We are all about love stories these days at Salacia. Even our namesake Salacia, featured in our name and logo, has a dreamy love story of being romantically pursued by the god of the sea Neptune before he eventually wins her over. Create a love story for your SO with a Valentine’s Day gift from […]
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Salacia Salts is a high quality collection of salt soaks, moisturizers, scrubs and other skin care and home fragrance products made with natural ingredients.
Cari Phelps founded Salacia Salts in 2012, armed with a commitment to environmental conservation, natural beauty and holistic health. Under her leadership, Salacia Salts creates top-quality bath and beauty products using environmentally responsible ingredients and packaging.
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We are excited to have been featured in Vogue as a “favorite destination” of Professor Meloney Moore, the former Estée Lauder executive leading Savannah College of Art and Design's (SCAD) new Business of Beauty and Fragrance major. It’s amazing that we are inspiring students with our experiential format in our shops, focusing on education and clean beauty!
The full article can be seen on Vogue.com.
There are no weeping willows in Savannah. The swooping, bending branches that tunnel the streets are mostly oak, draped in swaths of Spanish moss. Before I moved here—a few months after turning 30, searching for somewhere that wasn’t Los Angeles—I always pictured them as weeping willows.
I pictured the cliché, prim and proper women of the South, too, complexions perfected with foundation thicker than a slice of Paula Deen’s famous Brown Sugar Bacon. Would I—a bare-faced beauty journalist from California by way of New Jersey, who’s all but given up cosmetics in an effort to lower my body’s chemical burden—fit in? I pictured the over-the-top politeness (my Southern mother-in-law once sent me a thank you note for a thank you note) and my propensity for four-letter words. I pictured living in a state that came dangerously close to outlawing abortion last year and feeling powerless.
Savannah was my husband’s idea. He went to college in the city twenty-some years ago and loved it; I was skeptical but easily persuaded. I mean, I was ready to leave L.A. I wanted a place to slow down and write a book and afford a front yard. So I packed my things and said my goodbyes—to friends, sure, but also to the Moon Juice on Melrose Place, the Detox Market on 3rd, the Korean spa on Vermont. I doubted Savannah, Georgia could satisfy my craving for clean beauty and cutting-edge wellness in quite the same way.
I was wrong about it all, from the willows to the wellness scene.
I knew it the moment Rose-Marie Swift—65-year-old founder of RMS Beauty, pioneer of the non-toxic movement, professional astrologer—opened the door of her remodeled brownstone in the heart of Savannah’s Historic District. “Honey, L.A.’s not my thing, and my company’s never run out of New York, ever,” Swift told me when we talked pre-pandemic, as she ushered me inside for lunch. “I love it here.”
Swift is from Canada, although she’s traveled all over—Paris, London, Los Angeles, Miami—working as a makeup artist. “I lived in Berlin and Hamburg, I was there when the wall came down,” she recalled, pulling extra-large soup bowls from her kitchen cabinet. “Then, you know, I got sick.”
The story is the stuff of industry legend, but she rehashed the highlights as she heated the broth. After falling ill, Swift had a hair, blood, and urine analysis done. “When I got the tests back they said, ‘Do you work in the cosmetic industry?’ I said, ‘Holy shit, how do you know that?’” The chemicals in her body were more commonly found in beauty products. Swift started researching the toxic effects of conventional cosmetics and launched beautytruth.com in 2004—before the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database, before Goop, before anyone, really, was talking about it.
The founder didn’t settle into Savannah until after she launched RMS Beauty, one of the first organic makeup brands (and maybe the first to actually work). It’s headquartered just across the Savannah River and over the Talmadge Bridge, in Charleston, South Carolina, and not necessarily by choice. “When I started my company, I couldn’t find a lab—no one wanted to do organic,” she said. “It was too time consuming, it was a pain in the ass, nobody knew how.” Swift had her own starting formulas, chemists wanted to change them, she wouldn’t allow it. The only lab that would take on RMS Beauty, Swift’s way, was in Charleston.
Today, Swift goes back and forth between New York and Savannah because “it’s easier to get down here than the Hamptons on a summer day, and I wouldn’t want to be sitting in the Hamptons seeing all the same people.” Besides, “all my friends from New York say, ‘It’s a little bit of Europe down here.’” (That comes courtesy of the 18th century city plan from Englishman and Georgia founder James Oglethorpe. The original design is still intact, for the most part.) Savannah’s only downside? According to Swift, “They don’t get the concept of vegetables. At all.”
