Welcome to Sweat-vannah!
August 16, 2011Or Savannah, as it is more commonly known. In early August, my friend Kerri and I spent two nights in this lovely Georgia town. Kerri had been in Georgia visiting high school and college friends, so I flew to Atlanta where she picked me up, and we drove together to Savannah.
Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia, and was founded by British General James Oglethorpe in 1733. Oglethorpe is the one who came up with Savannah’s city plan, a system of squares, surrounded by homes, churches and businesses. Twenty-two of the original 24 squares still remain. Many buildings in Savannah are pre-Civil War, because General Sherman did not destroy Savannah on his “march to the sea” from Atlanta. In fact, in December of 1864 Sherman presented Savannah to President Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas gift!
On the surface at least, Savannah is more of a southern lady than New Orleans. Even the name sounds genteel. I didn’t stay long enough to really get a feel for the town, however, as this trip was much shorter than my NOLA trip—only one full day and two half-days. With no agenda except vacationing, my friend and I chose the “fly by the seat of our pants” travel plan. My inner control freak gnashed her teeth, but managed to keep quiet most of the time. Here are some of the highlights of the trip:
Day 1
We arrived in Savannah to find the temperatures would likely be more than 100 degrees all three of the days we are in town, with heat indexes of 110-112. Goody. (Kerri lives in Seattle, WA, where the temperatures were averaging the upper 70s this week. Tell me again why we weren’t meeting each other in Seattle?)
Our first stop was the Savannah Visitor’s Center, where we picked up brochures for hotels and various tours and attractions. We wanted to go on a ghost tour, and see a house museum as well as walk the streets admiring the architecture and looking for good photo ops. Several trolley tour companies begin their Savannah tours from the Visitor’s Center and we decided to return the next day for an organized tour before we hit the cobblestones on foot.
After checking out several hotels, we opted for the Inn at Ellis Square. After a brief rest, we wandered down to River Street where it promptly began to rain. The late-afternoon thunderstorm is a staple in Florida, and evidently in Savannah, too, as it rained every afternoon, adding a certain extra soupiness to the already steamy air.
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| City Market |
We walked to The Olde Pink House for dinner. Built in 1771 for the Habersham family, it originally got its distinctive pink color when the native red brick bled through the plastered walls. Besides being a private residence, The Olde Pink House has been a bank, attorney’s office, tea room and bookstore. The food was some of the best I’ve ever eaten, and the service was just as good. If you’re ever in Savannah, I highly recommend this restaurant.
Some of the delicious food:
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| No one ever told us not to play with our food... |
8 comments
Despite the inhospitable weather, looks and sounds like you had a super fun time!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy! I sounds as if you are having a wonderful summer. I hope to make it to Georgia someday, and now to visit Savannah also.
ReplyDeleteI love how old it is, and how beautiful. How did the ghost tour go?
Thanks so much for stopping by to say hi, I really appreciate it.
God bless,
Kathy M.
Laure--yes, we did. After all, what's a little sweating?
ReplyDeleteKathy--Georgia is a beautiful and interesting state. Just come when it's not quite so hot!
ReplyDeleteThe ghost walk was fun...I'll be posting about it and the rest of the trip on Friday. (And it's my pleasure to stop by to visit!)
My DH and I were in Savannah a few years ago and enjoyed it. It's a very pretty city with an interesting history. I love your photos and the food sure looks yummy! We missed The Olde Pink House when we were there - sounds like a good excuse to go back someday!
ReplyDeleteI recognize the flower wagon at the City Market. Ellen Lindner, a fiber artist from Florida, posted a picture of it on her blog last year and offered it as a challenge; if you're interested, you can see her photo of it here:
http://adventurequilter.com/blog/?p=1120
Quite a few years ago I visited a friend who lived in Augusta and we went to the coast--it's gorgeous there and I'd love to visit again, but I couldn't hack the weather. I thought Nebraska's hot and sticky days were bad! I love the historical aspect of Southern towns--so many beautiful buildings! Sorry about the soggy (in more ways than one--since even when it wasn't raining it must have felt soggy!) weather, but it sounds like you had a nice time otherwise!
ReplyDeleteCheryl--Yes, you should go back and eat at the Pink House. It's worth the trip!
ReplyDeleteI'll check out the link, thanks.
Danielle--Southern towns are very interesting, and always seem to have a little naughtiness in their history. Must be the heat and humidity! I've lived in FL for more than 20 years now, and I'm still not used to the humidity. I grew up in CA, where hot summers were normal, but this humidity stuff is just too much for me. I can't wait for fall! Please bring on the cold fronts!
ReplyDelete