Since I’m entering the time of year when I don’t get to travel as much because I am busy at work building up the time that allows me to travel so much, let’s back up for a bit. For my next few posts, I’m going to talk about some of the fall vacations I took that I haven’t yet had the opportunity to write about. First up, Savannah. I spent Labor Day weekend in Savannah celebrating my (now) sister-in-law’s bachelorette party with 10 of her friends. As the matron of honor, I planned the weekend along with her bridesmaids, and I must say, it turned out to be quite a hit. So here are the top bachelorette party essentials for a weekend in Savannah, Georgia.

• Rent a home with Lucky Savannah Rentals. First of all, with a big group, you’ll want a home base to get ready, have pre-dinner snacks, and throw a lingerie party for the bachelorette. It’s so nice to have a big gathering area rather than having to crowd the group into one person’s hotel room. With all of the beautiful homes in Savannah, you have plenty of real estate to choose from. Lucky Savannah Rentals was wonderful to work with – they have a user-friendly app that allows you to contact the property manager if you need essentials like toilet paper or more towels during your stay. They were also so generous and even organized a hurricane party (Labor Day 2016 was also the weekend Hurricane Hermine hit Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina). The company offered free drinks at nearby Hitch (owned by the same people who own popular Savannah restaurant Treylor Park), so we started our evening there before having a delicious Asian-fusion and sushi dinner at The Vault.

  

  

• Order matching tumblers. Drinking in public is legal in Savannah so you’ll definitely want to bring something to carry around and have refilled at the many bars in the city. Why not do it with matching monogrammed tumblers? After all, as the ever-so-wise Reese Witherspoon says, “If it’s not moving, monogram it!” I ordered clear plastic tumblers with Lilly Pulitzer monograms for all of the girls from a monogram shop owned by a friend of mine, Monogrammit. You can contact her through Instagram or facebook to place an order.

  

  

• Dance on stage at Savannah Smiles. There’s nothing like a piano bar to entertain a group of rowdy bachelorettes. Savannah Smiles is no exception. From the raucous crowd to the obligatory bachelorette songs, your group will certainly have a blast at Savannah Smiles. There was a small cover of $5 (the bachelorette was free, of course) which was well spent to sing our favorite songs at the top of our lungs and dance all night!

  

• Take a workout class. A group workout class is the perfect way to counteract the weekend’s decadent southern food and cocktails. Whether you are more into barre, yoga, spinning, or boot camp, there is something to be found in Savannah. We decided on an hour long boot camp at Fitness on Broughton. The staff there was kind enough to organize a private and custom workout just for us. We had a blast sweating out the previous night and burning a few calories. My only complaint would be that I was not told that the gym was under construction and the group exercise room was ridiculously hot so we were a lot sweatier than we expected and a bit uncomfortable toward the end of the workout.

  

• Do a Savannah Slow Ride. The number one must-do in Savannah is a Savannah Slow Ride. I cannot express how much fun it is to do a pub crawl while riding around on a group bicycle contraption with your friends. You can also book a slow ride historical tour or haunted ghost tour if you prefer a little bit of learning over stopping at local bars. With that said, we asked our guide to incorporate some history into our tour between stops. Two hour tours cost $25 per person Sunday through Wednesday and $30 per person Thursday through Saturday. Alternatively, you can rent the whole bicycle for up to 15 people for a group discount of $325 or $395, depending on the day.  ProTip: Have a quick lunch of deli sandwiches at the Soda Pop Shoppe nearby and bring your own soundtrack to blast during the ride. If you’re not into the pedaling, check out Savannah Pedals which has electric bicycles.

• Have fancy cocktails at Rocks on the Roof and/or Top Deck. For beautiful views of Savannah over the river and a chance to get dressed up and enjoy bubbly and fancy cocktails with your best friends, check out Rocks on the Roof at the Bohemian Hotel and Top Deck at the Cotton Sail Hotel. Both bars are fabulous choices and offer small bites in addition to full bars. You don’t even have to worry about choosing between the two because they are next door to each other!

  

• Have a girls dinner at Jazz’d. I have never met a girl that doesn’t love tapas so whether you’re in Savannah for a bachelorette party or girls’ weekend, you can’t miss a tapas dinner at Jazz’d. The food is excellent and the menu is conducive to ordering 25 different dishes to share and passing them around the table. The staff is very accommodating with splitting bills up for large groups which always simplifies the check paying process. Live music is a bonus!
• Make friends at Social Club and Boomy’s. Whether for day-drinking, happy hour, or a night out, Congress Street Social Club and Boomy’s are the places to be for casual drinks, live music, and lots of people. Both bars were filled with locals and visitors alike and were fun places to hang out for some drinks during the weekend!
• Enjoy a boozy brunch at B. Matthew’s. No girls’ weekend or bachelorette party is complete without a boozy brunch. Just keep in mind that alcohol isn’t served until 12:30 p.m. on Sundays (it is served beginning at 7 a.m. on all other days). B. Matthew’s is located on Bay Street near the river and serves a delicious Southern brunch in a charming setting. What to order: Fried green tomato benedict or Bay Street scramble

  

• Order pizza by the slice at Vinnie Van Go-Go’s. For delicious slices as big as your head from a restaurant loved by locals, check out Vinnie Van Go-Go’s in downtown Savannah. Be prepared to stand in line and don’t expect to find a table, especially with a big group. And don’t forget, the restaurant is cash only!
• See a drag show at Club One. A unique aspect of Savannah is the history of drag entertainment. The most famous place to catch a show is at Club One, home of Lady Chablis, made famous in the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” These ladies are incredibly talented at embodying their various personas with lip syncing and dance moves. There are several shows offered each weekend that last about an hour so it is easy to catch one in between bar stops. I don’t think any of us had ever been to a drag show before, so it was a fun and memorable experience to have together!

  

• Shop at the River Street Market and the shops on Broughton and Bay Streets. Another essential ingredient of a girls’ weekend is shopping and there is lots to be found between the River Street Market Place and the shops on Broughton and Bay Street. My favorite was the Paris Market, where you can find great trinkets, housewares, and gift items. They have a fantastic selection of  candles and stationery as well!

  

And there you have it: all of the necessities for a successful bachelorette weekend in Savannah. For more ideas, you can check out my previous post about Savannah, when I had a girls’ weekend with my best friend Jess (spoiler: it involved wedding crashing and great food!). Thanks so much for reading this week. And thank you to my sister-in-law and her friends for one of the best bachelorette weekends I’ve ever attended!