We arrive in Savannah Georgia to our Airbnb rental which is in a beautiful Victorian house in the Starland neighbourhood.
We have a room on the ground floor which is huge with its own living room. I love it!
We’re a bit of a walk from downtown so we decide to stay in our local area tonight. The houses around here are beautiful.
Of course Shane has found a brewery close by so we check out Two Tides Brewing Company which has this very tasty mango seltzer. We’re not loving the vibe here – nothing to do with the fact that we were asked for ID when we ordered but we decide to move on!
As we walk along the quiet (and hopefully safe) streets, we see the house of the first black nun in Georgia! Mathilda Taylor was born in 1834 in New Orleans. and came to Savannah as a young woman. She taught black children in her home before the Civil War, when it was still illegal. She married a black businessman in 1869 and after he died, in 1877, she traveled to York England and became a Poor Clare nun. She returned to Savannah and established an orphanage in 1886 and founded the first group of black nuns in Georgia where she became known as Mother Mathilda. She died in 1903. What a great story! There are historical markers all over Savannah sharing this kind of history.
Onwards to another brewery not too far from our house, called Whale Ale. As we arrive it seems there’s a local comedy night on and we see four comedians who are clearly very new to this but give us a good giggle.
Again we’ve had a big lunch so not able for dinner but we do have a second beverage at this place as it’s cosy and has a good vibe (and we weren’t asked for ID!!)
Next morning we set off to explore the town and walk to Forsyth park. Forsyth Park is Savannah’s largest and oldest public park.
The park’s iconic fountain was installed in 1858 and is one of the most photographed places in Savannah.
There are so many squirrels around. These two were particularly cute and seemed to be almost posing for me!
The weather is beautiful and there are so many nice buildings to see and squares (with many historical markers) to view.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
We have sussed out the 7F bus which runs from downtown to our house and is free so we are able to jump on this and shorten some of the time to go back and forward.
We want to have brunch in our local area as there are a few soul food places we want to try. Unfortunately none seem to be open so we head back into town and end up at Paula Deans restaurant “Lady and Sons”. This place is huge and must be massively popular as she’s a big deal in the South. In fairness the food is very good.
After lunch we walk to the river which is the main touristy area and it’s busy, albeit with domestic tourists as we haven’t met any foreigners since we arrived!! We see the below slavery memorial.
We see the WWII memorial.
After wandering around for a while we buy tickets for the Telfair museum just off Telfair square and we see the famous Bird Girl statue that was removed from the Bonaventure cemetery when it became famous, having been depicted in the best selling book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” which I’m reading right now!
Our ticket is valid for 3 museums so next we do to the Telfair museum and see some art. I particularly like this.
The third museum is The Owens Thomas house and Slave Quarters. This is by far the highlight. Just as a reminder – on December 18th 1865, ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery. Below is the beautiful mansion that was lived in by a wealthy family who owned up to fifteen slaves in the 1800s.
& SLAVE QUARTERS
The mansion was built from 1816 – 1819 for Richard Richardson, a Savannah merchant and is considered Savannah’s finest and among the nation’s best. The rooms are very grand and in particular there’s an amazing “bridge” at the top of the staircase.
In contrast, we see the slave quarters which were bleak and cramped, housing slaves who worked as nursemaids, cooks, gardeners and held various roles needed for the family in their urban home. Of course they owned many more slaves on their plantations out in the countryside.
The guide is fantastic and really knows lots of history of not just these buildings and the families who lived here but the general politics at the time. It’s a really good tour.
Time to head home and get cleaned up for a fancy meal tonight at Husk restaurant – it’s another anniversary celebration! We have oysters and beef tartare, catfish and a massive array of veg and a buttery Californian Chardonnay – delish!
Next morning after a pastry at Foxy Loxy, we pack up the car and head to one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries, Savannah’s Bonaventure. It was made internationally famous by John Berendt’s 1994 bestselling book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (that I’m still reading) as the book’s iconic cover photograph, depicting the Bird Girl sculpture in the moss-draped cemetery, became a symbol of both Bonaventure and Savannah. It is also particularly famous for the oak avenues of moss covered trees.
BONAVENTURE was initially developed in the 1760s as a 600-acre plantation and was later established as a cemetery, with the first recorded adult burial in 1802.
From the 1860s through the 1920s, the cemetery increasingly resembled a sculpture garden as wealthy families commissioned funerary monuments by artists from Savannah, the Northeast, and Italy. There really are some amazing sculpture and headstones to see.
The famous “Little Gracie Watson” was the daughter of a hotel manager, popular with everyone in downtown Savannah. She died of pneumonia when she was six years old, and her monument is based on a photograph given to a new sculptor in town named John Walz. It is famous for its likeness to the child and is kept in a beautifully maintained site behind an iron gate.
The other very famous person buried here is Johnny Mercer, who was a lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol records. He wrote tunes such as “Moon River “, “Hooray for Hollywood”, “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” and many more. He’s also mentioned in the book I’m reading as the main antagonist lives in his former home which sits on one of the squares we visited yesterday.
We leave the cemetery and head for Tybee island which is a holiday destination.
It’s sunny and warm, and although we’re not quite dressed for the beach, we take a walk along the sand to the pier and enjoy notching up some steps before we head to the airport Mexico bound!
Well America it’s been nice to see the places we did. We didn’t witness any MAGA madness but we also didn’t have anyone really engage with us…. Maybe it’s always been that way, who knows. Ah well, I’ll be back after Mexico. Adios!
odohertyelaine 