Savannah is really old, really southern, and really quirky. It has a mystical quality about it.
It’s so darn hot and humid in the summer, you can totally understand why it was designed with all those famous squares all over town. They are basically little parks every few blocks. They have monuments to war heroes and statesmen and many of them have fountains. All of them have benches and huge live oaks draped in Spanish moss.
The live oaks and Spanish moss are prevalent all over town. Streets become spooky tunnels at night as the streetlights reflect off the canopy.
The quirkiness of the place is highlighted in the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It is home to millionaires, living in those magnificent anti-bellum mansions and the very poor, also living in very old, but broken down frame homes.
I love the City Market District with all of its outdoor restaurants and horse-drawn carriages. River Street is the most uneven street that you will ever drive on because it paved with ballast stores from centuries old ships. It is particularly beautiful at night because the hotel and convention center on the other side of the river are so beautifully lit. They make the best pralines ever at River Street Sweets.
Our all-time favorite spot in town is Forsyth Park, with its magnificent fountain which was, believe it or not, was purchased from Sears in 1858. When we visited they were setting up for a huge corporate party with several large tents, professional sound system, and lights strung around and shining up on the trees. We drove by later that night and it was an amazing light show.
We stopped by Tybee Island, a barrier island that serves as Savannah’s beach. It’s a different world out there. Basically, it is hotels, condos, beach rental homes, and lots of shops. It is a beach town where people shop in bikinis and swim trunks. The talcum powder beach is huge.
We love The Crab Shack, a seafood restaurant on Tybee. It is a huge tiki bar/restaurant with tons of outside dinning among giant live oaks, with birds flying overhead and cats roaming around. With huge fans and misters, it is always comfortable. I love their low country boil.
