Hey, hey, Tuesday!
You guys, it feels like SPRING right now. I’m not quite ready for winter to be over here (I could still use another few weeks of cold), but I am loving all of this springy weather. The good news is that I live in Texas…
…so I feel certain that we will get more winter and maybe even a bit of summer between now and spring 😉 .
Okay, this TRAVEL TUESDAY is super super sweet because I’m going to share pictures and details from our most recent girls trip to SAVANNAH, GEORGIA!
My girlfriends and I love to get together frequently for dinner, but we REALLY love to get together for a vacation. Over the years, we have traveled together to Mexico, New York City, Boston, Charleston, Nashville, plus we did a staycation in Plano, TX and another one at a ranch just south of Dallas. This year, we decided to head to the Peach State for a few days in Savannah.
This was my third time to visit Savannah which always, always, always makes me think of this special day…
…when I got to visit Paula Deen’s house and cook with her! Goodness, goodness, she was so sweet!
For this trip, the nine of us moms (who have 25 kids between us) wanted a nice hotel, really good food, some shopping and rest.
Savannah, GA checked all of those boxes 🙂 .
I have details from the trip plus a few little tips for traveling with your friends below.
Starting from the very beginning…
…my airplane outfit, ha! I did wear my beloved joggers on the flight home, but on the flight from Dallas to Savannah, I wore THIS SNAPFRONT SWEATSHIRT and THESE JEANS with my sneakers.
For this trip to Savannah, we stayed at the BEAUTIFUL JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District. This hotel is fairly newish and was in the PERFECT location. From the moment the car dropped us off from the airport to three days later when it picked us back up to return us to the airport, we didn’t use any form of transportation outside of our feet. We walked to every restaurant, shop, and tour from our hotel. Plus, we had gorgeous river views and excellent service. We absolutely loved it.
That would be my TIP #1: If you have a large group traveling, make sure that it’s easy enough for you to get from A to B. Walking is always the easiest option. We have been in locations where we needed cabs and Ubers which works too, but if you can make it easy to walk, I highly recommend it.
TIP #2: Every year on these trips, we draw names for our roommates. So far, we haven’t repeated a single combination (although we’re getting close to starting over). I know this might not be ideal for every group of friends, but this works so well for us. We have an odd number so we always get two connecting rooms for the group that has three friends.
Our rooms were fabulous…
…oodles of space for two.
Plus…
…our room had a lovely river view too.
This year, my roomie was…
…SHEAFFER! Yay! After all of these years, we were finally roommates 🙂 .
We took a noon flight from Dallas, so by the time we arrived and checked in, it was time to get ready and head to dinner.
TIP #3: Since we are a traveling group of nine, we always make as many meal reservations as possible in advance. We also have two with allergies, so when I make all of these reservations, I include that information at the time.
Our first dinner was absolutely delicious…
…at Fitzroy.
They were having a wedding rehearsal dinner on the first floor which meant that we got…
…to enjoy the second floor private room all to ourselves…
Everything was DELICIOUS!
After dinner, we had tour reservations through Mad Cat Tours for a Spooky Pub Crawl.
Savannah has a big spooky/haunted historical tour culture, so we thought this would be the perfect way for a bunch of ladies to have some fun after dinner (and learn a bit too!).
We had a really fun and charismatic guide who showed us a bit of Savannah after dark…
…every stop was unique and really fun. We visited places we never would have visited if not on this tour.
We sent this selfie to our hubbies were back home holding down the forts.
Savannah, Georgia, you are just so pretty…even at night.
These tours are all over Savannah. Andrew and I went with my parents back in 2007 and did a spooky carriage ride. They’re a fun way to see the city at night.
After a full day, it was GLORIOUS to sleep in the next morning…
…Good morning, Savannah!
I snapped this pic in our bathroom. Karla had gifted us all these SILICONE MAT POUCHES for Christmas and both of us in our room had brought them. I won’t travel without mine now! It went to Germany and Poland with me too.
After a very lazy morning, we met at 10:30 in the lobby to head off to our historical food tour…
…yes, please! We used Savannah Taste Experience Food Tours for this foodie historical walking tour and LOVED it! The tour was three hours of delicious food and historical nuggets about this great city. It had been cold the day before, but this day was GORGEOUS! For our first stop, we had sweet tea, biscuits, peach jam, and a cheese straw.
We visited…
…The Little Crown for our second stop where we had…
…the absolute best sausage rolls! Oh my word, I could eat this every single day for breakfast. The sausage inside was a cross between spicy Italian and a breakfast sausage. It was delicious!
As we walked from spot to spot, we stopped and our guide shared the history of Savannah…
…it was just the most gorgeous day.
Our third stop was at Rhett’s. I sat by Meagan (love her so much!) and across from…
…these pretty ladies 🙂 .
