Savannah Book for your Kindle

Hey, you know what Savannah has plenty of? Tours. Carriage Tours, walking tours, hearse tours, haunted tours, pub tours, haunted pub tours, Civil War tours, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil tours.

Hold on, I’m just getting started! Black history tours, Girl Scout tours, dolphin tours, gates and gardens tours, Paula Deen tours. And trolley tours. Lord, are there trolley tours. There are more trolleys than cars in Savannah! THERE ARE MORE TROLLEYS THAN BLADES OF GRASS. Yesterday, I got hit by a trolley on the street and another trolley rushed me to the hospital, which was itself inside a trolley. The Hospital Trolley Tour. It’s awesome, check it out.

So we’ve done a few trolley tours. How could we not? I won’t mention the less impressive ones … the dumpy ones with plastic covering the windows, you know who you are. No, I suppose if you’re in the city and must do a trolley tour, hunt down the Old Town Trolley. Orange and green. A bit more expensive, but worth it.

First off, the trolleys have sparkly clean glass windows; none of this plastic nonsense. Our driver was good, and managed to be interesting and legitimately funny, which is a tough thing to do when your audience includes a cynical jerk who thinks he’s heard it all before (“me”). He got amusingly frustrated once when our trolley was blocked by an SUV trying to parallel park. While he was complaining, all us tourists pressed our faces to the glass to point and laugh at the dumb-parking idiot. Heh, tourists laughing at locals! Eat it!

The tour is llooooong and comprehensive; perfect for people who don’t have all that much time in the city. You can get on and off as often as you want during the day. As I mentioned, at $25 per person, it’s not the cheapest thing in the world, but package tours are available and I think you can usually find a discount.

Book here and receive a discount: Old Trolley Tours

- Savannah Hotels

Books on Savannah Sqaures

The most south-westerly of Savannah’s squares is Chatham, on the intersection of Barnard and Wayne. A residential square devoid of shops and monuments, Chatham was one of the last to be founded, in 1847.

Both the square and Savannah’s Chatham county were named after a Brit who never once set foot in the city. William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham also counts Pittsburgh among the American places named in his honor. The Whig statesman led Britain during the Seven Years War, and was one of the few British politicians to sound alarm bells about the impending US Revolution… he sought to appease the colonists before things got out of hand, but was roundly ignored by an obtuse parliament.

Older Savannahians may refer to Chatham Square as Barnard Square, because of the school on its northwestern side. Still the square’s most conspicuous building, the school is now in the possession of SCAD, and hosts its Fibers Department. The rest of the buildings around Chatham are apartments, resulting in one of the quieter residential squares in the city. Gordon Row, on the southeastern side, stands out — fifteen four-story brick townhouses which were built before the Civil War as apartments.

If you’re looking for an area to live, or just to spend a peaceful Sunday afternoon, Chatham Square is a good choice. Enjoy our pictures of this tranquil corner of Savannah.

Location on our Savannah Map

- Savannah Coupons

The Portrait in Clay Book

We’ve been lucky to meet some incredibly talented people during our time in Savannah, and recently had the opportunity to get to know Susie Chisolm, a sculptor who works out of City Market.

If you’ve spent time walking around the city, you’re probably already familiar with her most famous work: the Johnny Mercer statue at Ellis Square, where the famous songwriter immortally leans against a fire hydrant. She’s been commissioned for other public works as well, including a life-size sculpture of Charles Fraser, who was the developer most responsible for present-day Hilton Head.

For some reason, when I think “sculptor”, I think of an intense, morose and grimly industrious person. But that’s certainly not the case with Susie, who’s as warm and friendly as can be. We had a great time getting to know her, and learning her story. For someone so accomplished in her chosen art, Susie got a late start, only deciding to pursue sculpture in 1996 after participating in a local workshop. Almost instantly, she knew that sculpting was for her, that molding clay into shapes “made sense” to her in a way that other mediums didn’t, and she wasted no time in diving headlong into the practice. She even flew out to Cortona, Italy for a summer to learn from the masters.

What I know about sculpture could fit into a four-word sentence, so Susie’s detailed explanation of the process was instructive. While we were in her studio, she was working on the bust of a recently deceased man who had served in the army; a private commission from his family. She described how she forms the clay into a likeness of her subject, of whom she had multiple photographs pinned up. Though still in the beginning stages, the lump of brownish clay was already recognizably the man in the photos.

Suzie’s won a number of awards, and her work can be seen in Colorado, Texas and of course around Savannah. But even more than her accomplishments, what struck me was how sweet and down-to-earth she is. When we asked what her dream project might be, her eyes brightened and she said immediately that she’d love to do a statue of Forrest Gump for Chippewa Square. Now that’s a great idea… it’s kind of amazing the city hasn’t already done it! If you get a chance, swing by Susie’s studio, check out her work and say “hi”. In a city full of artists, she truly stands out.

Official Site
Location of Susie Chisholm’s Studio on our Savannah Map

- Savannah Coupons