Factor's Walk in Savannah
Factors Walk is one of Savannah's historical downtown sites. Now it consists of tourists' shops, attractions, a museum, restaurants, a few bars and even a hotel called the River Street Inn. But back in 1817, it was the original site for the Cotton Exchange. Alleys and walkways in the area were later called Factors Walk. It was named this because the men who worked with the cotton exchange were called factors. They factored how much cotton was brought in to be sold. Thus, they were given this name.
Factors Walk was the center for most commercial activities. A network of iron and concrete walkways connected the buildings to the bluff. Factors Walk was an important part of Savannah's history for, as we all know, this city played a big role in the cotton industry for over a century.
Savannah was really put on the map, so to speak, with the book and movie 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.' The popularity of both brought tourists by the droves. Todd and Stephanie, my son and daughter-in-law knew how much I liked Savannah, and gave me the book for my birthday one year. I enjoyed the book, but liked the movie better.
Savannah has been a favorite destination of mine for years. I love the southern ambience, the Spanish moss in the trees, the squares, the history, the mansions, and more recently, The Lady and Sons restaurant.
We were only to be in Savannah for one night and were shocked to see how crowded it was. We hadn't made reservations in advance because our last trip here, about 15 years ago, showed it to be a laidback, quiet, unpopulated little town. Boy, how times change!
We couldn't get a room on Factor's Walk, where we had stayed before. Nor could we get a room at the Hyatt. We ended up a few blocks further down than we would have liked at the Doubletree. It wasn't cheap either - about $200 per night. But the room was lovely and so was the hotel.
Our main purpose for this trip was to eat at The Lady and Sons restaurant. I've been a Paula Deen fan for a couple of years from her show on the Food Network. I thought it would be fun to give the restaurant a try since the few recipes of hers I had tried were 'to die for' delicious.
When we got within a block of the restaurant we discovered hundreds of people milling around. We had no reservation for lunch and thought we didn't have a chance to get one for dinner either. As it turned out, we got a 9:15 PM reservation - a little late for us, but okay.
Needless to say, the food was abundant and fantastic. But we ate so much we almost had to be rolled out! This is not low calorie, low carb fare by any means. Everything is laden with butter and sugar. But Paula doesn't apologize - she aims to please and does so with all the stuff we shouldn't probably be eating.
This was a quick trip and since it was in July, it was very hot and humid. We did a little walking, but it was uncomfortable. November is the best month to visit Savannah.