We didn’t eat a full meal at Rhett’s, but the menu looked really good and the ambiance was fun…
We enjoyed She-crab Soup at Rhett’s. Delish!
We had a stop for shrimp and grits (whoa, so good!) and…
…these little pork belly sandwiches on this donut-like bread (holy cow!). We ended our tour at Gifts from the Hive with a full honey tasting.
At one point, our tour even took us right inside…
…our hotel! This is the inside of the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside. So cool, right?!
We walked through the hotel lobby and out the back along the boardwalk. These are my people. I tell my kids all the time that sometimes, you find “your people” way past your school years. I found mine when I was a young married woman and goodness, I am so grateful for each of these ladies.
Here is the rear riverside of our hotel. I can only imagine how fun this area is during the warmer months when the bars and outside areas are open.
We ate and ate and walked more. When the tour was over, we shopped a few of the streets in Savannah…
It was a full day on our feet and in our bellies.
That night…
…we freshened up for dinner. I LOVE MY COAT! It is so soft on the inside, warm and has nice deep pockets. Two BIG thumbs up!
(For a size reference, I bought xs and it’s still over-sized.)
And I bought my beloved Collette jeans in black with a bit of sparkle too 🙂 .
Speaking of gifts we have given each other…
…for Christmas this year, Sheaffer gifted each of us one of THESE TRAVEL JEWELRY ORGANIZERS. They are amazing!
Each organizer comes filled with little pouches so that your pieces stay organized and don’t tangle/break while you’re traveling. They come in many different sizes and colors, and I could not love mine more.
We had dinner reservations at 8:30, but everyone kept telling us to check out this hotel bar…
…it was like being inside The Lion King, ha! This is Baobab right inside our hotel.
For dinner, we had reservations…
…at Collins Quarter! While we never had a bad meal, this dinner was my personal fave.
Lucky, lucky me, I got to sit by Karla on this night and across from…
…these beauties. The restaurant had wonderful atmosphere and everything we tried was delicious.
We had their spiced nuts and two charcuteries to start and then three of us split two entrees and a salad three ways for dinner. EXCELLENT!
The next morning…
…Sheaffer and I slept until 8:00 AM (what, what?!). We got up and walked down by the river and …
…stopped by Starbucks…
…such a lovely way to start a Saturday.
We were also picking up orders for two other friends and when we dropped off their items, look what they had out too…
…ha! They had also brought the JEWELRY ORGANIZER and SILICONE MATS too!
We had Saturday brunch reservations at B. Matthew’s Eatery…
It was yet another delicious Savannah meal!
I had a spicy pickle bloody mary followed by…
…the spicy breakfast burrito and “loaded” grits.
After our big brunch, we spent our Saturday…
…exploring all of the Savannah shops…
It was just the best best girls day…
…agh, I adore me some Andrea!
By the way, you can find THIS CARDIGAN HERE 🙂 .
More shopping…
…we stood in line at one point to have the very famous Leopold’s ice cream…
…worth the wait!
We wrapped up our afternoon with a first…
…after many years of discussing it, two of our friends each got a tattoo. It was such a fun experience to do this as a group! The lovely gentleman, James, who assisted our group was THE BEST! We will be talking about him and his quips for many years to come. We had so much fun in his shop together.
After a few tattoos…
…we headed up to Myrtle and Rose to enjoy the rooftop views.
It was lovely!
We were hungry though and after a bit, we headed back down…
…to grab chips and guacamole from Savannah Tequila Co right below. Love these ladies.
Our final dinner was at…
…Stone & Webster Chophouse. It was the PERFECT way to wrap up our trip. Jeni and Me 🙂
I did a terrible job taking pics, but I received so many compliments on my JEANS and TOP that you might want to check them out too.
And here is probably my BEST tip:
Tip#4: Use the Settle Up App…
We have been using this app for YEARS! It’s so easy to create a group and then as you spend money, you can divide it between everyone in the group. You can divide it evenly, by percentages, remove certain people from certain expenses, etc. At the end of your trip, you know exactly how to “settle up” in the easiest way possible. This app is truly, truly so easy and perfect for things like a girls trip.
That was Savannah!
On Sunday morning, the car service came and picked us up at 4:30 AM, and we made our way back to Dallas. Goodness, I LOVE spending time with my friends. We just had the absolute best best trip together.
I’m happy to answer any and all questions in the comment section today too about our trip! I also put everything I packed IN ONE SPOT for you too 🙂 .
One last thing, today, I’m also sharing A VALENTINE’S RECIPE, so make sure you hop over and check that out too.
Have the best Tuesday! xx
Stephanie warren says
Love Savannah! Also, thank you for the packing tips! Shay, how do you pack your pills and supplements? Have you found a cute container?
Mix and Match Mama says
For three night trips, I don’t pack a ton (I give myself a break). For longer trips though, I just use small baggies. I get those really small snack bags and divide up my supplements per day in each one.
