A few restaurants within walking distance were still open at this hour, but Kaleb and I decided to eat the snacks and whatever food we had in our packs and went to bed.
The next day, we went out exploring. The city planners purposely divided Savannah into
squares, 24 in total; 22 still exist. I found a map describing a walking tour to
see all the squares in one day, but we decided to randomly meander around the Historic District. Each square had its own character, with lots of mossy oaks everywhere. Chippewa Square is featured in the opening scene of the movie
Forrest Gump. The bench was just a movie prop but is on display at the
Savannah History Museum.
 | | riverfront |
|  | | a square |
|
 | | another square |
|  | | Colonial Park Cemetery |
|
 | | St. John the Baptist cathedral |
|  | | Forsyth Park |
|
 | | stately homes bordering the park |
|  | | nice looking animal hospital |
|
Wanting some Southern food, we headed to
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room, well reviewed on Yelp. Due to the pandemic, it was takeout only, with outside seating provided. There was a long line when we arrived at 11:40am. Closing time was 2pm, but the line was cut off shortly before noon. Orders were taken by hand and when the food was ready, staff would call your mobile phone.
Reviewers warned that the $30 fried chicken lunch special was plenty for two people to share, so we got just one and added a second drink and banana pudding.
 | | long queue |
|  | | end of the line person moved this sign along |
|
The food wouldn't be ready for 2 hours, so we walked around the corner to
Crystal Beer Parlor. It was a bit busy, but since we were willing to sit outside, we only had to wait about 15 minutes. There were fans blowing to cool the patrons. I also noticed a few plastic bags hanging from the rafters, filled with water and pennies. Apparently, they help to
repel flying bugs.
 |
| does the bag really repel flies? (I'd bet on the fans) |
 | | today's beer menu |
|  | | crab dip and house-made chips |
|
By the time we finished our appetizers and returned to Mrs. Wilkes, our food was ready, paid at pickup. We got way more chicken and sides than we ordered. Glad that we had a kitchen for our leftovers! Other people were also surprised at the amount of food, especially the family of 4 who each ordered a lunch special. Since it was already past closing time, there were plenty of open tables. Staff would periodically come by with pitchers of iced or sweet tea for free refills. Southern food was what I expected - fried, salty, and sweet...in other words, very tasty!
 |
| rest of the food is in the box |
With all the extra food and no set dinner plans, we ended up relaxing in our hotel room for the evening and heating up the leftovers.
 |
| view out our balcony |
We only had one full day in Savannah, but it was enough to get a taste of the city. It was delightful to walk around the squares. I would recommend a visit, especially if you pair it with a stay on Hilton Head Island.
The next day, we stayed at the hotel until our 2pm checkout, then got an Uber to the Savannah airport. There was a
Leopold's Ice Cream shop land-side, so I stopped to have a cup of it before heading through security. The honey almond and cream had rave reviews, but for me, it was just all right. If I had time to try other flavors, I'm sure I would have found a favorite. Another Leopold's was air-side, but it was just a kiosk with a limited selection.
 |
| honey almond and cream flavor |
Savannah airport had a lounge called the
Passport Club, which we were able to access with an
American Express Platinum Card. The place was small, refreshment selection lacking, but at least it was a quiet place to sit and charge electronic devices. Unfortunately, it closed at 5pm, so we had to go to the gate a bit early.
Our 6:40pm flight ended up delayed almost four hours. We sat in the plane for a while, then had to disembark. Unfortunately, all of the shops in the terminal closed at 7:30pm, with only vending machines available. We had a few snacks on us but nothing substantial for dinner.
Eventually, we got back in the plane again for departure, but due to our late arrival into Baltimore at midnight, our plans had changed. Kaleb's dad was to pick us up, drive back home for the night, then head to Ocean City the next day. Instead, we would drive straight to Ocean City from the airport, not getting to the beach house until 3am. We were starving when we landed and had to get food from vending machines since nothing was open. Surprisingly, the purchases were covered by the annual travel credit on the
US Bank Altitude Reserve credit card.
Stay tuned for the rest of the trip in Ocean City and Lancaster County!
(Missed reading about our visit to Charleston, South Carolina? Click here! Don't miss a single update! Click here to subscribe and have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
