Savannah, Georgia

I have a friend of mine, let’s call her Walker.  Walker and I love to compare notes on family vacations.  We both live vicariously off of each other’s adventures.  One of these days I will consult her on traveling out west where she and her family have had several unforgettable experiences.  Rattlesnakes and tarantulas may be traumatic at first but they ultimately make for great travel stories.  Walker has ‘em.  She asked me recently what to do with some spare time in Savannah, Georgia.  Mother Hen and I were there this past August and, as it turns out, we fell in love with the city.  Savannah will capture you and you will be happy in its embrace.  Here is, by and large, what I told Walker… 

                                       Character and atmosphere

Historic Savannah is a timeless city.  Oglethorpe knew what he was doing when he laid it out in pre-revolutionary times.  He may have patterned it after Roman encampments – whatever the case Old Savannah is absolutely beautiful – one of the most wonderful cities that I have ever had to pleasure of visiting.  Mother Hen feels the same way.  MH and I have traveled up and down the Eastern Seaboard and at various destinations I would say, “You know, we could live here.”  She does not always agree.  In Savannah, the tables turned and she beat me to the punch.  “You know,” she said, “we could live here”.

                                                  Iron work and architecture

                                                    The Mercer House

Savannah is a city heavy with history, character, and charm.  The historic section is truly something to behold.  Take the Oglethorpe Trolley Tour (http://www.oglethorpetours.com/).  I’ve come to love these trolley tours.  You’ll learn a lot about the city and you will cover a LOT of ground, which is good since you will be able to scope out the sights that you want to revisit.  If you only have a limited time to visit, then I’d say find a good trolley tour – it will be to your benefit.   

                                           View from inside one of the Squares

                                           So much to explore.

                                               This was a 'mail ordered' fountain

                                                 The First African Baptist Church

The Squares are wonderful are a must to walk, the Mercer House (from ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’), the architecture, the oak trees, the fountains, the iron work, the weight of the palpable history that hangs in the city just as the Spanish moss does, the cobblestones at the waterfront, and the FOOD! – oh, you guys are going to LOVE it.  Speaking of food, if you want a meal that you will never forget skip Paula Dean’s place and go directly to Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room (http://mrswilkes.com/).  Trust me on this.  The locals will tell you the same.  Get there early (about 10:30 should do).  They open at 11:00 AM and close at 2:00 PM – yes, they are only open three hours a day.  That’s all they need to blow anything else out of the water.  Southern cooking that is off the charts, cranked to 11, and blowin’ out the speakers.  It’s $22.00 a head and worth every single cent.  Bring cash, they don’t take cards.     

                                   Yes, that is the line. It is time well spent.

After a meal like that it is time for a walk.  Go check out the things that you wanted to revisit from the trolley ride.  If you get the chance before hoping back onto the trolley to take you back to where your car is see about making a stop at Leopold’s Ice Cream (http://www.leopoldsicecream.com/).  This place is amazing – two fold.  First the Ice Cream Parlor itself is like stepping back in time.  Secondly, you will notice a lot of autographs & movie posters on the walls, as well as, film props all over the place.  It turns out that the owner was a film producer.  You guys would LOVE it.  J.J. Abrams, Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins are all represented in the photo / autograph section.  The ice cream is the real deal too.  They’re Zagat rated for a reason.

                                             It gets to be a busy place.

There is so much more than this and we only scratched the surface of this wonderful city.  Next time we are bringing the girls and we’ll probably stay longer than a day.  I have no doubt that you and your family will have an adventurous time in the city of Savannah (http://visitsavannah.com/).  I can’t wait to hear of the stories.

                                                        Timeless.