It’s true: In the time I’ve lived here, I’ve objectively eaten too many fried oyster po’boys from The Grey Market, and sadly, Swift’s home-cooked meal of mixed salad and quinoa chicken soup—the former drizzled with apple cider vinegar and ice-pressed olive oil, all organic—isn't available on UberEats. That’s not to say Savannah hasn’t staked a claim in the wellness space, though. In fact, it’s done so in a way no other industry hotspot has, thanks to the state’s native yaupon plant.
Stepping into Yaupon Teahouse & Apothecary, a modern café-meets-beauty boutique on Abercorn Street, feels a little like stepping back into Silver Lake. The difference? The edgy L.A. neighborhood probably hasn’t heard of yaupon yet. “This plant is our hero, our heroine,” Lou Thomann, the company’s co-founder, tells Vogue. Everything in the shop is made with yaupon. There’s yaupon-infused face oil on the shelves, yaupon-infused kombucha on tap, and yaupon herbal smokes for sale. Thomann has been working with the herb for nearly a decade.
What is yaupon, exactly? “It was the most sacred plant in North America, and no one knows anything about it,” Thomann starts. What is known of its history is fascinating: The plant is local to the southeast, and the area’s Indigenous tribes discovered countless uses for it—it’s an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory, it has cardiovascular-protective and neuroprotective properties, it helps heal wounds and increase stamina. But mostly, yaupon has a lot of caffeine, which made it a valuable item to trade in the 18th century.
When Oglethorpe settled Savannah, he did so with permission and guidance from the chief of the Yamacraw tribe, Tomochichi (apparently, the two often drank yaupon tea together). This opened up the opportunity for Native people to trade with England. “One theory is that because it was gaining so much popularity, the East India Tea Company felt threatened,” Thomann explains of yaupon’s slip into obscurity. “It could be the first case of corporate espionage.” British botanist William Aiton was asked to create a Linnaean classification for yaupon. He chose Ilex vomitoria—roughly translated, “makes you vomit.” It doesn’t, but the name served a purpose: Yaupon fell out of favor.
At the same time, “the Native American population was pushed westward, so they were taken out of the natural range where yaupon grows,” Thomann explains. “The continuity of the knowledge of the plant, we broke it.” Today, Thomann and his wife and co-founder, Lori Judge (who has Osage ancestry and is “a natural healer,” says Thomann), aim to restore yaupon’s reputation and bring its medicine to the masses. The couple owns a yaupon farm 25 minutes outside of Savannah where they grow, wild-harvest, and process the plant themselves.
Of course, yaupon makes an excellent coffee alternative, but its skin care benefits are what I’m really after. Aside from the de-puffing power of caffeine, the plant contains saponins, known for their calming and protecting properties. Topical yaupon can also help combat acne, although no one knows why, yet. Thomann has accepted a USDA grant to study yaupon’s therapeutic value, and says “the chemistry is really validating all of the ancient, traditional, medicinal uses.”
While I may not know how it works, I do know this: It works. At least, for me. I’ve been slathering on the Yaupon Daily Facial Oil for weeks—an herbal infusion in jojoba and hempseed oils, among others—and may never love another oil again.
Visitors can stock up on yaupon skin care at the Teahouse, or head to the Polished Beauty Lounge on Whitaker to experience its signature yaupon facial (ask for Kathryn). While there, why not pop into Bluemercury on Broughton Street? The downtown boutique offers clean, natural products from RMS Beauty and One Love Organics, another southern institution.
One Love Organics holds a special place in my heart and also my bathroom shelf, and has for years. When the brand invited me to visit its spa on St. Simons Island, about an hour down the marsh-lined coast from Savannah, my initial response was yes, of course. And then: One Love Organics—the decade-old originator of organic, ECOCERT, effective skin care—is based here?
“I’m from here, and when I say here, I mean Jesup, which is 60 miles inland,” Suzanne LeRoux, the company’s founder, tells me in a lilting accent, blonde bob bouncing. She looks every inch the sweet Southern lady, and she is—but LeRoux is also strong-willed and whip-smart, with a fine-tuned bullshit detector. She studied law in Texas; she had no intention of launching a beauty brand, especially not an environmentally-conscious one.
