Savannah, Georgia

We flew through both North and South Carolina and arrived in Savannah and decided to take some time and tour the sites. We love Savannah!! Great old southern charm.

Savannah (Georgia) was founded as England's 13th and final colony in 1733. The new settlement was laid out in a series of wards in which commercial and residential buildings centered on 24-public squares. Presently 21 of the original squares have survived, bordered by historic stately mansions and landscaped with live oaks, azaleas, fountains and statues, thanks to the Historic Savannah Foundation (a dedicated group of women) who head a successful restoration program.

The cleanup of the river and restoration of warehouses and cotton brokerage offices along the city's historic waterfront have turned those 19-century buildings into specialty shops, restaurants and nightspots. The statue of the Waving Girl is Savannah's romantic character, Florence Martus, became known to seaman all over the world as she waved at every ship. One legend maintains that she promised her sailor sweetheart to greet every ship until his return.

And the Spanish moss is every where, adorning trees and making nature more picturesque. It is not Spanish and it's not moss. It is an epiphte, a type of plant that has not roots but lives off moisture in the atmosphere. Primarily decorative, the moss sometimes is used as packing material and upholstery stuffing. The picture of the tree I posted is 250 years-old and provided shade to the Union soldiers who were prisoners during the Civil War.
The one picture I posted of the park is in Chippewa Square, where the park bench that Forrest Gump sat on while waiting for the bus to go see Jenny. The bench was not there but was "on loan" to a movie museum.

According to Duke University, Savannah is the most haunted city in America. But New Orleans also makes that claim. Many nightly ghost tours were offered, but we passed on that opportunity. I'm sure a town with this much history is bound to have a few skeletons in the closet!