Stephen Williams House

The next best thing to staying with a friend in a meticulously restored historic Savannah house.

• The Stephen Williams Suite, which includes a full sitting room
• Albert Wall’s encyclopedic knowledge of Savannah’s history.
• The inn's impressive collection of world-class antiques.** **

Locals rave about this little gem of an inn in a Federal style town house that was awarded the Preservation Award in 2003 by the Historic Savannah Foundation for its painstaking restoration. The proprietor, Dr. Albert Wall, is a true Southern gentleman who invites guests to make themselves at home in what he proudly declares is “the grandest of the Federal houses that have survived in Savannah.” A successful doctor with a love for antiques, Wall bought the house almost fifteen years ago and spent two years restoring it before filling it with his collection of antiques and opening it as a five-bedroom inn. He spent 50 years amassing the museum-worthy treasures that fill the rooms, though no pieces of furniture bear velvet ropes. Rather, guests are encouraged to have tea in the parlor, sit on silk damask side chairs under the gaze of oil portraits of Colonial grandees and lounge out in the restored back garden.

Most mornings, Wall serves breakfast to his guests. He is usually sporting a bow tie and blazer when he sits down at the dining room’s gleaming early-19th-century mahogany table, which originally belonged to the Marshall Fields family. He entertains guests with his encyclopedic knowledge of the city’s highs and lows. Each piece of furniture has a story; and the bedrooms are also furnished with pieces that Wall found at estate sales in the region or at auctions in London. Rooms have such up-to-date comforts as Frette sheets and Bronnley bath products.

Wall happily suggests his favorite spots in Savannah, sharing tips on antiques and restaurants. Given his engaging manner, it’s not surprising that his visitors are inspired to send him thank-you notes and holiday cards after a stay.

The kind of people who love to go on garden and house tours will enjoy staying in this Federal gem. Families with young children should not consider this an option, as the many fragile antiques would inspire constant anxiety in parents.