“I didn’t get into this because I was some ‘green’ person, that never crossed my mind,” LeRoux says. “It was the health of my skin.” The stress of law school was splashed across her face, and in the process of self-soothing with DIYs, she found her passion: organic ingredients, filler-free formulations, and sustainable packaging. After the birth of her sons, LeRoux’s husband encouraged her to start a skin care company in lieu of practicing law. LeRoux never really liked law, anyway.
“When we first started this 10 years ago, people thought we lost our mahhhnds,” LeRoux laughs. “They were like, ‘Why would you do green beauty?’ That wasn’t even a thing back then.” Doubt came from all directions, but mostly, as with Swift, from manufacturers. “I went to a really big lab out here, and they wanted to edit all my formulas for cost.” She met with others; the feedback was the same. Unwilling to compromise, she decided to manufacture the line herself. (See? Strong-willed, no bullshit.)
Today, LeRoux owns the only ECOCERT-licensed facility in Georgia, a small factory on the Golden Isles where the One Love team formulates, produces, and packs all of the company’s products. (The license ensures the ingredients are certified natural and organic, and the inventory is created, from start to finish, with the environment in mind.) For a time, local customers “used to pop in and buy product,” LeRoux says, as if stopping by a manufacturing facility were the most natural thing in the world. But One Love Organics has grown significantly since 2010 and moved its factory to accommodate, which inspired the opening of the One Love Organics Spa on St. Simons last year.
The Spa may be my favorite place in the state. It’s part boutique, part office, part facial oasis with a dedicated aesthetician (ask for the Detox + Glow treatment). There’s a very Instagrammable neon sign at the entrance reminding you to “Love Your Skin,” and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water. “If it’s a beautiful day, I’ll go to the beach and pull up my laptop and research sodium hyaluronate and hyaluronic acid,” says LeRoux.
Potential PR firms have broached the subject of relocation in the past—“They thought it might hurt [to be here], like, ‘What does somebody in Georgia know?’”—but the founder has never wanted to move to a major market. For LeRoux, it’s not about chasing the “clean beauty” trend, it’s about perfecting the craft. “So many brands will fall by the wayside, and I’ll still be making my products,” she says.
The same could be said for RMS Beauty and Yaupon Teahouse, really. In the past 10 years, the three have cemented their status as industry innovators, unintentionally turning the city into a clean beauty capital. The Savannah College of Art and Design—SCAD, for short—wants to keep it that way.
The university introduced the Business of Beauty and Fragrance B.F.A. program last year, and tapped former Estée Lauder executive director Meloney Moore to teach. “It is one of the fastest growing programs at the college,” Moore tells me over coffee at Art’s Café on Bull Street, a SCAD staple. “I started and we had seven students in the major—we have 80, as of today.” As the beauty business continues to boom, the program will likely grow in popularity. (Moore says she has high school students asking for admissions advice on Instagram, some even sending her PowerPoint presentations for consideration.)
While the program doesn’t specifically focus on “clean” beauty, sustainability is integrated into each class—on that front, Moore has even consulted with Rose-Marie Swift. “The students are very focused on it, very environmentally-conscious,” the professor says, detailing some promising projects: “They’ll say, ‘We’re going to work with TerraCycle to do this program,’ or, ‘We’re going to retain the consumer by asking them to mail back their bottles to refill and give them a discount.’”
To Jennifer Tinsley, founder of natural beauty brand FIELD and a 1996 graduate of SCAD, it’s these in-person experiences that will drive clean beauty forward in smaller Southern communities. “There is always online shopping, but the experience of trying out products and the educational component of brick and mortar shopping just can’t be replaced,” she says. “I am constantly amazed by customers coming into the store who are really concerned with personal care product ingredients, and are making a conscious decision to make the switch.” FIELD’s offerings are now available online at Urban Outfitters and American Eagle, but it’s the shop in Augusta, Georgia—complete with an event space for how-to workshops and a future refill station—that fuels growth. “My customers don’t just want beauty products; they are shopping at FIELD because it aligns with their lifestyle,” Tinsley says.
That lifestyle, increasingly, is one of simplicity—one that looks to do more with less. RMS Beauty’s entire range relies on a single star ingredient: cold centrifuge coconut oil. After 10 years, One Love Organics still offers only 18 SKUs. FIELD has three. “I think there’s a realization that we’ve got to get back to the roots, the origin,” as Thomann says. “I like to tell people, it’s an old Southern expression, ‘Yaupon is real as dirt.’ You can’t get any more real.”
