Leaving 'the Big Easy' behind us, we traveled east, whipping through lower Mississippi, then Alabama & into Georgia. After spending a night in Metter Georgia, we arrived in Savannah. Again, as in New Orleans, we sought the Visitor Center which doubles as a history museum. Soon Ila and I held city tour tickets with Old Savannah Tours for 90 minutes of southern fun.
Ila's one complaint was our trolley's tour guide's Savannah accent was a bit too thick to take in, & as I didn't have that problem I was all smiles. The beautiful old buildings were built facing central parks that stretched on for a mile or so. The bus wound through the ancient streets, each of the little, connected parks as our guide gave us the scoop on what famous persons - many connected to the Civil War - occupied the staid old homes.
View as tour bus swings around one of the tiny central parks
The buildings all looked positively ancient, but though side by side & looking so much alike, one building might be 100 years old, and the one next to it might be a baby building, only a decade old. That's because new buildings have to use attributes from other buildings in its vicinity. Great planning.
Crazy pastel house
I forgot what famous personage lived in this adorable eensie little house
The house below is called the pirate's house, because in the 18th century it was a popular place for honest-to-God pirates to wet their whistles. If you ever read Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, some of the action in his book is supposed to have taken place in this old building!
The Pirate House, was built in 1754
Gentleman's stairs on the left, Lady's stairs to the right
We skirted one park and were told it was the one where Forest Gump sat as the feather floated down at the start of the movie of the same name. Speaking of which, we stopped and who got on the bus...
Guess who boarded the bus!
FOREST! All the tour participants began to giggle in an unabashed manner, tickled silly within an inch of all our lives. Forest told us he was on his way to see Lieutenant Dan, who was going to help him find and purchase a shrimping boat. Then, as if we weren't all charmed enough, he seated himself for the journey. Somewhere in there I asked him for a chocolate from his big box of 'em, because, well you know, because that's what life is like. He gave me one - score & SWOON! I was so flustered & silly I only got shots of him when I ought to have taken a video.*
After Forest ran off - literally - The tour continued, taking us all down to the cobblestone'd streets by the water front. We saw the famous 'Waving Girl' statue on the shores of the Savannah River.
We saw the famous 'Waving Girl' statue and heard her story
Traveling down the ramp to the water front
As soon as the tour was over, we headed back down to the waterfront where after a quick lunch, we boarded a steamboat for a cruise down the Savannah River. Viewing the river was fun, but viewing the birds on the river was even more fun.
Viewing the shoreline from the middle of the Savannah River
The view up river
By the end of the day, both Ila and I were planning future trips to Savannah in our mind's eyes. The city positively reeks of grace, beauty and history. I could easily spend a week or two soaking up more of Savannah's charm. Unfortunately we have an agenda, places to go and things to see, so when our tour was over we headed off to spend the night in North Charleston, South Carolina.
*Bonus! Here is a video I found on line of Forest Gump. That's not the bus driver we had, but that's 'our' one and only Forest! He spent lots more time with us, sitting in front of me for a while before he spotted Lt. Dan and ran off. Enjoy!
