Pirate's House in Savannah, GA

Welcoming Visitors Since 1700's

​This old place first opened as an inn, serving seafarers traveling down the nearby Savannah River.  ​

There are lots of stories of pirates and grog and underground tunnels to the Rum Room.  But mostly the grog drinkers have been tourists, since it became a restaurant in the 1940's.  Don and I were 2 of those tourists, last January.

Cozy House
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​There are a number of buildings that make up the Pirate's House and its 15 dining rooms.  

This homey one with the porch, was part of the original inn.  The attached structure on the right, with the slanty-roof, was built in 1734. It was called the Herb House and it was home to the gardner who tended Savannah's carefully planned botanical garden. 

Cookbook Illustration

​I'm sure the exterior has gone through many changes over the years, but not much since 1964.  ​

This illustration is from my 54-year-old Ford Motor Cookbook and it shows the same paint colors on building and shutters.  Of course I brought along the book, hoping to share with an enthused server or cook...
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Late Afternoon Visit

​It was around 4, when Don and I squeezed in a visit during our short stay in Savannah.  There were a few young and bored women chatting at the hostess desk, during the lull.  They told us to feel free to roam around and to enjoy the gift shop. That was a bad sign right there. I don't care about souvenirs.

I just wanted some history and these youngin's didn't have much interest in that.  So we looked on our own.  The first room we peeked in, was the original Herb House.  You can see the slanted ceiling with thick beams.

The Captain's Room
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​The Captain's Room had great old floors and wooden walls.  The fireplace looked authentically rustic.

But what was with the skull and parrot theme?  Yes, real pirates spent time in this room, but I doubt the fireplace was decorated with skulls back then. 

The Bar
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​Don and I wanted to have a "dining adventure" in this old building, but it was too early and too empty to be fun.  So we figured we could at least drink an ale or some grog-like beverage to help remember our visit.  

Sadly, the bar was a newly remodeled space that could have been anywhere.  But luckily Joshua was still on duty for a while behind the bar.  He had a bit of a pirate look about him, with ponytail and earrings. But best of all he had a lot of interest in the history of the place.

Pirate's Pleasure

​Don had some kind of ale and I went for the Pirate's Pleasure... because it sounded appropriate, with rum.

Some lively tourists arrived a while later and ordered the 22-ounce Chatham Artillery Punch.  Joshua explained how he makes this crazy concoction in huge amounts each day.  Maybe next time.

​Date and Nut Pudding?
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​It made my day that Joshua was amused by the old cookbook.  He laughed over the pudding recipe, which is no longer served.  

He even flipped through some of the pages from the northeastern States to see if he recognized any of the featured restaurants.  

A Quick Visit

I can hardly say we really experienced Pirate's House.  We had no meal.  We weren't there at night with costumed servers. I didn't even ask if I could go find a tunnel.

But we got to check off one more on the Cookbook List.  And best of all, we had a great chat with Joshua.  He may not be as young as the disinterested youngin's, but he was still young enough that I was impressed with his appreciation for history and preservation of old buildings.
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