Even in my months as a Savannian, I feel it. I’ve yet to unpack my (bursting) box of supplements; I’ve been sipping on yaupon tea with honey, and that feels like enough. My face is glowing—from the increased humidity, I’m sure, but also from paring back on beauty products. Yes, I’m still eating too many fried oysters, but there’s always an organic, simple salad waiting for me at Swift’s. (She promised.) It’s nothing like I pictured, and it’s hard to explain… but there’s something about Savannah that calls for fewer, better, cleaner things. No pretense, no extras, no excess.
“I see it in the students here,” agrees Moore. “That authenticity and simplicity and respect for what’s good and right is influencing the trends in our industry. It brings me back to the reason I fell in love with beauty to begin with.”
Treat yourself to this mini-series on Netflix. Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker is fabulous! Great record of history and shares the incredible journey of Madam C. J. Walker.
Here’s the summary, thanks to Wikipedia.
In 1888, she worked as a laundress, earning barely more than a dollar a day. As was common among black women of her era, Sarah suffered severe dandruff and other scalp ailments, including baldness, due to skin disorders and the application of harsh products to cleanse hair and wash clothes. Other contributing factors to her hair loss included poor diet, illnesses, and infrequent bathing and hair washing during a time when most Americans lacked indoor plumbing, central heating and electricity.
She began selling products for Annie Malone, an African-American hair-care entrepreneur, millionaire, and soon Walker’s largest rival in the hair-care industry.
Following her marriage to Charles Walker in 1906, Sarah became known as Madam C. J. Walker. She marketed herself as an independent hairdresser and retailer of cosmetic creams. "Madam" was adopted from women pioneers of the French beauty industry. Sarah sold her products door to door, teaching other black women how to groom and style their hair.
In 1906, Walker put her daughter in charge of the mail-order operation in Denver while she and her husband traveled throughout the southern and eastern United States to expand the business.
Her daughter A'lelia ran the day-to-day operations and persuaded her mother to establish an office and beauty salon in New York City's growing Harlem neighborhood in 1913; it became a center of African-American culture. This is SO fascinating to learn! It started from the beauty industry!
And talk about an entrepreneur, Walker later built a factory, hair salon, and beauty school to train her sales agents, and added a laboratory to help with research! Key management and staff positions were women.
Between 1911 and 1919, during the height of her career, Walker and her company employed several thousand women as sales agents for its products. By 1917, the company claimed to have trained nearly 20,000 women. Incredible! Dressed in a characteristic uniform of white shirts and black skirts and carrying black satchels, they visited houses around the United States and in the Caribbean offering Walker's hair pomade and other products packaged in tin containers carrying her image.
In addition to training in sales and grooming, Walker showed other black women how to budget, build their own businesses, and encouraged them to become financially independent.
She hosted gatherings of women entrepreneurs to discuss business and commerce. She rewarded those who made the largest contributions to charities in their communities.
Walker's name became even more widely known by the 1920s, after her death, as her company's business market expanded beyond the United States to Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Panama, and Costa Rica!
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Explore More Family Travel is a boutique travel agency owned by her good friend Jen. They specialize in cultural and authentic travel experiences. All details are handled by a travel advisor so that travelers can focus on engaging with each other while connecting to the world and making memories that will forever link them to their destination.
About Cari & Jen
Our friendship began in Savannah, GA over fifteen years ago and has taken us all over the world together. It is a friendship that goes beyond fun adventures, one that is rooted in our shared values. Our entrepreneurial paths have crossed many times, so we think it is time to join in a formal collaboration. Introducing .... Sips & Trips Relaxation Boxes and Virtual Events!
About Sips & Trips Relaxation Boxes and Virtual Events
We can't socialize as we want, and we are running out of series to binge-watch. If you are looking for ways to engage with others while spending your evenings at home, we have created a new kind of subscription service. Each travel-inspired kit will be unique and tie to a monthly theme - and each virtual event will involve relaxing "armchair travel" while sipping a beverage, engaging with others, and connecting with the world in a new way.
Please email us (cari @ salaciasalts.com) if you'd like to be alerted when our official subscription series launches. At this time we'll be posting each month's box on our site for sale and promoting on social media and through our email to our subscribers.
What a year it's been, right? If you subscribe to our emails, you know that we've periodically been sending out Wellness Tips throughout the year. We've gathered them in one place for you, so that you can easily come back and reference them as needed!
