I GOT MY PEACHES OUT IN

by Libby Olbrantz

I GOT MY peaches OUT IN GEORGIA

Igot my peaches out in Georgia. Savannah to be exact. We found round-trip tickets out of Chicago for $90 on Allegiant Air, so we decided to take a four-day weekend and experience some of that sweet peach tea and warm Southern hospitality. We found a cute Airbnb, which provided free bikes, about a mile away from the historical district. After settling into our Airbnb, we biked over to Green Truck Neighborhood Pub for the best cheeseburger and fries I’ve had in my life. It tasted like the ranch sauce was homemade with truffle oil, and the fries were sprinkled with parmesan seasoning. They have the sweetest staff too; they gave us free stickers when they found out their restaurant was the first place we wanted to eat in Savannah after seeing photos on Google. Saturday morning saw us waking up with the sunrise and wanting us to get an early start to our day. I thought a leisurely cruise along the riverfront sounded splendid, so we took our time biking through town and parked next to the lion goddess divine. What I thought were cool footbridges ended up being a downward brick lain spiral to the river walk. After bopping around the riverfront and historic districts all morning, we decided to stop into Namaste Savannah, a local Nepali fusion restaurant that had the best grilled Chow Mein and samosas. Afterward, we biked through Forsyth Park to see the fountain and farmers market. If you’re in the mood for farm-fresh snacks along the way or a palm reading from the crystal jewelers, make sure to stop by before 1 p.m. when everyone starts to pack up their stocks and head home for the day.

We came back home to rest and wait out the afternoon sun for a few hours. The intense Southern sun and high humidity can leave you feeling utterly exhausted. Ways I've found are best to recover with some "me time" are taking a soothing bath, writing in a journal and taking a quick pick-me-up nap. No trip to Savannah is complete without a visit to Starland. An artsy district with murals all over the insides and outsides of buildings, as well as the sidewalks. One of my favorite murals melted out of the ice cream parlor, down the stairs and straight out onto the concrete. It makes for a fun photo opportunity while you snack on some of the quirky ice cream flavors and shop nostalgic artware from local artisans in the shop inside. Treat yourself and get dessert before dinner: creamsicle ice cream in a creamsicle cone.

Dinner is a hop, skip and a jump away! I recommend The Verge, an Asian fusion kitchen with an enormous outdoor patio and wonderful wait staff. The pork dumplings are absolutely to die for. The dipping sauce drips down the side and melts into the pastry making a perfect fusion of haute explosions on your taste buds. For the main course, try the noodle stir fry, a side of French baguettes and a cilantro mojito to drink, I promise you won’t be disappointed. After all of the excitement and specialty cuisines of the last two days, I recommend a relaxing day at the beach. Bike to the local grocery store to pick up snacks and lunch, and call a Lyft to Tybee Island North Beach. If you get there before 11 a.m., you’ll be able to scope out a prime location on the beach and be one of the first ones in the water. Around noon, the tides start to pick up and you get to bounce around in the waves and watch local surfers glide along the coastal shore. My favorite part was my boyfriend spinning me around in the water while the pelicans flew overhead and dove into the water around us. It felt like we were in a magical tropical fantasy. After all the sunshine and relaxation, stop by the food stand to order a giant vanilla ice cream cone to cool off before your journey back to the city.

“Monday morning was our last few tourist stops before our flight back home. I wanted to visit Mirabelle, a local coffee shop that sells chocolate bars from around the world. ”

After coming home and relaxing for a few hours, check out Zunzi’s for dinner! Their Conquistador sandwich was voted No. 1 Best Sandwich in Georgia by People magazine. Take it all in with their specialty blend of peach sweet tea. Between the reggae music, free popsicles and bottled water they’re handing out, this place has an amazingly chill vibe that made me want to stay and dance the night away. Monday morning was our last few tourist stops before our flight back home. I wanted to visit Mirabelle, a local coffee shop that sells chocolate bars from around the world. I picked out a François Pralus Pistachio Nougat that didn’t disappoint! It was the smoothest consistency I’ve ever experienced. It created the perfect pick me up before our walk to Mrs. Wilkes for lunch. I recommend showing up at around 9:30 a.m. if you have a tight schedule — we did and we were sixth in line. A half hour later saw an endless line wrapped around the building as locals and tourists piled together continuously through the lunch hours. We waited two hours and then my phone rang to let me know I could come inside to pick up my box of fried chicken and Southern sides. Enjoy your last Southern cooking foodie adventure until next time!

Libby Olbrantz Read this article and more: https://thetravelintel.com/articles/savannah-ga Read more articles from Libby Olbrantz https://thetravelintel.com/travel/libby-olbrantz