Savannah


We spent a long weekend in Savannah, the oldest city in Georgia, founded in 1733. Initially, an English colony, the city has the most extensive National Historic Landmark District in the USA.


Live Oak trees draped with Spanish moss line the streets, plazas, and squares. America’s first planned city was designed by General James Oglethorpe: the wards surround 24 central squares (23 remain). Lots on the east and west sides of the squares were reserved for churches and public buildings. The result is a lovely, shaded walkable city.


We stayed at The Kehoe House, built in 1892, now a B&B. Our room, Fiore, was on the second floor, where we shared a balcony with our travel companions. Interestingly, the balcony was accessed by climbing through a window in the bedroom.


The film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil captured our imagination and drew us to the city. The home featured in the movie has been converted into a museum. A humorous and informative docent led our tour through the Mercer Williams House Museum. The link provides photos of the priceless art and furnishings, along with additional historical information.


Foodies will love Savannah, too. We dined at The Olde Pink House, another period home, originally known as the Habersham House, built in 1789. It has a storied past, having served as a home, bank, architectural practice, attorney’s office, bookstore, and tea house. It was restored in 1968 by Jim Williams, owner of the Mercer House. [Of note, the biscuits were excellent.]

Savannah is a port city; the Port of Savannah is the fourth in TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) Volume in the US. It has the largest container terminal in the Western Hemisphere. Of course, we embarked on a Port Tour. Our adept captain steered us beneath the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, around a dredging boat, past mega-yachts, and under the bow of an enormous Evergreen containers-ship. We watched containers being loaded and unloaded — a rapid, precise operation, learned about the sugar plant and the demise of the long-standing paper mill.


Do you have a favorite US City? What makes it special for you?

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