Anecdotes and advice from three months living in the city
Updated Edition!! We've converted our three-month blog about Savannah into an exclusive e-book. For 91 Days in Savannah contains all of our articles and 195 of our best pictures, in full-color. With categorical and alphabetical indexes, locations, links to the original blog posts, and cross-references spread throughout, the e-book is a perfect companion for a trip to Savannah.
Five years is usually considered to be a long time, but that's not necessarily the case in Savannah. We returned to find the city largely as we had left it. Sure, there were some new restaurants, and a few additional museums to check out ... whether they were new or had re-opened after renovation. But Savannah itself hadn't changed at all. And we like it that way. Here are some final images from our return to this beautiful and utterly unique southern city.
Eating well in Savannah isn't a problem. There are any number of excellent restaurants to discover, from classic barbecue joints to more modern cuisine. Upon returning after five years, we compiled a list of some of our favorites. If you're looking for good eats, you might want to give one of these restaurants a try.
It's impossible to imagine Savannah without the stunning mansions which adorn so many of its squares and streets. But the city's architectural heritage was once in real danger of disappearing completely. The struggle to save Savannah's soul began in 1955, at the Isaiah Davenport House.
Found on Madison Square, the Sorrel-Weed House has gained a reputation as the most haunted spot in a city known for ghouls. The house has been the subject of just about every sort of "Ghost Hunting" reality show that exists, and even offers visitors the chance to take a spooky nighttime tour. But Jürgen and I decided to check it out during the day, on an architectural tour.
The Central of Georgia Railway company was founded in 1833, connecting Savannah to Macon and Southeast America's budding train network. The company's Savannah headquarters were closed in 1963, and today the grounds have found a new life as home to the Georgia State Railroad Museum.
"Lady Hats at the Mansion" is a suggestive title, yes? Is it a metaphor? A play on words? Well, apologies for being so literal, but in this case, we're referring to actual lady hats. As soon as we learned about this bizarre collection, we raced over to the Mansion on Forsyth. Nothing gets our blood pumping like dainty hats for lady-folk!
Built in 1896 and recently restored to its original beauty, the King-Tisdell Cottage allows visitors to check out the interior of a classic Savannah home, and learn more about the rich heritage of the city's black population.
With its squares, mansions, oak trees and Spanish Moss, Savannah is a gorgeous city when you're standing on the ground. But how does it look from the air? To find out, we got in touch with Old City Helicopters, who invited us out on a sunset tour. Soon enough, we were zooming along the Savannah River, looking down upon the city from above.
Opened in 1856, the Massie School may have been the city's first public school, but many of Savannah's aspiring students would have to wait eleven more years for the founding of the Beach Institute: Savannah's first school specifically for black children. Today, the school has moved into a more modern facility, and the old house has evolved into a cultural center and gallery.
Say you've got a lady companion on your arm. She's a fine lady, dainty and demure, and you wish to take a romantic stroll along the river, and perhaps even muster the courage to steal a furtive kiss on the cheek. Good sir, stay away from River Street! Now, on the other hand, if your lady is a party animal, partial to the occasional belch, and already a drunken mess at 3pm, then head on down. You guys are going to have a blast. And I bet you get more than a kiss on the cheek.
Found along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia are communities known as the Gullah-Geechee, who are descended from freedmen and former slaves. Historically isolated due to the ultra-rural environment and their own choice, these are people who developed their own culture and language. We went to the Pin Point Heritage Center to learn more about them, their work and their lives.