Nothing recharges you quite like a getaway, especially a getaway with your girls! My girlfriends and I met in Washington, DC to embark on a weekend travel adventure. We all yearned for the chance to relax trading deadlines (and dishes!) for a trip of sophistication and fun. We knew the perfect place to head to was the heart of the gracious south, Savannah! And we knew that the perfect way to get there was in the comfort and convenience of an Amtrak train.
Traveling by train gave us exactly what we were looking for; a leisure adventure! We had a moving slumber party as we departed from Union Station and boarded Amtrak’s Silver Service for a smooth overnight ride to The Hostess City. We caught up on all things work and family and we also managed to catch some shuteye courtesy of the sleeping cars!
Savannah has emerged as one of the top 10 girl trip destination towns as rated by the USA Today, Travel + Leisure and more. I could immediately see why when we arrived in the historic town it felt like a step away for our harried lives and a step back into time with the pristinely preserved city draped in moss, magnolias and antebellum mansions.
We’d had the chance to unwind as we traveled and for our first stop we knew that shopping was in order and that we would probably wind up dropping a mint. Mint julep that is! Did you know that Savannah is one of the cities where you can sip and see? Yes, you can enjoy a refreshing cocktail while you walk down the tree lined streets shopping or simply taking in the sights.
We headed to Broughton Street one of the Savannah’s most popular shopping destinations (cocktails in hand and pinkies up). First up was Paris Market and Brocante which marries extravagant treasures from around the world to hip finds in the “Brocante” which means flea market where salvaged and new trinkets await. It’s a good thing that Amtrak allows you to bring on two free bags because we certainly picked up more than a few items from the stores on Broughton including at Zia’s Boutique which has jewelry from around the world, designer bags and more.
Even when you’re with your girlfriends it’s hard to not think about the kids. You know the first thing they are doing to say anyway when you come back home is “what did you bring me back?” With that in mind we took a trip to the first National Historic Landmark in Savannah, the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA. There we scored some unique souvenirs for our little girls at home.
I love the movie Forrest Gump, so I had to make my way to Chippewa Square which is known for the famous park bench scenes from the critically acclaimed film. The bench that Tom Hanks who portrayed Forrest in the movie actually sat on has been placed in the Savannah History Museum. But, the location of the bench is still there and now more of a great tourist stop than the bus stop that it is supposed to be.
On our next day we enjoyed a visit to the Jepson Center for the Arts a massive modern art museum which features art collections and traveling exhibitions from around the world. We followed that with a trip to River Street, Factors Walk, Bay Street and Hutchinson Island which comprise the Savannah Riverfront, one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations. On my next trip to Savannah I do look forward to visiting Palmetto Bluff which is only 20 minutes from River Street. There I’ve been told they have a wonderful Dolphin Tour, guided kayak tours, paddleboarding, charter fishing and more.
The girls and I definitely wanted to end our trip in relation mode so we planned our last day for frolicking on the sandy beaches of Tybee Island where we also enjoyed some great food and visited the Tybee Marine Science Center and the Tybee Island Light Station and Museum.
When we settled comfortably back into our moving slumber party on Amtrak we chatted happily about our travel escape and of course we were using the free Wi-Fi on the train to plan our next one!
You can book your next trip on Amtrak here.
About Angela Burgin Logan
Angela Burgin Logan is a “Mompert” who is the founder of parent focused go-to destinations including Live and Learn.com and co-founder of Notorious POP.com. She is the President of Marketing and Media Company Nia Enterprises/Live and Learn Media. Angela is an Author and Executive Producer of the ABFF Film “Breathe”. Follow Angela on Twitter@AngelaBLogan.