Innkeeper Diane McCray

Sitting in the Toronto airport, we are waiting for my brother Dennis to arrive from Houston.  Have been sitting here for about 3 hours now and he is no where to be seen.  Hoping he has not dropped out of the sky!

Lots of folks from all over the world going to Germany, Italy, U.S. and London. Love watching folks in the airport. Just wondering what they are all thinking. What is their story? Mom is getting tired. Hope she sleeps on the plane.

The airport is becoming much more sparse as far as passengers are concerned. That means it will be quiet for a while. Our flight will be leaving around 11:15pm Thursday EST to arrive in London around 11:30 am London time Friday.

Our day for exploration will begin with a bang. I would bet we I’ll be retiring quite early on Friday evening.

Thu 8/19/2010 9:11 PM

Note:  Follow my travelogue and Twitter updates (@GreenPalmInn) during my family’s multi-generational trip to England and Europe.

Our local Earth to Table restaurant, Cha Bella, presented the heirloom tomato Tuesday evening  to some of Savannah’s own foodies. Each attendee’s tongue was made to dance with amuse bouche consisting of tomatoes and basil cream. The fabulous menu consisted of your first course choice (heavenly) – roasted golden tomatoes or a “BLT” salad.  The soup was a  puree of sweet slow oven roasted golden tomatoes with a pecorino wafer, tempura avocado and zesty cilantro pesto.The BLT salad paid homage to the All American sandwich. It was a breath taking assortment of heirlooms, crispy Italian ham and a pan crisped ciabatta, baby arugula and a garlic tomato aioli. Of course this was my choice. What is better than a BLT sandwich made into a salad? The very best of both worlds!!

The second course was spectacular. The first entree choice was  a slooooow roasted beef brisket with heirloom polents, baby Brussels sprouts and a tomato gravy. The second choice was a crispy crusted local red snapper sitting on top of a creamy zipper pea succotash, crispy bacon, heirloom tomato slice and a local corn and tomato salsa. The third choice was fresh tomato primavera fettuccine with assorted fresh tomatoes, herbs, veggies and cheese. The last but not least 4th choice was a crispy seared chicken breast with tomato olive gnocchi and eggplant parmigiana. It was very difficult to choose your entree. I tried the fish. It was every thing I wanted, even though the grits coating was a bit hard for that delicate fish. Possibly a little lighter grits would be appropriate here.

Lastly, but certainly not least, was dessert made from tomatoes. Think you cannot do this? Think again. You were tempted with a choice of gelatomato; 2 flavors, one made with sun-dried tomatoes and ricotta and one from heirloom tomato gelato or the  cherry tomato fruit salad of berries topped with sweet mascarpone cheese.

I cannot wait to taste next year’s flavors. Since this was the first annual celebration of the heirloom tomato, 2011 will be something to watch. Cha Bella you rock!

SAVANNAH Georgia (July 16, 2010) — Younger crowds have gone to the beach, leaving art and mansion museums, historical architecture, music scene, elite dining,  downtown cafes, and over 60 art galleries to the boomers.

Green Palm Inn is here to share “What’s New” and “lazy-delightful” for a cultural or historical vacation in Savannah!

While special events are plentiful, there’s no need to wait for the crowded happenings!  Your own special occasions and summer’s national holidays offer good times and plentiful excuses to get away, now or soon, for a lazy-delightful visit in Savannah.

Try something NEW! Beginning with lodging at Green Palm Inn in the historic district!

CLASSIC FUN IN NEW WAYS!

Not only is Paula Deen making national foodie news, Savannah itself is rapidly becoming a culinary destination. Savor ongoing wine weekends and weekdays. Savannah’s finest restaurants and vintners steadily introduce wonderful pairings.

Eclectic-meets-genteel southern dining indoors and out.

– The Savannah Brew Fest (Labor Day Weekend, September 3-4)

– Picnic in the Park (October 10). Great music is compliments of the City of Savannah, Department of Cultural Affairs.  Bring a picnic basket, beverages, flashlight, chair or blanket.

– Green Palm Inn joins with two more historic inns for intimate wines and hors d’oeuvres, wine tasting each third Saturday.

– The Inn will set you up for cooking classes — Low Country specialties to desserts — offered by notable chefs in the area.

TRADITIONAL HISTORICAL + NEW HAPPENING SPOTS + RICHER INFORMATION!

Green Palm Inn’s innkeeper and staff are phenomenal spotters – that’s a tad short of personal tour guides — helping with insider tips. We will line up the up-close-and personal things to do and places to see during your visit to historic Savannah and the beautiful Georgia Coast.

– For example, every 2nd Sunday the Bonaventure Foundation hosts a history-rich guided tour through the serenely beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery, originally one of the Georgia colony’s finest and most storied plantations.