Drink more water
This might sound redundant, but the reason why this is ingrained in our brain at an early age is because it’s the truth, our bodies need water to function. Our brains are made up of 70% water, meaning water intake is essential. The more water we drink, the better we feel. Our digestive system works better, which helps us burn more fat. Challenge yourself to purchase a reusable, eco-friendly, water bottle and increase your water intake throughout the day. In general, you should try to drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day. Help eliminate plastic water bottle waste for our planet, and improve your overall wellness for your body and mind.
Be present
We live in such a technology-driven, fast-paced, instantaneous world, that at times we forget to be present in the moment. Try setting down your phone when spending time with friends or family, truly engage in conversations. You’ll notice that you will feel more heard, and you in return will become a better listener for others. It’s fun and exciting to document milestones in our lives, but challenge yourself once in a while to enjoy being present in the moment.
Be mindful of others.
It's easy to get wrapped up in our own worlds, and at times, we may struggle to think of others. By taking a second to think about someone else, this may make someone else’s day ten times brighter. Simplicity is key here. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but small intentional steps may change someone’s entire perspective of humanity. Perhaps, next time you’re parking your car, park a little further back to allow someone that needs a closer parking spot to park closer to your destination. Or, pay it forward by paying for the person’s coffee in the line behind you. You never know if your small act of kindness may trigger a chain reaction.
Relax
It's a simple concept, but it can be hard to do with our busy schedules. Find whatever activity that relaxes you. For some, it may be painting or reading a book, for others it may be going for a nature walk. Many choose to take baths that promote relaxation. Whatever avenue you choose to take to help you relax, your body and mind will thank you. Carving out time to allow your body and mind to decompress will lead to an overall better well-being.
Volunteer in community activities
When we give back to our community, not only does our community prosper, but our hearts do as well. Volunteering our time, money, or expertise can benefit others. Perhaps, you could pick a Saturday to volunteer to clean up a local park, or next time you purge your closet, you could donate the items to a safe haven or a women’s shelter. These small acts of kindness leave a lasting impact in our minds, hearts and community.
Get In Touch With Nature
The natural world around us is spectacular. There’s nothing quite comparable to taking a deep breath in the open air and feeling your stressors from life fade away. In many ways, nature is medicine. Studies show that being outside in the great outdoors helps to decrease anxiety, depression, and boosts your immunity. Now that we are in the summer months, get out, go for a walk in the evening, ride a bike around the neighborhood, do an activity that involves being in nature. (Be sure to pack water and wear sunscreen too!)
Cook a Home Cooked Meal
We live in an instantaneous world. Everything that we want, we want instantly. Yes, it’s easy after a long day and to be tempted to order take-out, but sometimes easy isn’t the best for your overall health. Instead, try finding a new recipe you would like to try. Make a list of the ingredients and place your order online or take a trip to the grocery store. Taking the time to prepare your meal can allow your mind to decompress from all of life’s stressors. You may find yourself grateful for the effort you put into creating the meal. This mindset will travel into other avenues of your life if you take a step back and savor every moment. Yes, it may take a bit longer, but it’s worth it.
Switch to Natural Products
There are so many harmful chemicals that are hidden in products that we use every day on our bodies. Try making the jump and investing in natural-based hygiene products, even if you just start with one product at a time. Skin is our largest organ, so being conscious of what goes on your skin is as important as what you would eat. You will feel better knowing that you are contributing to the greater good by helping our planet. For an added bonus, consider switching your soap to a natural soap with sustainable packaging. You can read more about the benefits of using natural soap by clicking here.
Practice Deep Breathing
Studies have shown that deep breathing leads to detoxifying the body. We are designed to breathe in and breathe out to function. By taking a few moments to practice deep breathing, this allows our mind to rest. Start with 10 minutes and gradually increase your sessions over time. Try to aim for at least one deep breathing exercise per day. This process leads to decreased stress and anxiety levels. Give your mind time to rest, your body will thank you. You can read more benefits of deep breathing by clicking here.
Organize
Organization can get lost in our busy schedules at times. Try picking a room or location in your house and organize the items. (ex. pantry, bathroom drawer, medicine cabinet, closet, refrigerator, etc.). Have you seen the Marie Kondo Netflix show? She is the master at organization and finding joy...just remember if you start to show, don’t forget to press pause and actually try it out what she’s demonstrating. Clean out and get rid of items that need to be recycled, or thrown away. Consider donating unused items to a local shelter. Once you begin the pattern of organizing, this will lead to an overall positive feeling.