Dana P says
Those small snack baggies are probably obvious, but a great idea! I have mixed up my supplements on trips SO many times. I think next time I will assign one supplement/medication per baggie and label them. I don’t know why it’s taken me until now to realize I need to bag them separately and label them!
Ashley says
I bought this for a 2 week trip last summer and love it so much that I keep it stocked and use it full time now.
https://a.co/d/0cJUZaKb
Mary Brown says
What a lovely girls trip! Do you all agree on a trip budget ahead of time? With any group this large, I’m guessing there are friends who are more frugal and would prefer less expensive lodging, dining and tours and then others who are comfortable going all out. How do you make this work for everyone?
Mix and Match Mama says
Great question! We try to keep the same-ish budget per girl each year. I plan the trip and never make a decision concerning money without pre-approval from the group. For instance, when I received the quote from the car service for the airport shuttles, I sent out a quick text and everyone approved it. Because we have collectively decided on a budget, it really helps me when I’m planning things. I know how to work with what we have to spend.
Elspeth Mizner says
I know there’s a lot of planning and organizing that goes into these trips, but you make it look so easy and fun!
http://www.eslpethsdaybyday.com
Sue says
My family of 4 (2 teen girls) is headed to Savannah at the end of March. Any recommendations for teens?
Mix and Match Mama says
Your family will love it! Your girls might like a trip over to Tybee Island!
Sheaffer says
SUCH A GREAT TIME WITH MY GIRLS! The food was delicious and the tours and activities were lots of fun, but the company was even better! Thanks for planning yet another fantastic trip!!!!!!
Allison says
Such a fun post, makes me want to go there!!
Ashley D says
Love your Savannah post! Still can’t believe we were there the same days.. and didn’t run into each other. I also loved how you could walk everywhere! My husband and I stayed at a cute bed & breakfast near Forsyth Park and enjoyed walking the charming streets. For anyone else planning a trip to Savannah, here are a couple of other dining options:
-Sorry Charlie’s Oyster Grill
-Bar Bubbly (super cute atmosphere)
-Treylor Park (best shrimp tacos)
-Belford’s (order the salmon or elk chops)
-The Vault Kitchen & Market (amazing sushi)
-Veratina (Fresh Italian fare)
I love this city for a quick getaway!
Mix and Match Mama says
Me tooooo! I hope you guys had the BEST time!
Michelle Nobbe says
I loved reading about your trip! I have a girls trip (three of us) this summer and we have a couple of places narrowed down. Charleston or Savannah?
Mix and Match Mama says
Oh gosh, that is SO hard! Both cities are amazing. In the summer, there is even more to do at both destinations too. I don’t know that I could pick a favorite between the two.
Kristen says
Looked like a great trip! Did you guys meet through school, church, etc..?
Can’t wait to see who got tattoo’s and what they got, so exiciting!
Mix and Match Mama says
We met in a Bible study back before we had kids 🙂 . We used to meet at Starbucks each week for this Bible study and fast forward 18 years…here we are.
Paula Hobbs says
How FUN!!! You ladies are all so pretty!!! Savannah looks like a blast!!! Thank you for sharing all the details. This is on our “places to go”. I can’t wait!!
Tina says
I’m in my 50’s and still haven’t found my people. I’m starting to think I’m the problem! LOL. Seriously though, I truly hope that some day I have friends. Life is hard and is much harder when you are lonely. Consider yourself incredibly blessed.
Mix and Match Mama says
I do not for a second think YOU are the problem. Sending YOU so so so much love, Tina. xx
Amy says
What size did you buy in the Reformation Elio top? I can tell y’all had the best time in Savannah!!
Mix and Match Mama says
xs!
Anon says
Tina, I would suggest that you pray about it. And then wait. I felt like you and prayed that I would someday find friends. I was 70 before it happened, and now I have my tribe! God’s timeline isn’t always what you would want, but it’s perfect.
Libby says
Same…sigh. Thinking it’s going to be just me & the Lord.
Denise M says
I totally understand what you are saying! I’m also in my 50’s and while I have “friends”, I haven’t found My People. Like you said, life is hard, and harder when you are lonely. I’m positive you aren’t the problem! I’ll be your friend 🩷
Lisa N says
Church is a wonderful place to meet and find new friendships, if you don’t have one.
Bailey Morris says
Now you KNOW all we wanna see is the tattoos!!! What a fun trip!!
Mix and Match Mama says
Hahaha! My mom said the same thing 😉 .
S says
What a fantastic trip! Perhaps I just need some encouragement-I always feel guilty going on a trip without my husband/kids (I’ve only gone on 3, for a max of 2 nights each). My husband is fantastic, more than capable, and never makes me feel badly. But I feel guilty that I get a vacation and he doesn’t. (I stay home with the kids, and he works outside of the home. We have no outside help, in terms of grandparents, family nearby.) Does anyone else feel this way?