NEW! HOLIDAY MINI-BREAK IDEAS AND TOP EVENTS IN SAVANNAH –

Through July:  National Ice Cream Month.  A “don’t miss” stop is the nostalgic and popular Leopold’s Ice Cream!

July 25-31: Art Educators’ Forum, Savannah College of Art & Design

July 30: National Cheesecake Day. Lulu’s Chocolate Bar makes it worth a Savannah trip!

August:  NEW! Visit Savannah’s World War II Memorial on River Street.

Through – August 1: The Story of Silver in Savannah, Telfair Jepson Museum

August 1-14: NEW! Tripletail Fishing Rodeo, Coffee Bluff Marina

August 4: National Chocolate Chip Day.  Recommended by New York Times, the nostalgic Back in the Day Bakery has the best!

August 5: National Waffle Day.  NEW! We’ll make you some with fresh, southern sugar cane juice!

August 10:  First Steam Locomotive. Rail buffs will love a visit to the Roundhouse Museum.

August 15:  National Relaxation Day. This is THE day to be at Green Palm Inn.

August 19:  National Aviation Day.  Aerospace & World War II fans will treasure a visit to the Mighty 8th Museum!

August 24:  National Peach Pie Day. Georgia’s the Peach State, so we’ll have a smorgasbord dashed with peach!

Through-September 6 (Labor Day): The three Telfair Museums offer FREE admission to all active duty military personnel and their families.

Through September 30: SCAD Kiah Hall, “Fashion in Focus: Photos and Evening Wear from the SCAD Museum of Art Collection”

September 3-4: Savannah Craft Brew Fest.  A great spot away from crowds is Wiley’s Championship BBQ & beer!

September 4: NEW! Midnight Garden Ride: A Bike Ride at Night. The whole city seems to be cycling! Great fun!

September 6: Labor Day, Federal Holiday. We will help you discover “What’s NEW!”

September 9: Rosh Hashanah. Temple Mickve Israel on Monterey Square, the 3rd oldest Jewish Synagogue in the U.S., invites visitors to High Holy Day Services. The synagogue requires a letter of request.

September 12: Grandparent’s Day. NEW Idea! Take a multigenerational trip, or treat your grandparents to Savannah!

September 17-19: NEW & FREE Experience! Gray’s Reef Ocean Film Festival – only one of 3 NOAA reefs in the Atlantic southeast.

September 19-26:  Savannah Jazz Festival.  FREE Events, compliments of City of Savannah, Cultural Affairs.

A LITTLE PAST SUMMER … MULTICULTURAL FESTIVALS GET INTO FULL SWING –

October 1-3: Oktoberfest on the River, Bavarian culture on Savannah River Street

October 10: Picnic in the Park, 3 – 9 PM. FREE music in Forsyth Park (central park).  Bring a picnic, beverages, flashlight, chairs or blanket.

October 8: Folkfest in Ellis Square, 7-11 PM, Savannah Folk Music Festival

October 10: Savannah Folk Music Festival Finale Concert, 2-7:30 PM, Grayson Stadium

October 11: Columbus Day, Federal Holiday

October 30 – November 6:  Savannah Film Festival, SCAD at Trustees Theatre ** Book early!

October 31:  Halloween, Shalom Y’all Jewish Food Festival™, and Juliette Gordon Low’s birthday! ** The busiest day of the year for haunted tours.

SEE FOR YOURSELF … THE INN’S ONLINE VIDEO!

Innkeeper Diane McCray strolls the city to introduce “The Softer Side of Savannah” — greenpalminn.com.  In the 3-minute video you get a glimpse of the wonderful people and places of Savannah. The Inn’s focus is on the special little spots — the spots where one does not get caught up in the masses in Savannah.  These are the spots that Diane and the Inn’s guests adore.

We hope you’ll be enticed to get away for a NEW! Savannah cultural vacation, now or soon!  The timing is perfect to take full advantage of travel deals and beautiful Savannah’s UN-crowded places.  To inquire email greenpalminn@aol.com;  or, call Toll free (888) 606-9510,  local (912) 447-8901.

# # #

Copyright (c) 2010 Sandy Traub / Green Palm Inn. All rights reserved.

Green Palm Inn is recommended in The Washingtonian feature, May 3, 2010. Savannah: Gardens, Ghosts, and Paula Deen, By Eliot Stein –

Press Contact:
Sandy Traub
912/398-9828
straub [at] spatior [dot] com

Second African Baptist Church - Greene Square

July 21st  6:00pm

The Macintosh County Shouters will bring the unique “shouting” tradition to Savannah. Developed during the 18th and 19th centuries, “shouting” was a traditional call and response used by slaves to communicate while working in the rice fields. Through their performance, the McIntosh County Shouters have preserved one of the oldest forms of African American cultural and religious expression. Since 1980, they have held audiences spellbound and contributed to a greater understanding of early African American culture. That First African Baptist Church, 123 Houston St, Savannah, GA is located just off of Greene Square. This historic square was named for Nathaniel Greene, Revolutionary War General  Washington’s right hand man. The beautiful Church and square were idyllic places for both formal and informal announcements.  After the Civil War, local slaves were promised 40 acres and a mule from this exact location by General Sherman.