Go outside to play!
Here is an exercise you can do by yourself, or with your children or grandchildren. Take a piece of paper and a pen along with you. Find a spot in your garden or at a nearby park or even go on a random neighborhood walk. Pay attention to your senses. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? You can make notes just for yourself or record the children’s reactions for a keepsake memory of the day. Maybe the exercise will encourage you to sketch or draw what you saw or become a regular activity with children. Make sure you’re not distracted by bugs by taking along a deet-free spray that is safe for you, children and pets. Salacia Salts Nauti Bugs Insect Spray checks all the boxes – safe, natural, and effective.
Sleep
Yes. Do you need a reason to take a nap? Sleep is an essential part of your overall wellness. How to combine a good mood with better sleep? Aromatherapy! The use of natural oils is proven to affect your mood. Give yourself a treat by spraying a relaxing blend of essential oils on your sheets before bed. Do a little research about all the benefits oils can bring to you.
Sweet dreams!
Meditate
Being calm and focusing on your breathing is always available. Once you master the ability to be still, meditation can be simple and an instant de-stresser. Whether you prefer to sit or recline, there are no rules other than giving yourself a “timeout”. To set the mood for your special just-for-you time, light a candle before you begin. There are many apps for beginners to use. Meditation is as easy as enjoying a few peaceful moments while listening to a voice that can guide you feeling more serene.
Candle recommendation: Choose a 100% soy based candle for a clean burn. Salacia has a line of travel tin candles wrapped in beautiful images by Savannah, Georgia artist Tiffani Taylor. Thirteen decidedly soothing Southern scents are available.
Sweet Potato Chips
Yes, you heard right! Make time for a recipe for sweet potato chips in the microwave for added vitamins. It takes only minutes to make this a crunchy snack with lots of healthy benefits.
Combine thin sweet potato slices and olive oil in a large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange sweet potato slices in a single layer on a large microwave-safe plate; season with salt. Cook in microwave until chips are dry, crisp, and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Cool chips on plate before transferring to a bowl.
Visit this website for the original recipe, photos and notes about slicing.
Get Crafty
Using your hands and the gift of giving can be very theraputic. Make a gift to lift someone’s spirits. Include children or teens so they can participate and enjoy the pride of giving a gift they made themselves. Create an exfoliating scrub or create a custom clay mask. Salacia offers workshops and blending bar sessions, so drop in anytime during open hours or make an appointment for a guided class.
We're proud to be featured amongst such great company in one of the country’s best cities - Savannah! Buick (yes, the car manufacturer!) shot B Magazine in its entirety, featuring our great city at the beginning of this year. Our founder, Cari Phelps, had a phone interview with the writer to represent the best of the best in the city. We shared our favorite Savannah staples, like Cotton and Rye, Mrs. Wilkes, Collins Quarter, and SCAD.
As you drive down one of Savannah, Georgia’s, prettiest, tree-lined historic streets, you’ll see a crowd gather as early as 8:30 am every weekday around 107 West Jones Street. By the time Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room opens its doors two-and-a-half hours later, the hungry crowd has worked up an appetite for deliciously fried chicken, collards, candied yams, sweet creamed corn, fluffy biscuits and - of course - banana pudding or cobbler. They’ll soon enjoy a family-style communal table lunch featuring up to 20 different dishes.
“We close the line at 2 pm,” confirms Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room owner Marcia Thompson, who, along with her parents, took over the business from her grandmother, Sema Wilkes, 40 years ago. “Anyone in line at 2pm will get served my grandmother’s wonderful southern dishes.”
Mrs. Wilkes ran a boarding house in historic downtown Savannah during World War II while her husband worked for Southern Railroad. She would feed her boarders - mainly students and working-class citizens - three meals a day.
“She was a compassionate woman and set lots of house rules for these young people,” laughs Thompson.” She treated them like family. And we continue to treat our restaurant guests who get to know each other while waiting in line as a family when they come through our doors.”
When the war was over, Mrs. Wilkes continued to let guests stay in her home, but, by the 1960s, hotels became more popular for overnight accommodations and many of Mrs. Wilkes’ neighbors moved to the suburbs. Determined to keep the Southern nostalgia that she loved so much as part of Savannah’s history, Mrs. Wilkes remained in the downtown area. She opened a small public restaurant, which quickly earned an excellent reputation for serving the delicious, simple, Southern-style dishes of the region’s working class and farmers. Dishes served at the restaurant come from Mrs. Wilkes’ own recipe collections from vegetables on the farm within season.
