Explore Savannah’s Sugar Trail
Here, sweet Southern staples sing from layer cakes and mile high–meringued pies to ice cream and iced tea.
Lead image by Paulina Ponce
Those with a sweet tooth can find solace in Savannah. The city, known for the Savannah Sugar Refinery, is a gold mine of delicious baked goods and frozen treats. It doesn't matter if you're looking for staples in Southern cuisine or a scoop of ice cream, you can find it with ease here. Wildsam's sugar trail just makes that process a little easier.
Masada Café at United House of Prayer for All People
Fried chicken and red rice aside, it’s the candied yams at this church cafeteria that inspire the truest hums of praise. As do its saran-wrapped slices of flamingo-pink strawberry cake and cream cheese frosting–crowned red velvet.
2301 W Bay St
Leopold’s Ice Cream
The three Leopold brothers started their namesake parlor in 1919, where their combination of rum, Georgia pecans and candied fruit became known as Tutti Frutti. Movie producer Stratton Leopold reopened his family’s shop on Broughton Street in 2004.
212 E Broughton
Juliette Gordon Low House
When a sidewalk sale ordinance prevented Girl Scouts from selling cookies in front of the founder’s home in 2011, international dismay prompted city officials to issue a special permit. That same cookie season, the Scouts introduced lemon-flavored Savannah Smiles.
10 E Oglethorpe Ave
Auspicious Baking Co.
Relative newcomers Katie Bryant and Mark Ekstrom quickly lured locals to line up outside their Sandfly shop for French-style bread, with the added promise of fluted coconut cream pies and lemon slice–clad layer cakes.
7360 Skidaway Rd
History
Savannah has long imported and refined sugarcane from other countries. It has the second biggest of only eight refineries in the U.S. But chefs and historians have revived interest in Purple Ribbon sugarcane, an heirloom variety that grows on nearby sea islands.
Parker’s Market
This location of the gas station chain is colloquially known as “Fancy Parker’s” for its tile-roofed, ivy-covered boutique market. Grab a styrofoam cup, fill with “chewy ice” and head to the sweet tea spigot for a refreshing elixir.
222 Drayton St
The Grey
True to the rest of chef Mashama Bailey’s menu, the desserts here lean into regional ingredients and historical recipes, from peach sheet cake under billowing buttercream to cinnamon–green tomato pandowdy with vanilla ice cream.
109 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Field Guide
Savannah
Hidden history and modern art, movie producers and oyster harvesters, deep-sea fishing and town-square sitting.