Regardless, encouraged by your post and hope to be able to do this more as the kids get older!
Mix and Match Mama says
It sounds like you have the SWEETEST and most supportive husband. Can I tell you a secret? My husband and kids enjoy the time when mom is away. Ha! They get to do all the “things” they don’t normally do when mom is around. Beds aren’t made as often, the schedule isn’t as rigid, dinner contains fewer veggies. I come back refreshed and they’ve all had a fun time staying up too late and eating candy. It can really be win, win for everyone.
Nicole says
Why did you dye your hair brunette after so many years a bright blonde? I’m trying to decide whether to do the same.
Mix and Match Mama says
If you’ll notice in the pictures, it was a slooooooow process. I just started gradually going less light and letting my roots come in more and then over about 18-ish months, I ended up here. Right now, this just feels like ME 🙂 .
Amy says
We use the app Splitwise for our trips and it’s great too. It even converts different currencies. We used in Paris when everything was paid by Euro. I do recommend one person be the “accountant” of the app. It seems to work better in my group of 8 if only one person is keeping track of logging.
How do you guys decide between hotel and AirBnB?
Mix and Match Mama says
We have always used hotels. I’m not saying we wouldn’t potentially use an AirBnB in the future, but for now, we don’t want to deal with washing towels, taking out the trash, etc. In this stage of life with big families at home, it’s so nice to go to a hotel and get pampered a bit.
Melissa says
YES! Our friends that we travel with always want a VRBO and I always want a hotel. I have to cook and clean at home! I don’t want that on a vacation! The worst way to end a vacation in my opinion is stripping beds and hauling trash bags to a dumpster!
Courtney says
There are wonderful Airbnb hosts in Savannah! You don’t do a dang thing when you leave. They have several beautiful properties. You just have to look for the right ones 😉
Dana P says
This trip looks like so much fun!! I hope we can do something like this one day. Thanks for the inspiration!
Kathy Richmond says
Looks like a great time! I’m taking notes for my next trip. We loved the brunch at B. Matthe’s so much we ate there twice on our visit.
Martha says
Hats off to all of your for putting the effort into maintaining these friendships and making the time for your girls trips! Shay, I have to ask – what’s up with the Apple watch replacement? Yours looks beautiful and I’m curious to know two things, what kind is it and do you miss not being “connected” via your Apple watch after all these years?
Mix and Match Mama says
I am trying to be more present this year throughout my days and as much as I LOVE my watch, even with it on DND and silent, it was still a little reminder to me of my phone/notifications/outside stuff. I still wear it every morning when I workout and sometimes, I’ll keep it on all day long…but when I can, I wear a regular watch now so that I can really unplug from my phone.
Kacey says
Savannah is the best! We usually fly in/out of Savannah when we go to Hilton Head. If you haven’t stayed on HHI you should add that to your list! Disney’s resort there is a gem. And Leopold’s!!! I can taste it now. Such a classic. I have a Leopold’s coffee mug sitting on desk right now.
Mix and Match Mama says
Andrew and I went to Hilton Head with my parents on that first trip, but it is CERTAINLY one I want to revisit!!
Christy Smith says
We’re going to Savannah in June and my daughter’s name is also Savannah so I must know, where is that “Hello Savannah” wall??
Mix and Match Mama says
Ohhhhh, that’s so fun!! It is in a store called Dress Up Savannah! I hope you girls have the best time!
Christy Smith says
Thank you!!
Christina Spinella says
We did a girls trip to Savannah a couple of years ago and went on that same food tour! I am still dreaming about the sausage roll from The Little Crown, and I still reorder the honey I purchase from the honey tasting!
Leslie Hull says
Meagan’s coats are amazing. They are making me want to have several coat options for my next trip!
Mix and Match Mama says
Meagan has THE BEST style!
Libby says
Headed to Savannah for a college visit later this month. Will check out some of these restaurants. So jealous that y’all stayed in the JW. We walked around there on our last visit, and it was stunning.
Katie Compton says
Not me zooming in on the banana espresso martini on the brunch menu! 🤣
I’m having dinner with my 3 besties of over 30 years on Sunday! We are lucky to live fairly close to each other and get together often now that our kids are in HS and college. As an only child, these ladies are my true sister friends. Glad you had such a great trip with your girls!!
Dana J says
Looks like an amazing fun girls trip!! Sweet memories for you all!!
Debbie says
This looks like such an amazing trip! I agree find your people. We are also planning a trip to Savannah this year. It was a tossup between there and Charleston. I am curious which food experience tour did you do?
Mix and Match Mama says
It was called a Historical Foodie Walking Tour. It was GREAT! You’ll love both Savannah and Charleston. Both are great, great towns!