Savannah, Georgia's 'Hipster Haven' Of The 1990s Is An Artsy District With Funky Shops And Local Eats

Savannah, Georgia, is an old city, founded in 1733 on a bluff overlooking the Savannah River. Even today, it's reminiscent of colonial grandeur, a city built on mercantilism and the spoils of the cotton trade, known for its ornate architecture and stately homes. It's somewhat surprising, then, that in an area known as the Starland District, it also gave rise to a haven of hipsters and countercultural attitudes in the late 1990s. Almost 30 years later, this part of town, lying to the south of Savannah's historic center, is one of the liveliest and most youthful in the city. 

The Starland District has existed for more than a century, initially growing around a milk-processing factory called the Starland Dairy. Quite appropriately, this is where its reinvention also took place, when two Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) graduates, John Deaderick and Greg Jacobs, identified it as the perfect location for a new creative hub in the city. The graduates wanted to completely reimagine the area through art and design, commissioning artists to paint murals on the walls of abandoned buildings, staging performances and exhibitions in an old courtyard, and attracting new businesses to the area.

Though not every venture has been successful, the Starland District has retained that spirit of experimentation, rivaling other creative havens in Georgia, like Alto in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Walking through Starland today, you'll find quirky boutiques and bazaars, art galleries, record stores, tattoo parlors, shipping-container restaurants, and (for some reason) lots of taxidermy. This mishmash of style, curios, body ink, and alternative dining is the hallmark of any great hipster neighborhood, and it's reason enough to visit Georgia's oldest, most picturesque city.

The word "shops" almost feels inadequate to describe the unorthodox collection of boutiques that define the retail landscape in the Starland District. Starland Strange and Bazaar epitomizes this. Among its wares are edible sprinkles, the kind you might douse on an ice cream, with names like "Being a Prick" and "80's Porn Stache." It also sells graphic tees that pay homage to Starland, funky stickers, and sweet treats, including frozen bananas, milkshakes, and churros. Plus, it has a bubble tea happy hour on weekdays between 3 and 4 p.m.

Graveface Records & Curiosities, a vinyl store that started as an indie label, is also worth visiting. Alongside LPs, it sells quirky pop-up items like retro NES games, alien toys, tarot cards, film strips, and small pieces of taxidermy. Take a look at Graveface's Instagram page to see what unique finds might be on the shelves. Keeping with the theme of Starland blazing its own trail, Graveface Records recently became one of the only indie labels in the U.S. to print its own records, which will have the added benefit of reducing some of the prices in the store.

Other establishments to stop at include Vintage Vortex, a throwback clothing store in which half the items look plucked from the wardrobe of a Tim Burton film, and Superbloom Savannah, which stocks items made by local artists, serves coffee and wine, and hosts workshops and craft nights. Keep an eye on the First Fridays Instagram page, which shares information about pop-ups, markets, gigs, and events hosted by local businesses — usually taking place on the first Friday of the month.

Savannah has a rich culinary culture embodying Southern soul cooking. Dishes like cornbread, fried chicken, low-country boil, grits, collard greens, and biscuits and gravy have long been popular in the city. In times past, tourists would seek out Savannah's best restaurants on the scenic riverfront walk, but today, they'd have just as much luck along the stylish streets of Starland.

When visiting any city, heading to a food court or market is often a good way to understand what the locals eat, and this is true of Starland Yard. There are three permanent restaurants here, built into colorful, upcycled shipping containers. Vittoria serves Neapolitan-style pizza pies, fired in hand-built brick ovens. Uncle June's makes classic sandwiches, stacked so high with ingredients you'd need a snake's jaw to take a clean bite. And T-Rex is a southern barbecue house, specializing in tender brisket, smoked wings, and deep-fried, crispy chicken. It also hosts a bar and rotating food trucks throughout the year.

Just around the corner from Starland Yard is Brochu's Family Tradition, a great place to try local cuisine staples. The menu features farm-to-table oysters with a mixture of dressings, chilled crab dip, peel n' eat shrimp, cheddar rillette, roast chicken, and fried green tomato sandwiches. Try to time your visit with the "sour hour" (Wednesday and Thursday between 5 and 6 p.m.), when the alcohol and oyster offerings take on a zingy twist. If you'd prefer a no-frills, southern meat feast, head to Munchie's BBQ & Soul Food on Montgomery Street for gravy-smothered turkey wings and delicacies like oxtails, pig's feet, and baked spaghetti. Tricks BBQ, over on Waters Avenue, is another good option. The menu here is gloriously simple: ribs, chicken, or lamb chops with potato salad and beans on the side.