Sweet Savannah

Aaron had a conference in Savannah so Atticus and I tagged along for a few days away...it was SO nice!  Here are a few of the highlights from our trip.  And just for the record, I would totally go back to Savannah in a heartbeat should another opportunity lend itself...such a cool city! (this is the view from our hotel window)

First order of business....Eat at Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons restaurant - wowza, it was quite an experience!  I wasn't sure we were even going to be to able to get in, everyone I talked to said you have to make reservations waaay in advance.  The good news, I went around 9am and put our name in for a lunch reservation with no problem...YAY!

 

We even got to see Paula's son Jamie outside the restaurant while we waited...I didn't want to do the crazy person thing and run up to him and ask for a photo so I nonchalantly raised my phone to snap a shot, granted I only got his head...but I promise it was him :)  You can see him scratching his head below :)

We had some time to spare before our lunch date so Atticus and I went on a horse drawn carriage ride through historic/downtown Savannah - it was the perfect way to spend our free time!  The weather was perfect - 80 degrees and sunny but a really nice gentle breeze.  

It was recommended by several locals not to order off the menu, but just order the buffet instead...Ok, if you insist :)  Roasted Chicken, Mac'n cheese (to die for), green beans, baby lima beans, black eyed peas, cream corn, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, beef stroganoff....It was like Thanksgiving on steroids!! 

 

A huge salad bar, to which Attiucs ate the beets off of....And there was banana puddin' of course...

 

But my favorite thing was the sweet tea with mint and lemon...it was ah-mazing!!  

Atticus was particularly fond of the corn cakes, I can't imagine why :)

 

After eating a meal like that you can only do one thing...TAKE A NAP!

Atticus has out grown his pack 'n play which is what he typically sleeps in when we travel.  This was the first time we got to try out his new toddler size blow up mattress...It was awesome.  He slept like a champ in it, didn't try to crawl out, he loved it!  I think this might inspire me to work on transitioning his crib to a toddler bed...but we'll see - no rush.  The bed is kind of shaped like a boat, in that it is raised on the edges so he can't roll off of it, pretty neat concept! And as you can see, he is zonked out!!

 We went for a stroll through all the squares in downtown, did a little bit of shopping, stopped for an iced coffee and a cookie, and just enjoyed being in a new space for a few days.  We got to see the "bench" where Forrest Gump sat for so much of that film, as well as the church used in the movie.

I loved all the Spanish Moss in the trees, flowers were in bloom everywhere, and the cobblestone roads made me feel like we stepped back in time - although not the most conducive for strollers... 

Atticus made a friend while we were out for one of our many walks... a 4 week old Siberian Husky/German Shepherd mix...He was very sweet and gentle with the puppy...

THIS IN NO WAY IS AN INVITATION FOR ANYONE TO BUY ATTICUS A DOG!!!!! 

 The dog, however, was not too sure about Atticus, but honestly, what puppy wants a two year old dragging him around :)

 We did a little sight seeing in the evenings once Aaron was done with his conference commitments.  We had dinner one night at the Cotton Exchange Tavern - it was some of the best seafood I've eaten!  Aaron and Atticus had fun thumb wrestling while we waited on our food to arrive - somehow Atticus always won :)

 Aaron got the Low Country Boil with shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes...

 

I got the fried shrimp - they were HUGE - .my favorite!  Served with hush puppies, cole slaw, and french fries - I know it's all fried, but I figured with as much walking as we were doing it was ok to splurge :)

After dinner we stopped by the Savannah Sweet Shoppe...Atticus enjoyed a chocolate covered pretzel stick, Aaron got a dark chocolate peanut butter cup, and I devoured a bear claw (basically a turtle, just bigger and better!!)

 We spent a lot of time at Forsyth Park.  It was the perfect spot for Atticus to expend some of his energy.  The park was full of water fountains, playgrounds, huge trees with spanish moss, dogs, park benches, sticks just waiting to be collected, and open grassy areas to run and fly kites.

 

 

And a trip to Savannah wouldn't be complete without a stop by Tybee Island.  This was Atticus' first time at the beach.  He loved the way the sand felt on his toes - he kept saying it tickled :)  It had cooled off a bit by this point in our trip, so we didn't get in the water but running around on the sand was enough for this little boy.

Hope to see you again soon Savannah!!!