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Savannah: Elegance Personified!

Savannah, Georgia is just what you would expect from a town set in the Deep South. Live oaks drip with Spanish moss. Antebellum homes line a myriad of open squares. Magnolia trees line the streets, and horse-drawn carriages clip-clop along, ignoring modern traffic. Good manners are as valuable as hefty bank accounts. Mint juleps are sipped on verandas while gossip is shared about a neighbor's activities. Savannah is steeped in tradition, history, and elegance. A vacation in Savannah is a step back in time to a more genteel era. The city's charm is also the very thing that provides the fun!

Savannah is considered the first planned city in America. Georgia's first city was designed by James Oglethorpe, who laid out the city in a series of grids that allowed for wide open streets intertwined with shady public squares and parks that served as town meeting places and centers of business. Savannah had 24 original squares with 21 still in existence. Some of the historic homes that line the squares have been opened to the public. The Telfair Mansion and Art Museum is the oldest art gallery in the south, built in 1818 by William Jay who is notable for introducing the Regency Style to American architecture. The house has an impressive collection of both American and European paintings. Juliet Gordon Low's Birthplace, a Regency-style home, is now maintained as a memorial to the founder of the Girl Scouts. The Davenport House Museum was the first house renovated under the watchful eyes of the Savannah Restoration Movement of 1954. Seven determined women raised $22,500, a nice little chunk of change back then, and saved the house from being turned into a parking lot. The Savannah Foundation was born, and is today responsible for restoring nearly 80% of the historic district. The Mercer House, made famous in the book and movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, is not open to the public, but is still one of Savannah's most photographed residences.

For an excellent perspective on Savannah history, visit the Savannah History Museum. The theatre plays the movie, the Siege of Savannah, depicting the fall of the city to General Sherman. There are depictions of every era in Savannah history. The Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum is an ode to the sea, and contains intricately designed mock-ups of sea going vessels from Viking war ships to modern nuclear submarines. One of the exhibits is the USS Savannah, the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum is dedicated to the life and service of black Americans who contributed to the Civil Rights movement in Savannah.

Long before Midnight brought new interest to Savannah, the Bonaventure Cemetery lured visitors and fans of Savannah's famously deceased. The cemetery is filled with obelisks, columned crypts, and moss dripping trees that give the area a surreal quality. Famous residents include Conrad Aiken, famous poet, critic, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Johnny Mercer, famous songwriter and Savannah native; and Aiken's parents, William and Anna, who were the victims of a famous murder/suicide that Savannahians still talk about.

For some time spent with Mother Nature, be sure to visit the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. The Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive goes on for about 4 miles. People come here to sneak a peek at alligators, as appearances are almost guaranteed. Other species of wildlife include herons, otters, and a sizeable number of bald eagles. Hikers hop off the beaten path and onto the Cistern Trail that leads to Recess Island. Canoeists and kayakers float along trickling creeks, which are fingers of the Savannah River.

Savannah is a story in contrasts. At once genteel and solemn, one could also describe the town in the same way one describes Key West or New Orleans: decadently vibrant. The town revels in its eccentricities. Savannah is a carnival of history, civility, and good clean fun. So grab your "traveler" (usually an alcoholic beverage meant to get you to the next bar), and climb on!