Blog

Yes, you’re in the South. And yes, you’ll find some fried food here, but if that’s all you’re expecting, then you’ve got Savannah all wrong. Thanks to its coastal location, Savannah offers a little bit of everything, and it’s quickly becoming a formidable culinary rival to Atlanta. If southern comfort food is what you’re after, there are many options. Many of the restaurants in Historic Savannah are attractions in their self – housed within mansions built in the late 1700s. Most dining establishments have a unique history, where eating feels like taking a step back in time. Other offerings include speakeasy-like cellars beneath restaurants or shops that offer drinks and small plates to enjoy while listening to some tunes by a local pianist or jazz musician. Though Savannah has its fair share of deep-rooted eateries that act as the foundation…

There’s a local saying that, once your feet touch the sand of Jekyll Island, you’ll always come back. With 10-miles of sprawling beaches, historic ruins, and an abundance of wildlife, it’s easy to see why so many people throughout history have fallen in love with the island. Situated within the chain of the Golden Isles off Georgia’s coast, Jekyll Island is just a few miles away from St. Simons Island, Sea Island, and Brunswick. From the moment you turn down the long, marsh-lined drive you know you’ve arrived somewhere special. Wandering under a canopy made from the twisting limbs of live oak trees, so large and so old their branches have often grown into the ground and back up again, it’s easy to believe that you’re walking with the shadows of guests from another era. Prior to British colonization, the…

One of our new Gray Line Savannah excursions is a day trip to Beaufort, South Carolina. The charming city of Beaufort is known for many things – a gorgeous historic district, a fascinating history featuring pivotal tales from the Colonial South and the Civil War, the rich Gullah culture – and also beloved Southern author Pat Conroy. Conroy spent many of his defining years in Beaufort and returned to live in the city on and off as an adult. Though he passed in 2016, his legacy is fresh on our minds thanks to the recent publication of a memoir, Tell Me A Story, by his widow, Cassandra King Conroy, and the upcoming Pat Conroy Literary Festival in Beaufort. One of the defining characteristics of Conroy’s writing is the vivid descriptions of nature, in particular, the coastal landscape of South Carolina….

Savannah, with its Spanish moss, Southern accents and creepy graveyards, has an eccentric streak. Savannah College of Art and Design students mix with ghost hunters and preservationists, while Southern-fried restaurants share street blocks with edgy cafes and restored theaters. The quirky characters in the true crime story, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” say it all. Yes, eccentricity is the name of the game, but if that’s not your “box of chocolates,” as Tom Hanks famously said in the Savannah-filmed “Forrest Gump,” maybe history or nightlife is? Savannah’s antebellum past seeps from nearly every corner but “The Hostess City of the South” abandons its genteel behavior by nightfall to prove it also knows how to show visitors a good time. Culture & Customs Savannah is the model of the Southern city. The people are well-mannered, polite and friendly….

Just a short drive from Savannah, the historic riverfront community of Old Town Bluffton offers an eclectic blend of arts, culture, and natural beauty waiting to be explored. Here are our top five things to do when you visit Historic Bluffton. Each of our picks is listed with its corresponding Old Town Bluffton Map#, so you can easily find each point of interest. Maps can also be picked up at our first recommended stop – The Heyward House. Stop at the Heyward House.   Map #60. With it’s typical, Lowcountry farmhouse-style architecture, the Hayward House may not initially stand out as a “must-see” location.  Built circa 1841, the Cole family originally lived in the home from June through September for twenty years before the Civil War. When the war began, like many of the families, the Cole family fled the area. Union…