A two hour drive from Charleston is the city of Savannah. We’d arrived too late in the day to do any sight-seeing, but we did visit the Visitors Center and make plans for the next day. From the Info Center we drove to a lovely campground in Skidaway Island State Park and spent the night there. This campground is nestled under live oaks, a tree that can live hundreds of years, has leaves year-round, and is usually covered with Spanish Moss. This moss is greyish green in color and literally drapes over the branches of the trees. It is not a parasitic plant, like mistletoe, it just lives on the trees, giving them a real eerie appearance. The live oak seems to be their favorite place to “ hang around.”
Hike in Skidaway State Park
Didn’t think they had beavers here ?
Spanish Moss on Live Oak Trees
Live Oaks with Spanish Moss
The port city of Savannah was founded in 1733 and was England’s 13th and last colony. Oglethorpe, one of the founders, laid the new settlement in a series of wards or squares, as they are more commonly called, rather than the usual village grid system, in which commercial and residential buildings are centered on a public square. Today 22 of the original squares remain, and each is lined with historic homes, and bedecked with statues, fountains, flowers and trees, many of which were the live oaks.
The first day we decided to do another of the hop-on, hop-off tours of the historic area of Savannah. The first 90 minutes was a fully narrated, uninterrupted tour, after which we could get on and off as we pleased. The trolley took us past the more touristy areas of the city, including many of the squares, cemetery, River Street, churches, city market and the waving girl.
The Waving Girls
The second day we signed up for a walking tour, which ended up being a private tour since people didn’t show up. This tour took us to many of the same areas as the bus did, but the guide went into a lot more detail.
Each of the squares that I had previously mentioned had a history attached to it, along with the name of a well-known person, such as Washington, Oglethorpe, and Franklin. The author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a best seller a few years back, lived for a number of years in this historic section while doing research. One of the main characters in his book lived in the Mercer house, located right across from Monterey Square. A relative of his still occupies the upper floor of this house, and the lower floor is open to the public.
The Mercer House “Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil”
Chippewa Square is where Forrest Gump uttered the famous words, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” There is no actual bus stop at this location, and, in real life, the bus we see in the movie is going the wrong way on a one way street. The bench had caused so many traffic jams, and hordes of people taking photos on the bench, that it was eventually moved to a museum. A plaque is all that remains to remind us of the significance of this spot.
Forest Gump Bus Bench
The Green-Meldrim House, located by the Madison Square, has an interesting history. As you may, or may not know, Savannah had minimal damage during the Civil War, while all surrounding cities were devastated. During the war, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s headquarters was located at the Green house for a minimum of 6 weeks during Savannah’s occupation. Historians will tell us that the city was unharmed due to its architecture and beauty, but the other story is that Sherman’s favorite “mistress” resided in Savannah and he left it undamaged because of her. Hmmm, which story is true, or is it a combination of both?
One pretty, pastel colored home, was a mail order kit from the Sears catalogue circa 1908. Other than the fact the windows were installed upside down, the house was in great shape.
Sears House-upside down windows
I should also mention that all the homes in Historic District were built in the 1800’s and are protected under the Historic Society. The outside of the homes may only be painted in colors of the 1800’s and must retain original appearance. Owners can do what they want with the inside of the home. Because of the size of the homes, most are not single family homes, but offices, B & B’s, museums and retail stores.
The Kehoe House
Try and trim this hedge
Now an Animal Hospital
We stopped to take a look in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. The original cathedral was built in 1876, but caught fire and was nearly destroyed in 1898. The rebuilding began in 1899 and it finally re-opened in 1912. A major restoration project took place in 1998-2000.
This impressive Cathedral has a newer pipe organ, the case composed of white oak and the console trim is black walnut. The main alter was carved from Carrara marble in Italy. Three of the original stained glass windows survived the 1898 fire and were incorporated into the building of the new church, along with 50 new stained glass windows. Two intricate spires grace the front entrance of the cathedral. Inside and outside, this building is jaw-dropping.
St John the Baptist Cathedral
St John the Baptist Cathedral’s Pipe-Organ
During our 90 minute tour, the guide had pointed out a restaurant that usually had a line-up at its doorstep, so we thought we would give it a try. The Wilkes Cafe was located on the lower level of one of the many large homes in the Historic District, they are only open from 11-2:30 and there was indeed a line-up at the door. After a 30 minute wait, Carl and I, and 6 other people, were herded into the bowels of the restaurant. We were all seated at a table laden with various dishes of food. Baked chicken, meatloaf, a pork dish, and at least a dozen different vegetable dishes were waiting for us to enjoy. There were too many for me to sample all of them, but the dishes I did sample were yummy. There were only 2 desserts to choose from, which I found disappointing, and iced tea was the only beverage choice.
Mrs Wilke’s Southern Dinning
Mrs. Wilkes Spread
Mrs. Wilkes Dinning Room
Both Carl and I found the live oaks dripping with Spanish Moss most intriguing. Our bus guide informed us that the tree spends as much time alive or growing, as it does dying, which is why its life span is so long. The oldest and largest oak is located in the Historic District ‘The Candler Oak’ and was planted in the early 1700’s, which makes it over 400 years old. Its branches span across an amazing 110 feet and it is at least 2 stories high. The tree and its branches are protected by a black, 6 foot high, wrought iron fence. The moss covering this tree is neat to look at, but it does contain red microscopic insects, so it is not something you’d want to bring into your home.
The Candler Oak
Before returning to the RV, we walked through a few of the many shops located in the Historic District and along the Savannah River. Christmas is fast approaching and I haven’t purchased or even thought about gift buying yet, which is very unusual for me. I did end up buying a few small items, but since we will only be bringing carry-on baggage for our trip home, I can only buy small stuff.
Our evening was spent at Smiles Dueling Pianos Saloon. We arrived around 8:00 and were the only patrons of this sprawling bar/restaurant for the next hour. You would think that they’d play any song that we requested, but they didn’t, so we came to the conclusion that they didn’t know any songs by Cold Play. Because we were the only people there, we initially felt obligated to stay, fortunately 3 more couples eventually showed up, and we were able to make our escape. The musicians did play tunes that we recognized and we did have an enjoyable evening.
Tonight we stayed in the Visitors Centre Parking lot. For $ 7.00 you can stay for a maximum 2 nights, making it an easy walk to the Historic Section. There were 9 other RV’s in the lot that night, but during the peak season there is a waiting list.
Traditional Carriage Ride through town
Repairs to foundations over 200 years
Forsyth Park Fountain
Detective McGruff in person
Emmit Park
Savannah Police station
$20 Taxi or $1500 DUI
Dolphin Downspouts
Private gardens
Unbelievably Good – Wally !!
The next day we drove to Tybee Island, known as the “perfect little beach town”. At this time of year it is a perfectly quiet little town, many of the restaurants and hotels being closed for the season. We stayed overnight at the River’s End Campground, also quiet at this time of year. The local Legion seemed to be the closest place to eat within walking distance, and Thursday was known for its fish fry, so we decided to give it a try. When we first arrived it was pretty quiet, and the few people that were there, were all seated around a large oval-shaped bar, so we also sat along the bar.
We then noticed a man handing out red coasters in exchange for $2. Apparently Tuesdays and Thursdays were “Screw Your Neighbour” days. Everyone participating is handed a card, the goal is to get a high card, if you don’t like the card you are dealt, you have one chance to pass it to the neighbour to the right of you, and take his/her card. If you end up with a low card, too bad, you are stuck with it. The lowest cards are eliminated until 1 or 2 winners emerge. We played 3 rounds and neither Carl nor I won, but we did have a fun evening.