Georgia’s oldest city boasts beautiful, historical monuments and homes, and hosts a spring music festival that caters to many tastes.
By Pam Windsor
January 2016
Visitors to Savannah, Georgia, encounter Southern-style warmth and hospitality, akin to spending time with an old friend. The distinctive moss-draped trees, antebellum homes, and horse-drawn carriages help to give one the relaxed and comfortable impression that there’s no rush here. Evidence of the city’s rich history is everywhere. Take time to explore and learn more about some of the people and the events that shaped Georgia’s oldest city.
Savannah’s Story
Savannah was founded in 1733 by British colonist James Edward Oglethorpe and was built on a city-square layout. Today, 22 of those squares remain, and they make up the largest National Historic Landmark district in the United States. Each square has its own monument or fountain in the center. Homes, churches, and other structures featuring a wide variety of architectural styles line the streets on all four sides of each square.
Several historical tours are offered. On an Old Town Trolley Tour, our guide explained that three different periods of history are represented in Savannah: Colonial, pre-Civil War, and Victorian. It’s interesting to hear the stories that go along with each of those time periods.
Another fine way to explore the city is via the Hop-On, Hop-Off Trolley. It offers a narrated loop tour that lasts an hour and 30 minutes. Do it all at once, or hop off at your choice of 15 locations within the Savannah Historic District. The trolley pass can last for one or two days.
As with most cities, it is best not to tour Savannah via motorhome. Drive your towed car into town, and first stop to pick up a map of the historic district. One place to do that is the Visitors Information Center, located inside an old railway passenger station at 301 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Representatives there can answer questions as well, and rows of brochures are available. This also is a good starting point for people who want to park the towed vehicle and catch a bus or trolley tour into the historic district. The tours require a fee, but a free city bus is available, too, and it stops right in front of the building. Visitors also can choose to drive into the historic district and tour on their own.
The same building that houses the Visitors Information Center also is home to the Savannah History Museum. One interesting exhibit involves a working cotton gin. Eli Whitney’s invention paved the way for the cotton boom that led to Savannah becoming a major cotton hub. Other exhibits include an 1890 steam locomotive, a couple of early motor cars, and the park bench from the movie Forrest Gump. All of the scenes featuring Forrest Gump sitting on a park bench and recounting his life were shot at Savannah’s Chippewa Square.
When heading into the historic district, keep that map handy. At nearly every turn new surprises appear in the form of unique homes or structures marked by National Historic Landmark signs. The map is a great reference guide to help identify buildings and note what else is close by, enhancing any self-guided walking tour.
Savannah Sights
The Owens-Thomas house in Oglethorpe Square (the square named for the city’s founder) was built between 1816 and 1819. It’s considered one of the finest examples of English Regency architecture in America. The home also had an innovative plumbing system that was far ahead of its time. Now a museum, it has an English-inspired garden and one of the earliest intact urban slave quarters in the South. The Marquis de Lafayette, who fought for the Americans during the Revolutionary War, visited Savannah in 1825 and stayed at this house. He gave a public address from a balcony that faces a side street.
A tall statue in the center of Madison Square depicts Sgt. William Jasper holding a Colonial flag. Jasper was a Revolutionary War hero from Charleston, South Carolina, who died during the Americans’ failed Siege of Savannah in 1779. He’s believed to be buried in a common grave somewhere in the city.
The Green-Meldrim House sits just across the street from the Jasper monument. The home played an important role during the Civil War. Our tour guide recounted what happened in the autumn of 1864 after the city of Atlanta surrendered to Union Gen. William Sherman and he began moving toward the Atlantic coast.
“Sherman headed out on his march to the sea, arriving on the outskirts of Savannah on December the 10th,” he explained, noting that Sherman didn’t enter the city until 10 days later. He was held off by the Confederate troops, who ultimately surrendered, allowing him the opportunity to move in.
Wealthy cotton merchant Charles Green offered the use of his home to Sherman, who stayed there 53 days. It was from this house that Sherman drafted a famous telegram to President Abraham Lincoln, noting the following: “I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with 150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.”
