#daytrippin: Savannah, Georgia

When staying in St. Augustine, Florida for spring break, 11:00am was the latest checkout time we could get. If we had begun driving at 11:00am, we would've gotten home around 4:00-4:30am (counting stops for meals and such). That's about the worst time to get home- would people actually go back to sleep or would they be up for the day?? Sleep is always something we worry about when we're away from home.

We debated on whether to try and stay around the pool and enjoy the beautiful day, but ultimately decided to leave. Our plan was to drive for a few hours then stop for a late lunch at a playground or something to let the kids burn off some energy for a while before getting back into the car.

While driving the route from Michigan to St. Augustine, we pass signs for two cities that have been on my bucket list of places to see for a long time: Charleston, South Caroline and Savannah, Georgia. We had already learned that even though there is a sign for Charleston, it is actually about two hours out of the way- needing to go much farther east. That was a detour we'd probably never make. We'll have to plan a trip just to see that city ;)

As we were driving, and we begun seeing signs for Savannah, Georgia, I asked Josh if he had ever looked up how far off our route THAT city was. He hadn't. I quickly looked it up and saw that it was only twenty minutes out of our way. I ask him, "should we just stop in Savannah for a few hours?!" That was an easy yes!

Usually, when Josh and I travel anywhere, we do research and have in our minds things we'd like to do and see so we can take advantage of every moment. Even if we're just #daytrippin. I knew nothing about this city except what I had seen on the Bravo show "Southern Charm: Savannah." I did some quick research while we were on our way, but mostly this trip was totally random, which was really lovely. Here's how #halfdozenhundts spent their trip to Savannah...

1.)  Forsyth Park: We pulled right into this large park in downtown and scored an amazing parking spot. Forsyth Park is 30 acres and has places to walk, picnic, bike, play, and admire all kinds of Spanish moss. The Forsyth Fountain is one of the most beautiful parts. The weather was absolutely spectacular and it was an amazing way to see beauty and also give my kids time to play on playgrounds.

#hundtboysx4 and Daddy admiring the Forsyth Fountain 

 2.) Wormsloe Plantation: You can't go to any city with me without being subject to lots of hunDting for beauty. I can't help it. My camera is like an extension of my heart. As I was reading about Savannah, I wanted to makes sure to find somewhere we could see some beautiful Spanish moss; I'm obsessed. Over and over I read about the entrance to Wormsloe Plantation. I looked it up and it was a little out of the way... probably not the best use of our time... but... it was happening. After playing and exploring at the park, we got back in the car and headed out of the historic district to the plantation. Josh had never low expectations as we drove through strip malls and neighborhoods, but then we made a right turn and all was right with the world. OH.MY.GOODNESS. This drive was spectacular. It was obvious others agreed as there were cars parked all along it with people snapping pictures and families with photographers getting family pictures taken. I did not make everyone get out of the car for a family pictures, but we will be back, I'll just say that ;)

3.) Downtown treats: We had promised the boys (and ourselves) a treat before leaving Savannah. The Wormsloe Plantations wasn't near downtown so we tried to find a Dairy Queen or Baskin Robbins that we could go to and then get back on the road to Michigan. But, because I am me, I looked up best ice creams in Savannah and the #1 place was right back downtown. I wanted to drive around there more anyway so I deterred us again and back to town we headed. I kept reading about this Leopold's Ice Cream- old, classic, parlor-style. Sounded great to us! Why not hit up the most popular place while we are here?! Well we parked and as we walked towards the restaurant, we saw that there was a line that stretched outside and around the corner. We knew that wasn't going to be a good situation. SHOOT! So, we happened to find a Ben & Jerry's. We did not get to experience local cuisine, but at least we got to eat a treat while people walking right in the heart of the city. 

Even though we only spent a couple of hours there, Savannah was quaint, adorable, charming, and had a great combination of beauty, city, and history which is pretty much my bread and butter. Suffice it to say, I believe a trip down there will be in our future. 

Have you been to Savannah before? What do we absolutely have to see or eat the next time we are there?!