Beneath trees draped with swaths of gently swaying Spanish moss, one stately Georgia mansion brimming with history and luxury welcomes guests with abundant hospitality.
In 1873, Samuel Pugh Hamilton, often regarded by citizens of Savannah, Georgia, as “The Lord of Lafayette Square,” commissioned a manor to be built beside a lush park. Invitations to Hamilton’s home for an array of social affairs were sought after, as the halls often bustled with laughter and the clinking of glasses, especially when electric lights were installed. Locals gathered and peered in windows to witness the inaugural lighting.
The imposing mansion in The Hostess City of the South’s Historic District traded hands for decades until visionary owners saw potential in the storied space. Today, stepping across the threshold of the grand French Empire–style dwelling, the warmest greeting awaits. Lovingly restored and updated, the Hamilton-Turner Inn shines brightly as a luxurious getaway, complete with seventeen guest rooms and suites. Walls boast intricate paintings, and eleven-foot windows allow dreamy rays of sunshine to spotlight antique furnishings and crystal chandeliers. Guests awake to enjoy chef-prepared breakfasts each morning and unwind with a glass of wine and hors d’oeuvres in the evening.
Though the cozy hotel invites one to settle against a settee for a weekend of pampering, it is easy to imagine the lavish soirées that were once the talk of the town. As springtime florals emerge from the earth and hearts yearn for a slower pace to retreat amid graceful surrounds, the Hamilton-Turner Inn provides the ideal locale to allow oneself to be welcomed in a city known by its geniality.
Text Lydia McMullen
Photography Stephanie Welbourne Steele
