50 Best Romantic Getaways
Savannah
On the Waterfront If only every city planner had the foresight of Savannah’s 18th-century founder, James Oglethorpe. His legacy—21 garden-filled public squares ringed by antebellum town houses—is a model of Southern grace. At the Ballastone Inn (doubles from $235), an Italianate mansion three blocks from the waterfront, rooms have canopied poster beds and mahogany armoires. Or base yourself at the newly opened Avia (doubles from $189), on landmark Ellis Square. Browse for jewelry and handbags by up-and-coming artists at ShopSCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design’s boutique, and don’t miss the Jepson Center for the Arts, a contemporary-art space by Israeli architect Moshe Safdie. There are dozens of laid-back restaurants in town, but one of the best remains Desposito’s (dinner for two $40), where tablecloths are made from newspapers and the steamed oysters and Low Country basket—shrimp, potatoes, corn—are ideal for two.