Green Palm Inn invites you to come listen to this historic communication art form. It is free and open to the public.

Wine Weekends in Savannah

Lori our local Savannah, Georgia, wine purveyor and expert will be on hand to share all the info you can possibly ingest.  In other words, “It’s enough to make you blush!” Summer wines will have you sitting on the edge of your seat  and wanting more during your Savannah romantic weekend getaway in the historic district.

Cost is $40 per couple, $25 for single.   If you’re visiting in historic Savannah, but not staying at Green Palm Inn, you’re invited also.  Reserve your spot 24-hours in advance, please — Toll free (888) 606-9510 | Phone (912) 447-8901 or email greenpalminn@aol.com

Savannah Fireworks

What fun!  Walking around our beautiful city yesterday gave you a sense of Savannah Style. The weather was perfect, bright sunny and not too warm. People everywhere; down on River Street, City Market and in the Squares. Chairs, blankets, grills and lots of laughs making you feel warm and welcome. Everyone was reminiscing and waiting for the magical moment of the first firework bursting over the Savannah Riverfront.

We even had a firecracker wedding party here at the Green Palm Inn. Just a perfect time to get married. Imagine what that wedding would have been like during the American Revolutionary War period!  Perhaps on a battlefield or in the local church.

Could you ask for a better day that our beautiful summer holiday in historic Savannah, GA?  I think not, only if we had all of our troops back home. Then it would have been the perfect celebration.

Family-friendly Savannah GA

Park the car once and spend your day in downtown Savannah at the historic Battlefield park to learn about the 1779 Siege of Savannah with musket firings, check out real artifacts from the battle at the Savannah History Museum, catch a ride on the steam locomotive train ride at the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, and enjoy a delicious brunch or lunch at the Whistle Stop Café.

Special activities for children, including colonial games and art projects, will be offered at the Roundhouse on Sunday, July 4^th only. Step into the shoes of a historic soldier by trying on period uniforms, cannon and musket firings, and learning about life as a Civil War soldier.

Spring 2010 marks the first  anniversary of two special destination wedding guests of the Green Palm Inn. Last year, 2009,  Jason and Kimberly eloped to Savannah, GA. The actual Savannah wedding ceremony took place on a very rainy and blustery day on Tybee Island. Armed with umbrellas and smiles, the couple headed to the island for their special time.

The minister and the photographer were troopers. They took wonderful care of this special couple and the day was truly memorable.

So now they’ve come back to Savannah to relive their special time together in Historic Savnnah. This time the weather was cooperating a bit more, although just a bit too warm for this time of year. Nothing discouraged our wonderful guests however. With smiles and many memories of last year, they retraced their time spent in our beautiful city. Walking, riding the pedi cab, touring some of our historic places, Kim and Jason spent another romantic few days with us at the Green Palm Inn.  It is just such a treat to be able to be a part of these special memories.

Thank you Kim and Jason!  You are welcome back any time.

Beginning June 18, 2010, join us with Summer Whites “Do Blondes Have More Fun?”.  Thereafter, every third Saturday through December’s Fireside Wines “Ports and Chocolate”.  We promise to bring you an exciting blend of wines with paired hors d’oeuvres beginning at 5:30 pm and lasting until 7:30 pm. Each month will feature a new location (one of the inns), new theme, new foods, and new friends. Wines from all over the world, food that will make you weak in the knees, and people who live to share their love of wines.

What are you waiting for? Book three nights lodging and the tasting is free! Book two nights and the cost per couple is only $40 (single are $25). Offer is a valid only with new reservations and may not be combined with other offers.

Savannah at Night

We also tried an appetizer dip of sweet potato and artichoke. That I must say was exquisite. As hard as I tried, the owner would not give up the recipe. Darn!  What a great hors d’oeuvre to serve during wine and apps at any of our Inns. But the best was yet to come.

A cheese cake made by one of the owners. About 3lbs of cream cheese, wonderful vanilla and who knows what else. We were told that the initial process of whipping the cream cheese was about an 8 hour project. Possibly an exaggeration, but I could believe it. Even Teresa Harris of Harris Baking Co. said it was the best she ever had.  Go try it, you won’t be dissappointed.  Yeah Sugar Daddy’s!

Diane McCray, Innkeeper, Green Palm Inn

Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper shares more info:
Sugar Daddy’s Grand Opening, South Magazine