good call on Mrs. Wilkes I almost forgot about it. The length of the line freaked me out the first time we went….but it moves really fast.
Ahhh Savannah….it is so lovely. I’ve always wanted to stay at the Keyhoe House, but I travel with a bunch of wussies (seriously, everything is haunted there). The haunted pub crawl is great, and the carriage rides are fun for being touristy. I would definetly do the private carriage like AOEBuckeye stated, the group tour is crowded. I would set one up on the first day there, though, because you will learn of lots of places you will want to visit while you’re there.
I know you didn’t exactly ask for this, but if you’re looking for a fun bar in SF, check out Slide in Union Square. You gotta get there fairly early, but I’ve always had a good time. It was once a speakeasy and you can slide to get in! And there’s no cover!
a few things about savannah…
you must must go to dinner at the olde pink house… it is super cute and romantic… make sure to take a tour in one of the trolleys so that you can get an overview and see where you may want to walk around…
and please please take yur pictures and back them up… you will have some of the most exquisite pictures you have ever taken, put them on a jump drive bc Mr. WW did not do the same and he lost them all 
have fun… charleston is where i can spend the rest of my days, but savannah is my “zen spot” i just feel so blissfully happy when i am there…
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaCCCCK! Come visit! =)
That’s a great new year’s resolution! I’m sure you and Mr. Bee will have fabulous trips this year. I went to San Francisco last year with my fiance, and it was amazing. It was my first time on the west coast, and boy did I have a good time. I do recommend going to Pebble Beach, which is about a 2 hour drive from there but well worth it. It is absolutely beautiful.
Hi! If you plan on going to the Lady and Sons, you should go to the restaurant at 9 AM and sign in for the 12 PM lunch…seems odd, I know. But lunch reservations fill up fast!
Also, make sure you visit as many candy stores as possible…they make some of the most wonderful candies I’ve ever had!!
One last thing…my family and I took a carriage ride tour throughout the city and we were able to see so many of the squares in Savannah. There’s so much history about each one, and I think a tour (as touristy as it may sound) is the only way to do it! And believe me, the carriage ride would be very romantic for Mr. Bee and yourself!
Hope you have so much fun!
Tybee Island is so close to Savannah and is absolutely beautiful. There is a a little lighthouse too. I definately suggest the Gophers at the Savannah Candy Co. Bonaventure is worth a vish. Vinnie Van Go-Go’s pizza and gelatohh are in a great area for shopping and make a good lunch date spot.
Must go to the Olde Pink House. Make reservations. IMO Uncle Bubba’s for seafood is great. I would skip Lady and Son’s it’s just like Cracker Barrel!
Mrs Bee, a new hotel opened up in Japantown with really cute decor and it’s quite affordable: http://www.jdvhotels.com/tomo
There is a really cute Bed and Breakfast I always past on my way to Dolores Park or to visit BiRite for ice cream (balsamic strawberry ice cream or salted caramel anyone?): http://parkerguesthouse.com/
Oops, never mind, Parker Guest House is a gay B&B You should definitely try BiRite Creamery–it’s delish!
As a resident of Savannah for 6 years, I’d have to say that there are currently many better places to eat than The Lady and Sons. I love what Paula Deen has done for our city, but the restaurant is not what it used to be.
For good Savannah standards, go to the Olde Pink House for lunch or dinner. For an outstanding local and organic meal, go to dinner at Cha Bella’s on the edge of the Historic District. Enjoy the baked goods at Harris Baking Company or Back in the Day Bakery. Soho South or Firefly Cafe are nice lunch spots. Gallery Espresso is a nice local place to grab coffee or lunch.
The key to Savannah is walking around! Bring good walking shoes and wander through the squares. If you’ve read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, visit Monterey Square. Visit it anyway, as it’s beautiful (and where I’ll be getting married in November.) Enjoy the view from River Street, especially around sunset. If you like history, it abounds in Savannah, and there are some very nice historic homes that you can tour.
Savannah is expensive for hotels, but make sure to stay in the Historic District rather than Midtown or out by the airport. There are many well-regarded bed and breakfasts, but my family has always gotten a vacation rental through http://www.vrbo.com.
Most of all, enjoy your trip!
SF Hotels… I would recommend the following:
Clift-modern, Kabuki-Japantown, Vitale-location, and St. Regis-luxury. You should eat at Yoshi’s SF. We were the first wedding at the restaurant a month ago and people can’t stop talking about the venue and the food! Enjoy!
Come to me.
Come.
It’s been mentioned, but I’ve always wanted to stay at Hotel Vitale, Miss Peep Toe’s venue! It’s a great location!
For eats, Slanted Door is always a great time, and admittedly, leaving Babbo, I thought about how much more I loved Delfina in SF, so maybe you should check it out and judge! Of course you have to go back to Babbo to eat first… make Mr. Bee take you
I hear Top Dog in Berkeley is good.
When visiting San Francisco, you should check out Asia SF. It is a guarantee good time and lots of fun, food is great as well!
I second (third? fourth?) Lady and Sons!!! It’s SO yummy. And definitely take that trip out to SF in the summer or fall…I’ll see you there!
i love san francisco! my brother went to college and currently lives there so we visit a lot. we have stayed at the st. francis in union square, it’s such a beautiful hotel with very close proximity to shopping we also stayed at hotel tomo (run by best western) in japantown. i love the decor of their rooms– murals on walls, bright colors, carpet printed to look like wood floors, fatboys instead of recliners.
Ohh, my fiance proposed to me in Savannah!! Forsyth Park is gorgeous for a picnic, and you can’t go wrong with SEVERAL of the restaurants down on the river. I don’t remember the name of the one where we ate right before he proposed (I’m awful! The whole night is a blur!), but I’ll see if I can find it for you, because it was amazing!
The Tybee Island lighthouse (about 20-30 min away) is also a fun climb, if you’re into that sort of thing. The view from the top is great!
@beeanimated: I’m a SCAD graduate too!
So, Mrs. Bee– here’s what my 4 years @ SCAD taught me: I’d agree that Lady and Sons is a bit of a disappointment if you aren’t a big fan; much better food at the Olde Pink House or Mrs. Wilkes. Also, if you get out to the islands, then definitely eat at Tubby’s Tank House (they have one on River Street too, but I think that one can’t compare to the one one the islands). In addition to checking out the SCAD shops, also check out their galleries and visit their website to see if there’s a lecture or possible a show (support my fellow performing art majors!) that you guys would like to check out. (www.scad.edu).
What a great New Year’s resolution! I’m moving to Savannah next month! You’ll love it!
My fiance’ and I went to Savannah last summer and he still mentions The Tea Room once a week.
We stayed at The 1895 Inn and nothing we’ve stayed in since then has held a candle to it. They’re fantastic.
I think a couple others have mentioned it, but Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room. DELICIOUS! Go early and stand in line so you get the first sitting. So worth it. YUM!!! (http://www.mrswilkes.com/) And take a ghost tour — it was really silly, but a lot of fun. We stayed at a B&B that I can’t remember the name of, but it was within walking distance of all the downtown stuff. Savannah is a great city to just walk around in!
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Mrs. Bee, New York
Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet
Engagement Date: May 7, 2004
Wedding Date: March 5, 2005
Venue: Westside Loft, New York
About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
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