Savannah, Ga Sept '08

Savannah_ 9_08

Savannah, Georgia is 180 miles South of  our home on Pawley’s Island, SC, making it the perfect destination for last weekend’s get-away trip.  It is a lovely old city, established in 1733 as the first colonial capital of Georgia.   

Today, its Downtown Historic District is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States.   

 

It is built around 24 squares, many of which have a fountain or sculpture in the center.

Although Savannah is a very walkable city, we decided it would be more informative to start our visit with an overview tour of the Downtown Historic District.  

 Our tour guide, Angel, was both knowledgeable and entertaining as she maneuvered our trolley past hundreds of homes of famous people (both living and dead).  Later, the tour proved invaluable in helping us to keep our bearings as we walked from site to site for a more in depth exploration of certain areas. 

Our first stop after leaving the trolley tour was Savannah's restored the Downtown City Market which features antiques stores, souvenirs, small eateries, two large outdoor plazas with live bands, and  dozens of art studios/galleries .  It is here that Bruce bumped into one of his favorite artists, Grant Nelson, in Grant’s studio at the Market.

A short couple of blocks from the City Market house the River District.  On one side of River Street are restored nineteenth-century cotton warehouses and quaint passageways to shops, bars and restaurants. On the other side is the Savannah River with its active port and colorful tugs.  All along the waterfront is a lively mix of street performers.  

Following the river, we headed off for lunch at the rambling 15 room Pirates House Restaurant. 

The Pirate's House has been welcoming visitors to Savannah with a bounty of delicious food and drink and rousing good times since 1753. Situated a scant block from the Savannah River, it first opened as an inn for seafarers, and fast became a rendezvous for blood-thirsty pirates and sailors from the Seven Seas. Here seamen drank their grog and talked about their exotic high seas adventures from Singapore to Bombay and from London to Port Said.

Savannah has one of the most lively art scenes of any city in the US. Throughout the city, there is an eclectic and exciting mix of paintings, sculptures and fine art craft, not only in the galleries and museums, but in nearly every shop, restaurant, and public building or square. I almost got whiplash trying to take it all in. Much of this can be attributed to the influence of The Savannah College of Art and Design.  Known locally as SCAD, it is the largest art college in the United States.  It offers BA’s MAs, and MFAs and its unique urban campus occupies nearly 60 facilities throughout Savannah's historic and Victorian districts.  As a result, students learn to appreciate and blend their art with their historic buildings rather than demolish their roots to start anew. (http://www.scad.edu/) 

Saturday evening we went to The Mansion on Forsyth Park which is located in Savannah's Historic district. The hotel is a magnificently restored Victorian mansion that still retains its huge collection of original artwork.  

The hotel hosts an in-house classic and modern art gallery and also has a cooking school.)
  The mansion’s lounge is a unique blend of hip design and styling, with an essence of Southern hospitality.  It proved the perfect place to sip a glass of wine and listen to a live jazz.

Sunday morning we decided to visit the outskirts of Savannah.  

  First stop: Bonaventure Cemetery.  I know that a cemetery may seem like an odd destination; still, this is one place I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Savannah. Even if it had not served as the most memorable setting in the 1994 novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, this remarkable graveyard would still draw the curious. 

The moss-covered graves and monuments date back over two centuries, and mark the resting places of Confederate soldiers, generals, plantation owners and Savannah families of note.  

 We spent several hours walking around its hauntingly beautiful grounds. (http://www.geckotales.com/bonaventure_cemetery.htm).

Our final stop on Sunday was Tybee Island. 

Located just 20 minutes east of downtown Savannah, Tybee Island feels worlds away. This quaint beachfront community has been known as “Savannah’s Beach” for decades, attracting beachgoers in search of sea, sand and sanctuary. 

Time seems to slow down on this barrier island, with its spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean, five miles of public beaches, and classic lighthouse it was the ideal place to end the trip!