Garden Delight
A guide to Savannah's countless charms
By Blair Knobel
SAVANNAH IS A CITY of secrets and souls. It has a liminal quality, history alive through ghost stories and ancient cemeteries, cobblestone streets and live oaks weeping with Spanish moss.
I’m taken with this artful, intoxicating, and spiritual place. Here is a primer of my recent time in the Hostess City of the South.
TASTE
Savannah’s flavor is faceted and certainly extends to its food scene. Among its restaurant standouts, including celebrated chef Mashama Bailey’s The Grey, is Common Thread. This concept is an offshoot of FARM in Bluffton, South Carolina. Chef Brandon Carter and team deliver thoughtful yet comforting cuisine, driven by seasonal produce of the Lowcountry. While the diverse and ever-changing menu features an array of meat and seafood options, vegetarian and vegan dishes shine brightly.
SEE
While any cemetery feels like holy ground, Savannah italicizes the word holy and underlines it for good measure. Among the city’s verdant gardens are its breathtaking and historically potent graveyards like Colonial Park Cemetery and Bonaventure Cemetery, which features in John Berendt’s 1994 book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. What began on 70 acres as Evergreen Cemetery on the Bonaventure Plantation in 1846 has now expanded to 103 acres, owned by the City of Savannah.
SHOP
For a city that is both quirky and refined, it stands to reason that its shops would be similarly eclectic. I stumbled upon a few standout spots, including PW SHORT General Store, featuring an intriguing mix of accessories, eyewear, barware and kitchen goods, clothing, and artwork. The Paris Market and Brocante, on pedestrian-heavy Broughton Street, oozes French-inspired charm, two stories packed with home accents, books, glassware, candles, and more.
WRITE
Speaking of quirky, one of our favorite finds was this “old typing gadget” in the must-stop shop, E. Shaver, Bookseller. The building, constructed in 1842 by female builder Eliza Jewett as her personal residence, sits in the heart of the historic downtown district off of Madison Square. Opened in 1975 by the Shavers (Ed and Esther), who visited Savannah on their honeymoon and decided to stay, the vibrant shop has an array of titles, cats, and typed messages, taped to the wall like poetry.