Thompson spent many days and n nights with her grandmother in the Southern home that was once a boarding house, and now is the home to six beautiful one-bedroom vacation rentals decorated by Thompson and available for rental through Lucky Savannah Vacation Rentals. When you stay in Wilkes houses as boarders did in the past, you get complimentary lunch.
Mrs. Wilkes died in 2002, at the age of 95, but the legacy she built lives on through her descendants and the business. Every generation of Wilkes’ family continues to show that Savannah is a welcoming city filled with Southern charm. Thompson’s son, Ryan, now oversees the daily operations of the restaurant, but she makes an appearance to greet guests just like her own grandmother did years ago. Marcia says that, with every generation, “We think we may stop, but then we say, ‘Who gets to meet 250 people every day and share with them the wonderful hospitality and food of the South?’ That’s why every generation just can’t stop.”
As Mrs. Wilkes’ family shows, Savannah is a picturesque city with friendly, authentic people and enticing Southern culture - a must-see stop on any Southern road trip in Buick Enclave ST. Spared from burning in the Civil War, it is also one of the Southeast’s most beautiful cities.
As you stroll through Savannah’s streets, grab a hand-crafted ice tea or a spiced lavender mocha from The Collins Quarter; a fluffy, Southern-style biscuit from Back in the Day Bakery; or devour a big scoop of the famous Tutti-Frutti ice cream from Leopold’s on Broughton Street, and soak in Savannah’s elegance.
The Collins Quarter serves as a popular spot in Savannah for brunch. With a second location coming soon to Forsyth Park, this combination bar, cafe and restaurant offers espresso drinks, beer, wine and Australian accented meals.
Old-school sweet treats and lunch fare come in hearty portions at the vintage bakery and espresso bar known as Back in the Day Bakery, which serves biscuits from 8am until “they have no more.” The eatery, which enjoys the reputation of being the best little bakery in the South, closes at 3pm and is only open Thursday through Sunday. Owners Cheryl and Griffith Day have also penned two bestselling cookbooks.
Leopold’s Ice Cream was founded by three brothers from Greece - George, Peter and Basil Leopold - in 1919. Stratton Leopold, Peter’s youngest child, learned the art of making premium ice cream as a boy. Upon his father’s passing, Stratton took over the business, continuing his family’s legacy. He later left Savannah to pursue his dream of working in Hollywood, but he can be found scooping ice cream when he is not in Hollywood for a production. Leopold’s has a full-service soda fountain and a cafe menu.
One of Savannah’s newest culinary delights, The Fat Radish, is located in a renovated pharmacy on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Using seasonal ingredients under the expert craft of Executive Chef Nick Wilber, the Fat Radish produces fresh plates that showcase vegetables at the forefront of the dish as part of a menu featuring proteins and delectable desserts. The restaurant prides itself as a simple neighborhood eatery sourcing from small production farms and also offers three ice creams from Leopold’s.
Savannah’s newest hotel, The Alida, anchors the revitalization of River Street. This four-diamond award-winning boutique hotel has 173 rooms and suites, and the largest penthouse in the city. Like Savannah itself, The Alida celebrates custom creations, original designs and local craftwork - so no two rooms at the hotel are quite the same. Be sure to experience The Lost Square, the rooftop bar at The Alida, where you can take in impressive riverfront views while enjoying a curated selection of light bites and custom cocktails.
If you really want to blend in like a local, Lucky Savannah Vacation Rentals offers more than 200 home and apartment rentals in Savannah’s Historic Landmark District, including some dog-friendly options.
“Savannah is so special and beautiful with its beautiful oak trees, cobblestone streets, and Southern architecture,” says Cari Phelps, owner of Salacia Salts, a unique, all-natural DIY blending bar and innovative skincare business whose flagship store is located a block from Forsyth Park. “The city sports a creative culture, it’s walkable, and I truly believe this city has the friendliest people in the South.”
Salacia Salts, with its signature cobalt blue “upcycled” bottles from Savannah Bee Company’s mead tasting bar, was founded on a dream Phelps had during the renovation of her historic downtown home.
