Leah drove from Atlanta to meet me in Savannah for a Girls Getaway to this beautiful, historic town.  We arrived at the brand new Avia Hotel in Savannah (www.AVIAHotels.com) for a wonderful Girls Getaway to Savannah.  Trendy and charming, we both loved this hotel the moment we walked in.  This new boutique hotel chain currently has four properties in the U.S. and makes guests feel welcome both in the hotel as well as the city they are visiting.   
 
Founded in 1733 as Georgia's first city, Savannah offers visitors a look at southern life with its architecture, charm and soulful food.  We started our adventure relaxing on River Street (www.RiverStreetSavannah.com), which offers a wide variety of more than 100 galleries, shops, pubs restaurants and hotels.  We enjoyed the River Street happy hour with live acoustic music, a great view of the Savannah River and some interesting people watching.  We had our first celeb sighting and just had to take our picture with her (thanks Marilyn). 

After asking a few locals for a restaurant recommendation, we decided to try Garibaldi Cafe (www.GaribaldiRestaurant.com), where I started with the Bloody Mary Oysters and a Raspberry Mojito Martini.  After indulging in delicious (and fattening) Lowcountry fare in Charleston, Garibaldi provided a nice change to "comforting Italian" and seafood.  
 
The next day we skipped breakfast and opted to save room for an early lunch at Paula Deen's Restaurant named Lady and Sons (www.LadyandSons.com).  What a process to get in here.  Fortunately, it wasn't too crowded.  However, we did put our name on the list an hour before we wanted to eat.  Then, at 11:45, we had to line up with several other hungry Paula Deen fans to be "officially" notified of "time to eat," which was done by a cook ringing a dinner bell.  After the dinner bell, we still had to wait to be called to cross the street and enter the restaurant.  After all that, we were escorted to our seats and shown the amazing buffet that consisted of fried chicken, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, black eyed peas, lima beans, hoecakes and more!  In fact, we ate so much that we had to take our Banana Pudding home with us.  No sign of Ms. Deen or her sons.   
 
After lunch, it was time to start our Savannah sightseeing.  We climbed aboard the Oglethorpe Trolley Tour (www.OglethorpeTours.com) for a 90-minute tour of Savannah's historic squares and old-fashioned charm.  We learned a lot about the town's history and saw the location of "the bench" Tom Hanks sat on during the filming of Forrest Gump.  After the trolley tour, we boarded the Savannah River Queen (www.Savannah-Riverboat.com) for a tour of the harbor and port.  We climbed to the third and top deck of this 600-passenger patriotic themed vessel and listened to our captain and tour guide offer historic and fun facts about Savannah's nautical heritage.  At the end of the 60-minute tour, we saw the town's infamous "Waving Girl" statue and the site where the 1996 Olympic Torch made landfall in the U.S. on its way to Atlanta.
 
This morning we were eating a delicious dinner at Avia Hotel in Savannah (www.AVIAHotels.com).  I couldn't get over how good their grits were, then the waitress told me they are ground in Savannah and specially made...that explains a lot. During breakfast, I couldn't help but overhear the table next to us as several men were discussing "character development" and "plot theme."  Obviously, they were talking about a movie, but I didn't pay that much attention or look that way.  Halfway through our meal, Leah asked me, "Is that Robert Redford?"  I glanced over quickly and looked back at her and replied, "Yes."  We couldn't believe it.  Robert Redford was sitting next to us in Savannah, GA having breakfast.  To make a long story short, we finally asked him for a photo and he was kind enough to pose with us twice.  I have to admit that he is the best-looking, seventy-something year-old-man I have ever seen.
 
After our 'real' celebrity "run in" this morning, we were so excited that we just HAD to go shopping.  We walked to Broughton Street and perused many of the great stores.  Our favorites were Bleu Belle (www.BleuBelle.com) & James Gunn (www.JamesGunnOnline.com).  That afternoon, we drove to Tybee Island (www.TybeeIsland.com), which is a quaint and low-key seaside community located 18 miles east of Savannah.  We drove around this resort community and stopped in at the Atlantic Beacon Gallery to see the Ticklish Mermaid art.  We also stopped at a cluster of gifts shops where I found a great napkin quote: "I'll have a cafe mocha vodka valium latte to go please."  Too funny!
 
As we drove back to Savannah, we talked about the fun we had the past few days and how much we are looking forward to our next Girls Getaway!