Savannah - Don't (forget to) mention the war!


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North America » United States » Georgia » Savannah
June 11th 2010
Published: June 13th 2010
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Savannah, Georgia, is a city with a rich history. Slavery, civil war, shipping and Girl Scouts, it's all happened here! We stayed about 15 miles out of town in a cheap motel so we drove in and parked at the Visitors Centre. It was 100 degrees and sunny so we needed to take it easy!!

The Visitors Centre is located in the old railway station and they provided us with some maps and a guide to the free bus service which loops around the historic centre. The free bus covers more or less the same route as the trolley buses but you don't get a view or a commentary! That's fine as we just wanted to use it to save our legs a bit and get to Forsyth Park where we saw the huge fountain and the first of many war memorials.

From there we walked down Bull Street and saw some of the city's 21 historic squares. They are beautifully kept and some feature monuments, mostly to do with the Civil War! There are a good selection of churches and historic houses to view too. The shaded squares were very welcome on such a hot day and we rested frequently.

It is one mile from the Forsyth Fountain to the Customs House which sits on the bluff above River Street. You can take the lift, or the steps, down to the waterfront where a free trolleybus runs from end to end. We only realised this after we had walked the entire length there and back!! Many of the old warehouses have been converted into bars, shops and restaurants. We took advantage of this and ate at The Shrimp Factory. Trish loved the shrimp and sausage creole while Russ says the mahi blackened was the best meal he's had in the USA so far! High praise indeed.

We continued our walk in the relentless heat along Abercorn Street. There we were able to wander around the cemetery where many of the city's greats are buried. Luckily there is an information plaque above any important graves, a feature we haven't seen anywhere else. We also saw the Cathedral and, nearby, the house which served as Headquarters for the first ever American Girl Scouts. We also stumbled across a house which is a bookshop and something to do with the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil which we have yet to see but seems quite prevalent in Savannah where the book is on sale everywhere along with various statues of a girl feeding the birds.

That was more than enough for us so we headed back to the car and made our way back to the air conditioned relative luxury of our room! Next, the Carolinas!


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Interesting sounding barInteresting sounding bar
Interesting sounding bar

But it wasn't open until the evening. :-(
Midnight in the Garden of Good and EvilMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Not seen it but this place had something to do with it!!


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