“Seriously, I had a dream that I was designing sustainable salt packaging,” Phelps says. After research, this savvy entrepreneur who moved to Savannah for college 23 years ago learned that “Tybee” means “salt” in the Euchee Indian language.
Tybee Island, Savannah’s coastal community, is where the Native Americans would harvest salt. “It was clear to me that I needed to create a bath and body line using scents of Southern regional botanicals and natural ingredients, including Atlantic sea salt,” she adds.
When customers visit the Salacia Salt studio, they can blend their own ingredients based on their favorite local botanicals. The process takes about 15 minutes. Some of the company’s best sellers, in addition to the already made up cycled salt blends, are its “Kiss My Grits” lip scrubs, soaps and sugar scrubs - made with Georgia grits, of course! Salacia Salts also offers online retail sales and special blending classes in its studio workshop.
Atlantic sea salt is a precious commodity from the numerous salt marshes in Savannah’s Lowcountry. With a quick 20-minute drive from the historic district in your Enclave Sport Touring, you can venture in to the area’s Moon River District - a haven for nature, adventure and the genuine Lowcountry experience. This region is the perfect spot for hiking-eco-watching, kayaking and cultural education in the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which is part of the National Heritage Area program. (The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of Africans who were enslaved on plantations of the lower Atlantic Coast.)
In this area, you’ll find the Isle of Hope, the Sandfly community and Skidaway Island Natural Park. You can begin your experience at the Pin Point Heritage Museum, located in an old oyster and crab factory. This public museum is dedicated to telling the story of this long-standing Gullah Geechee fishing village, which was self-contained for 100 years.
The Skidaway Island State Park borders Skidaway Narrows, a part of Georgia’s Intracoastal Waterway. Trails wind through maritime forest and past salt marshes, leading to a boardwalk and observation tower. Visitors can watch for deer, fiddler crabs, raccoons, egrets and other wildlife while in the park. A scenic campground is nestled under live oaks and Spanish moss. Leashed pets are welcome.
Also in the Moon River District, a majestic avenue sheltered by live oaks and Spanish moss leads to the tabby ruins of Wormsloe - the colonial estate of Noble Jones, who lived there in the mid-1700s. With its 8-foot-tall tabby walls around the house, Wormsloe is Georgia’s oldest platoon, and the tabby ruins are Savannah’s oldest standing structure.
The Wormsloe State Historic Site, informally known as “Wormsloe Plantation”, is open daily. There, visitors can interact with costumed interpreters during programs and events, and view a museum with artifacts unearthed at Wormsloe, as well as a short film about the site and the founding of Georgia. The interpretive nature trail leads past the tabby ruins along the marsh to the Colonial Life Area where, during programs and special events, demonstrators in period dress exhibit the tools and skills of colonial Georgia. The site hosts several events throughout the year. Leashed pets are welcome on trails.
Boat captain Fran LaPolla and his wife, Kathleen, operate Savannah Coastal Eco Tours, at the nearby Isle of Hope Marina. Captain LaPolla oversees the boat tours while Kathleen specializes in kayaking. These environmental educators and advocates - who emphasize the importance of Georgia’s wetlands - focus on quality, not quantity, when it comes to their bespoke eco-river tours. They escort private groups down the rivers and creeks that wind through undeveloped marshland in Georgia.
“Each season, we see different wildlife,” commented Kathleen LaPolla as she recently wrapped up a three-hour private tour. One of her favorite paddle trips is Ebenezer Creek, a black-water creek tributary of the Savannah River. It offers a different, more in-depth trip than the usual Skidaway river paddle near the Skidaway Island State Park and Wormsloe State Historic Site.
“Ebenezer Creek is beautiful with cypress and tupelo trees towering over reflective water,” Kathleen says. “The creek is a National Natural Landmark with some of the cypress trees in the corridor estimated to be over a thousand years old. The Moon River District of Savannah, with these rich wetlands, is a wonderful place to visit.”
The LaPollas reside on Isle of Hope, which once was a fisherman village before railroads connected it to the mainland in the late 19th century. Bluff Drive, a winding road along the Intracoastal Waterway, is dotted with moss-hung live oaks and historic antebellum-style mansions that once belonged to some of America’s wealthiest people.
This picturesque rural area was also the site of The Great Savannah Road Races from 1908-1911, with the last race attracting thousands to watch the Vanderbilt Cup series. Buick vehicles had a presence then and - as our Enclave ST tour of Savannah shows - that presence continues today.
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