Bride Tribe: Savannah Edition

“Love doesn’t make the world go ’round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”

Franklin P. Jones

When my friend Brittany found her worthwhile love, I was thrilled to help plan a bachelorette getaway for her Bride Tribe down to Savannah, GA—the “hostess city of the South!” Check out the itinerary (below) and video (above) from our Bride Tribe’s fun-filled trip.

Interested in creating your own memorable Bride Tribe adventure set against the backdrop of a beautiful, historic city that’s open-container, offers a plethora of delicious food options, easy to walk, and the official crossroads of pampering meets partying? Then Savannah—a top ranked city for hosting Bachelorette parties—might be the place for you!

When and How to Go to Savannah for a Bachelorette Party

Summertime is always fine. We ventured to Savannah in early June, a lovely time of year and season because from March through June the flowers are in full bloom. That said, several travel publications and reviews also recommend visiting anytime between mid-September through mid-November when there are less tourists.

Flights directly into Savannah can be expensive, so consider flying into Atlanta’s larger hub and renting a car to make the 248 mile drive (that’s what we did!) That may sound like a lot of miles, but the drive took us just over 3 hours 30 mins—a short spell when you’ve got great music and are rolling with friends.

Where to Stay in Savannah for a Bachelorette Party

Find a place within or near the historic via NoirBnB or AirBnb with a superhost like Steve. If you’re centrally located, you’ll be able to easily access restaurants, bars and clubs by walking, which saves money that would otherwise be spent on transportation.

That said, trust and believe that Savannah offers a variety of lodging options. If instead of traveling boojee on a budget you desire to travel boojee on a SUPER budget, I’d suggest investigating the many boutique hotels in the area. Given the architectural influences of the Colonial, Medieval and Victorian periods found among the designs of homes, cathedrals restaurants and more, it’d be hard to wrong with either choice. Locating a place within or near the historic district that allows you to walk, I believe, adds a special element to the trip, as you’ll be able to cover—and see—more ground. My personal favorites are the Mansion on Forsyth Park and the Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront.

Perks of an AirBnB

Every member of the bride tribe was in the same space versus being split up across hotel rooms. Having a kitchen and communal space made it easy and fun to cook meals together, as well as play games.

How to Make Your Savannah Bachelorette Party Extra Fun

First and foremost, plan ahead. Savannah offers a large variety of activities for natives and guests alike—many of which cater to bridal parties. (Oh yeah, if you didn’t know, Savannah ranks high on the list of host cities for a bachelorette party.)

While the city is breathtakingly beautiful, some of the most memorable moments occured when we were relaxing at the crib. Score some bottles of bubbly (we stayed right up the street from a grocery store) and games to play for any downtime your tribe may have. If you’re needing a little inspiration, see a list of games below:

What to Do in Savannah for a Bachelorette Party

You’ll definitely want to check the detailed itinerary (above). That said, below are a few suggestions that may be helpful.

1. Deciding what to schedule in advance for your group is dependent entirely on the taste of the bride and bride tribe. (Note: Our bride-to-be, Britt, had no idea what all was on the schedule. *Surprise*! But she’s chill so we were intentional about incorporating a beach day on Tybee Island into our itinerary– definitely consider doing this! Here, you can enjoy dolphin tours, jet ski, check out the beautiful Tybee Island Lighthouse and museum, and much more. )
2. Prior to your arrival, investigate Savannah’s numerous tour options (regular or haunted) and bar crawls. Yes, you read correctly; haunted. The city of Savannah has ranked high on “America’s Most Haunted Cities” list for publications like the Travel Channel and USA Today. Why? With a historic body count increased by the Civil War, Yellow Fever, mysterious murders and, of course, slavery, there’s no surprise that ghosts are thought to be plentiful.
3. For the history buffs, there’s Wormsloe Historic Site (a former plantation), museums that celebrate the vibrant African-American culture that sprung from this hardship, as well as the Savannah “renaissance”. And while many historic squares honor members of the confederacy, there’s one, the Chippewa Square, that’s famous as the bench scene in Forest Gump was filmed).
4. For my fellow art-lovers: investigate all of the museums and landmarks in advance and decide where you’d like to spend your time. There are at least a dozen. However, the Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center for the Arts is absolutely gorgeous and located in the heart of town, and one of my favorite places. (Disclaimer, I checked this place out during another trip to Savannah for an incredible Rodin exhibit.)
5. Other activities include taking in the city on a trolly, strolling the River Walk, visiting Forsyth Park, shopping and strolling through the City Market.

