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I'm finally getting around to posting about my trip! I meant to post sooner, but there's been a lot going on, especially at work. Anyway, the trip was A LOT of fun! I would love to go back sometime, but not in July. The humidity was awful; I think I was actually in danger of melting a couple times. Savannah is a gorgeous city. There are lots of beautiful squares and buildings. There's also Spanish Moss everywhere. I knew I was going to see it, but I was unprepared for how prevalent it is. My hotel was in the historic district, and that was very convenient. It made it easier to walk rather than driving around. There's very little parking in Savannah. Apparently when the city was laid out in 1734 they didn't take cars into account.
My first full day I walked around the historic district. This was when I saw most of the squares which are just gorgeous. Most of them also contain monuments to various historic figures or movements. I also visited the Juliette Gordon Low house. Juliette Gordon Low, for those who don't know, founded the Girl Scouts in 1912. I was a Brownie years ago, so I found the house interesting. I wish we had been allowed to take pictures of the interior. Next I bought a ticket for a tour of the Mercer-Williams House. A murder took place in that house, and it's featured in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It's a good book for anyone who hasn't read it. While waiting for my tour to start I grabbed some lunch from a cafe and went to Forsyth Park. It has a lovely fountain and, like the squares, a couple monuments. From there I went back to the Mercer-Williams house for the tour. We were showed the room where the murder occurred as well as other areas of the house. Again, I wish I could have taken pictures inside. Walking back towards the Savannah River (and my hotel) I saw the Andrew Low House (where Juliette Gordon Low lived after getting married) and more lovely squares. Then I walked along River Street looking at shops, ships on the river, and getting dinner. It was nice.
The second day I actually drove out to Hilton Head, South Carolina. There were two reasons for that. One, I can now say I've been to South Carolina. Two, I've heard a lot about Hilton Head, and since it was only an hour away I decided to check it out. It's nice enough, but it's mostly resorts. Consequently I think it's a nice place to visit for a day (or maybe two), but I don't think I'd ever want to spend a whole vacation there. The highlight for me was the beach. I love swimming in the ocean, and I was pleasantly surprised because the water was WARM! Previously I's only swum in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of CA where it's so cold there's practically ice in the water, and in the Atlantic off the coast of NJ. The Atlantic Ocean isn't terribly cold, but it's still chilly. Therefore the water being so much warmer off the coast of SC was a wonderful surprise. I spent two hours swimming and playing in the waves. I was really tired when I stopped. It had been so long since I was in the ocean, I'd forgotten how much energy it takes to fight the waves and current. It was tons of fun though.
The third and final day I went over to Tybee Island off the coast of Savannah. On the way I stopped at Fort Pulaski, a Civil War fort. You can see the places in the walls where the Northern soldiers fired and hit the fort. It was pretty cool. There are still cannons as well as the rooms the soldiers would have stayed in, a water cistern, the magazine, etc. You can also go up on the walls which gives a nice view of the surrounding land. One really cool thing was the cannon demonstration. Two cannons (a little one and a big one) were fired by people wearing traditional Civil War clothing (plus earplugs). I realized I had never heard a real cannon in person before. On TV and in the movies, yes, but not in person. They're loud. Obvious, I know, but TV and movies don't convey how loud they really are. After visiting the fort I took a walk to see Cockspur Lighthouse. The sign said it was 1.5 miles round-trip. I've walked that before, but never in the full sun and terrible humidity. It was hard! Just as I was about to give up and turn back the lighthouse came into view. It's nice, but I think I would have appreciated it more if I hadn't been so tired. There were benches along the route, but I was honestly afraid that if I sat down I wouldn't be able to get back up. After that I grabbed lunch (and lots of water) from a diner and then went swimming again! I love the ocean, and water off Tybee is just as warm as off SC. I spent about an hour and a half in the water this time. I would have swam longer, but I saw lightning and thought it would probably be a good idea to stop swimming. From there I went back to my hotel and once I'd showered I walked along River Street one last time since I was leaving the next day.
So, that was my trip. It was short, but it was lots of fun. I hope to get to go back to Savannah sometime. There are pictures under the cut for anyone interested.
( Savannah )
My first full day I walked around the historic district. This was when I saw most of the squares which are just gorgeous. Most of them also contain monuments to various historic figures or movements. I also visited the Juliette Gordon Low house. Juliette Gordon Low, for those who don't know, founded the Girl Scouts in 1912. I was a Brownie years ago, so I found the house interesting. I wish we had been allowed to take pictures of the interior. Next I bought a ticket for a tour of the Mercer-Williams House. A murder took place in that house, and it's featured in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It's a good book for anyone who hasn't read it. While waiting for my tour to start I grabbed some lunch from a cafe and went to Forsyth Park. It has a lovely fountain and, like the squares, a couple monuments. From there I went back to the Mercer-Williams house for the tour. We were showed the room where the murder occurred as well as other areas of the house. Again, I wish I could have taken pictures inside. Walking back towards the Savannah River (and my hotel) I saw the Andrew Low House (where Juliette Gordon Low lived after getting married) and more lovely squares. Then I walked along River Street looking at shops, ships on the river, and getting dinner. It was nice.
The second day I actually drove out to Hilton Head, South Carolina. There were two reasons for that. One, I can now say I've been to South Carolina. Two, I've heard a lot about Hilton Head, and since it was only an hour away I decided to check it out. It's nice enough, but it's mostly resorts. Consequently I think it's a nice place to visit for a day (or maybe two), but I don't think I'd ever want to spend a whole vacation there. The highlight for me was the beach. I love swimming in the ocean, and I was pleasantly surprised because the water was WARM! Previously I's only swum in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of CA where it's so cold there's practically ice in the water, and in the Atlantic off the coast of NJ. The Atlantic Ocean isn't terribly cold, but it's still chilly. Therefore the water being so much warmer off the coast of SC was a wonderful surprise. I spent two hours swimming and playing in the waves. I was really tired when I stopped. It had been so long since I was in the ocean, I'd forgotten how much energy it takes to fight the waves and current. It was tons of fun though.
The third and final day I went over to Tybee Island off the coast of Savannah. On the way I stopped at Fort Pulaski, a Civil War fort. You can see the places in the walls where the Northern soldiers fired and hit the fort. It was pretty cool. There are still cannons as well as the rooms the soldiers would have stayed in, a water cistern, the magazine, etc. You can also go up on the walls which gives a nice view of the surrounding land. One really cool thing was the cannon demonstration. Two cannons (a little one and a big one) were fired by people wearing traditional Civil War clothing (plus earplugs). I realized I had never heard a real cannon in person before. On TV and in the movies, yes, but not in person. They're loud. Obvious, I know, but TV and movies don't convey how loud they really are. After visiting the fort I took a walk to see Cockspur Lighthouse. The sign said it was 1.5 miles round-trip. I've walked that before, but never in the full sun and terrible humidity. It was hard! Just as I was about to give up and turn back the lighthouse came into view. It's nice, but I think I would have appreciated it more if I hadn't been so tired. There were benches along the route, but I was honestly afraid that if I sat down I wouldn't be able to get back up. After that I grabbed lunch (and lots of water) from a diner and then went swimming again! I love the ocean, and water off Tybee is just as warm as off SC. I spent about an hour and a half in the water this time. I would have swam longer, but I saw lightning and thought it would probably be a good idea to stop swimming. From there I went back to my hotel and once I'd showered I walked along River Street one last time since I was leaving the next day.
So, that was my trip. It was short, but it was lots of fun. I hope to get to go back to Savannah sometime. There are pictures under the cut for anyone interested.
( Savannah )
