Eliza Thompson House

5 West Jones Street, Savannah, GA 31401 (912) 236-3620 or (800) 348-9378



With its original hardwood doors, moulding and garden restored to perfection, The Eliza Thompson House B&B welcomes guests with elegance and authenticity. Visitors to the inn now have another glimpse of days past, as the mantle and wall behind the parlor fireplace were recently restored.

Recently, a beautiful heart of pine wall and hearth were discovered underneath layers of paint and plaster in the parlor, an area of the house added by Eliza in the 1870s. The heart of pine wall was being stripped of paint and plaster and was refinished to restore historical authenticity and charm to the inn.

“The wood around the fire place is beautiful,” said Susan Powers, innkeeper.  “by restoring the wall and hearth to its original design, we’re completing part of the picture of the actual home where Eliza Thompson lived 161 years ago.”

Linda and David Glickstein, travelers and publishers of The Discerning Traveler, have provided this excellent overview of Savannah. 

The San Diego Union-Tribune Logo

by Chris Moran
STAFF WRITER

March 30, 2008

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Jones Street is paved with red brick, lined with live oaks and walled by town houses with brick or Federal-style facades.

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In other words, it's pretty much what it must have looked like 150 years ago.

“Here you go back in time. That's what we want to be,” said Susan Powers, innkeeper of the historic Eliza Thompson House bed and breakfast. “We want everybody to feel like they're going back in time.”

I'm less cranky about time travel when it includes waking up in a four-poster bed and descending to a courtyard for fresh coffee, salmon cakes and crab quiche. Powers serves as innkeeper, gardener, concierge and raconteur, and she helps travelers make the trip without deprivation.

Historic Savannah is a 2.2-square-mile outdoor museum. The best way to absorb what the museum has to offer is to live in one of the exhibits.

Finding Jones Street was luck. My fiancée and I used the Internet to book ourselves at the Eliza Thompson House on Jones Street to arrange a vacation within a vacation during a trip to coastal Georgia.

IF YOU GO
Eliza Thompson House. Most rooms range from about $200 to $260 a night, plus 13 percent Savannah hotel tax. 5 West Jones St., Savannah, GA 31401.
(912) 236-3620 or (800) 348-9378.
E-mail:
Web: www.elizathompsonhouse.com/
- CHRIS MORAN

I wanted to assure that I'd have some time alone with her and figured that her parents would probably appreciate the break, too. I try to behave courteously, but I couldn't keep my guard up long enough to avoid looking like the native Northerner I am when I confused Augusta, Ga., with Augusta, Maine, or like the transplanted Southern Californian I am when I remarked how surprised I was that one can cover the Georgia coastline by car in just a few hours.

Our plan was to do Savannah in 28 hours, and the Eliza Thompson proved an excellent jumping-off point.

The first delight when we arrived was that we would be staying on one of the few brick-paved streets in the city. Spanish moss that hangs from oak branches canopies the street. The houses are impeccably kept, facade after facade of historic homes with story-high staircases. Our B&B proudly displays 1847 as its year of construction.

The Jones Street homes preserve more than a style of architecture. They carry the names identifying the original owners, like the architectural equivalent of yellowed census parchments. In many cases they also appear to represent the social strata of the historic district - owners in the upper floors, students and other young people in the basement.

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...We returned to the inn for the 5:30 wine and cheese reception. The inn holds its daily happy hour-and-a-half in the parlor, which as far as I can tell is a living room with vintage furniture that you're not allowed to put your feet up on. We sipped wine under a portrait of one of Eliza's relatives. The room has framed excerpts from her diary and her obituary written in a flowery 19th-century style that concluded "any tribute of the pen is but a vain offering."

The wine and cheese also bring together guests to swap touring tips and celebrate the good fortune of having found such a great starting point for an exploration of Savannah.

"...Set on a quiet, residential street, the Eliza Thompson House is one of the oldest inns in the heart of Savannah's historical district and is an architectural landmark. Meticulous restoration work has resulted in superb interior, enhanced by heart pine floors and antique furnishings. All the bedrooms are furnished in exquisite style with en suite facilities and colour televisions. Other delightful traditions include afternoon tea, served in the parlour, or the daily cheese and wine reception in the evening."

Conde Naste Johansens

"Like its namesake, the Eliza Thompson House is a hospitable hostess."

Georgia Magazine

"This gracious Inn captures the mood of a charming and refined period in our past."

Country Victorian Magazine


A collection of six locally-owned-and-operated inns in Savannah's historic district-all award-winning for capturing Savannah's true essence and offering the ideal balance of comfort and elegance.