There’s no one Georgia experience. But with its rich and colorful history, award-winning restaurants and inimitable Southern hospitality, Savannah, Ga., has been topping travel lists for good reason.
Dating back to the 1860s, the storied buildings that are now the Kimpton Brice Savannah Hotel housed a livery stable, cotton warehouse, foundry and machine shop, wholesale grocer and Coca-Cola bottling plant, before becoming the Mulberry Inn in 1982. In 2014, it transformed again, into the Brice. Off the beaten track in historic downtown Savannah, the Brice is steps from the revitalized riverfront and all the fun, but without the noise and frivolity.
When the hotel became the Brice, its Savannah gray color palette was used throughout the property to provide a calming and neutral envelope for more contemporary layers of interior design elements that are welcoming, charming, sophisticated and playful.
The story behind the general design was to maintain a sense of wonder — ethereal, dreamy and magical — while also uplifting furnishings and finishes to feel curated with a European sensibility. The color palette is soft and subdued with rich textures and a newly added bookcase to tie back to Savannah’s literary history. The art featured throughout the property is a collection of local and national pieces.
You’ll want to take the fun fringe chairs in the lobby home with you. A metal screen pays homage to the iron gates that can be found walking through stately neighborhoods surrounding the Brice.
Carve out time from shopping, meandering and dining to tour the Davenport House Museum, a nearby historic building. In 1955, the circa-1820 Isaiah Davenport House was set to be demolished to be made into a surface parking lot. It was saved by a group of seven intrepid women, who blocked the demolition, purchased the property and formed the Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF). The HSF saved the house and opened it as a museum in 1963 — the foundation still preserves it today.
There’s a sweet hidden garden where you can have morning coffee or work (if you must). The hotel restaurant, Pacci, serves Southern-inspired Italian classics, with a menu that is both impressive and surprising. We liked the étouffée and Southern biscuits for breakfast and short-rib marsala for dinner. And there’s nothing better than a gorgeous meal in your hotel and a nightcap by the pool before wandering up to bed. Bricehotel.com; davenporthousemuseum.org.