Regarding Nightlife

Scenic Savannah has a most poppin’ nightlife! There’s a long list of local establishments that offer a variety of options in terms of food, drink and fun.

In case you missed my tidbit above, Savannah is an open-container city, meaning you can carry a “to-go” cup from bar to bar throughout town. In addition to drinks, there are clubs, pubs, bars, live music, and late night hotspots all within the historic district.

We launched Friday night by making our way to Club One for an amazing drag show! (It wasn’t until later that I realized this was the home of The Lady Chablis, who rose to fame in part, for her feature in the book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”). Following, we checked out the city’s revered bar scene, landing at the Bar Bar. It’s a cool, underground location that played Hip-Hop and mixed strong drinks. (Disclaimer: I didn’t drink much this night, but that’s what each of my ladies shared.) But high quality, craft-cocktails and beers are a Savannah staple. There are even specialty tours that give you a taste of old Savannah such as a historical drinking tour or a haunted pub tour. We participated in the latter, which introduced us to the key lime shots at the 17Hundred90 Inn, renowned for excellent food, customer service, and ghost-sightings.

Where to Eat in Savannah for Your Bachelorette Party

Of course, there’s always time for food. Some of the nation’s most DELICIOUS food can be found in Savannah! For this trip we ventured to several spots, like:

The Green Truck Neighborhood Pub

Not at all a food truck, a full fledged restaurant, this spot offers AMAZING food! And I mean amazing. Everyone was pleased with they’re meal. At the time I was eating Vegetarian, but still scored a ridiculously tasty salad, for a place renowned for its burgers. Everything—even down to ketchup—is handmade, with all ingredients being locally sourced. So, no GMOs! For our trip’s fancy dinner, we went to the Olde Pink House, where we dined by candlelight on traditional southern comfort food. It was very upscale and traditional, in the sense that it exudes old, southern wealth. After all, it’s a reformed 18th-century mansion. Though the food was good, I’ll be honest: we were more excited for the photo ops the place offered than anything else. Other popular spots include Cotton & Rye and Mrs. Wilke’s Dining Room.

If you’re anything  like me, than you have a serious sweet tooth! For this, I recommend experiencing the following:

Leopold’s Ice Cream

Founded in 1919, Leopold’s Ice Cream is a Savannah anchor of tradition. Hand-crafted right in the historic district, it’s been famous since opening, loved for the shakes, malts, and soda fountain. Many of their toppings and ice cream ingredients and all of their sandwich meats and salads are prepared from scratch by a Leopold’s chef. Everyone will find something they love here. My only advice apart from “enjoy”, would to be go here when you have time to spare. Leo’s has been crowded every time I’ve gone– I mean line-out-the-door crowded. And I imagine this holds especially true during the summer months.

Savannah’s Candy Kitchen

Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, situated right on RIver Street, is the perfect place both to stroll after dinner and grab dessert. Located right  on River Street, this kitchen is famed for the homemade Pecan Pralines, this shop is a sweet lover’s dream, offering other handmade treats like fudge. Other childhood staples, like Tootsie Pop’s, Taffy, giant Blow Pops, Tootsie Rolls and more. My weakness are hands down the chocolate covered strawberries.

What to Pack for a Savannah Bachelorette Party

Below is the recommended list sent out to our gal pals, given our activities.

• Swimsuit
• Bug spray
• Sunscreen
• 3 outfits for going out (1 of which needs to be black)
• Bride Tribe Shirt
• Beach Towel
• One comfortable outfit
• One pair of comfortable shoes

Items provided to the group once the trip was underway:

• Personalized cups to be re-used (Savannah is an open-container city so this was helpful)
• Bride Tribe
• Food, drinks and snacks were purchased onsite for breaks and the mornings we allotted for making breakfast

Be sure to review the itinerary and video for more official details on how our Bride Tribe took Savannah! No matter if you choose to spend your time with the gals in a similar fashion, or completely customize your visit, one thing is for sure: the beauty and peace found in historic Savannah sets the perfect landscape for you and your friends both to celebrate and create memories that you’ll all cherish for a lifetime.