The house is now owned by the neighboring St. John’s Church, which opens it for tours a few days a week. Open times are affected by the church’s calendar; for example, the house is closed the two weeks prior to Easter.
The home of cotton king Andrew Low, once the richest man in Savannah, remains a popular attraction. The Italianate house was constructed in 1848-1849 and has an extensive collection of period furnishings.
Low’s daughter-in-law was Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts. Her birthplace and the Girl Scouts’ first headquarters also are located in the historic district.
Author Flannery O’Connor was born in Savannah, as was songwriter (and singer) Johnny Mercer. O’Connor’s childhood home is a museum. You’ll find a multitude of homes, churches, and historical sites to see throughout Savannah, so you can choose where to spend your time based on your own interests.
Construction of the awe-inspiring Cathedral of St. John the Baptist began in 1873. Savannah’s original Colonial charter prohibited Catholics from settling there. At first, it was feared that Catholics would be more loyal to Spanish settlers in Florida than to English settlers in Georgia. That changed after the Revolutionary War.
One of Savannah’s most photographed attractions is the Forsyth Park Fountain. Built in 1858, it was patterned after a water feature in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Forsyth Park was established in the 1840s on a small tract of land and grew bigger over the years. Many celebrations and large public events are held there.
The River Street Riverboat Cruise Company offers sight-seeing tours and meal cruises on two replica boats — a steamboat and a paddleboat. Plus, the riverfront, with its many shops and restaurants, is always bustling.
Savannah Tastes
Visitors can eat very well in Savannah. First, the city is famous for Southern cuisine. It’s the home of Paula Deen. Her restaurant, The Lady & Sons, is open daily. Also, with the ocean so near, seafood is readily available. It makes for a wide array of other world-class dishes. Some highly rated tastes include:
- Crispy scored flounder with apricot shallot sauce at Olde Pink House. It’s served with creamy grits and collards. The Olde Pink House is a popular date-night place, with cozy, separate dining rooms in the historic mansion. Reservations are recommended: (912) 232-4286.
- A Brisket Burger at The Collins Quarter. The burger is piled high and served on a baked-in-house brioche bun, along with hand-cut fries and homemade slaw.
- The Farm Egg at The Florence. This dish consists of an egg served atop a crispy polenta cake laced with salty ham and earthy mushrooms.
- Honey Almond & Cream ice cream at Leopold’s. This handmade treat is made with honey from the Savannah Bee Company. It is one of many flavors at this top-rated spot.
And Tybee, Too
You can go from Savannah’s urban, old-fashioned civility to wild surf and sun by driving 18 miles east to Tybee Island. It’s easy to find, thanks to the Tybee Island Light Station. The lighthouse has been guiding ships into Savannah’s harbor for more than 270 years.
Five miles of public beaches on Tybee offer sun, sand, waves, and all that comes with the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Other nearby attractions include Fort Pulaski National Monument, a Civil War site. Visit www.tybeeisland.com or call (912) 786-5444 for details about nearby campgrounds and more.
With so much to see and do in and around Savannah, it’s understood that one visit simply isn’t enough. Fortunately, that same Southern hospitality is ready to welcome visitors back again and again.
Further Info
Savannah Visitors Information Center
301 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 944-0455
Savannah Sounds: The Savannah Music Festival
The annual Savannah Music Festival ranks as one of the most distinctive cross-genre music events in the world. Established in 1989, the 17-day festival is the state’s largest musical arts event, with more than 100 productions. The phrase “cross-genre” is an accurate description for this event, as it presents classical, pop, jazz, soul, country music, and more.
The 2016 festival takes place March 24-April 9; those dates make it a contender for attention after FMCA’s Family Reunion & Motorhome Showcase in Perry, Georgia, ends March 20. For this year, the festival’s more than 350 artists will include Dwight Yoakam, Ry Cooder, the Wycliffe Gordon Quintet, Etienne Charles, and classical artists from around the world.
Festival tickets have been on sale for some time, but depending on the show, some may still be available when this article appears. Visit www.savannahmusicfestival.org or call (912) 525-5050 for more information.