Sweet Savannah
Savannah. Where history, the coast, and the south all come to a point in the form of fried food, humidity, and Paula Deen. I've had a soft spot for Savannah since the first time I drove through the city a few years ago and had always had an itch to return. It only made sense to round out our vacation with a day there.
After Wilmington (where local coffee shops are few and far between), we were desperate to find a spot serving decent coffee. The first morning we happened upon The Coffee Fox. It was an eclectic spot serving Perc, a roaster Andy was familiar with from home. While I (as the baby coffee drinker) got an iced horchata latte, Andy drank a pour over, both served with a side of one of their warm Kolache pastries. We were not disappointed.
On our second morning in town we were lucky enough to learn that Perc Coffee was open and serving coffee to the public for the first time. Who were their first customers? These two. The three guys working were so excited to have customers that they stood at the counter and talked to us during most of our visit, answering all of Andy's questions about their roasting and shipping methods. If you're ever in Savannah, I recommend stopping by to visit these guys; no doubt you will be taken care of.
Andy was also on the hunt for some craft beer. Through all of our research ahead of the trip, Service Brewing Co kept coming up. We headed over to their warehouse, making it in time to attend a tour of the facility. While I can't tell you any details about the logistics behind their brewing methods, I can tell you the owner had two adorable cats, Chinook and Black Hawk, who followed us around for the duration of the tour - obviously my priorities were in line. The space itself was unlike any bar or brewery I'd seen before. Design elements were taken from the different scenarios the owner, Kevin, had found himself in throughout his deployments. Their fridge was built from shipping containers, similar to the ones Kevin lived in while in the middle east. A parachute, like one he used while on an assignment, lined one wall. I was equally impressed with the design elements and in awe of all of the different scenarios Kevin had worked through.
After all of the coffee and beer trips for Andy, we had to spend some time shopping around town for me. My favorite? Shop SCAD. It's a local shop selling items that SCAD students have created. From aprons, to birthday cards, to cutting boards, this shop had a little something for everyone. One of my favorite items (and one that I ended up going home with) was the jewelry printed on the 3D printer. You think you know what art is until you walk into a store like this and see just how broad of a concept "art" is.
Unsurprisingly, my FitBit showed we had walked some 16,000 steps over the course of our day in Savannah. We managed to see everything we wanted, filled our bellies with southern comfort food at Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady and Sons, and got our fill of local roasts and brew.