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WEEKEND GETAWAYS - Friday, August 4, 2006
Make The Most Of Your Vacation - From Coast to Coast!
Comment The Post Below...
Greetings Getaway Lover,
Genteel Savannah sits inward of the Savannah River at the
top of Georgia's 100-mile coast. Heading south, the seaside
resorts of the Golden Isles blend Southern elegance with a
casual sensibility.
Savannah's beginning was February 12, 1733, when English
general James Edward Oglethorpe and 120 colonists arrived
at Yamacraw Bluff on the Savannah River to found the 13th
and last colony in the New World. As the port city grew,
people from England and Ireland, Scottish Highlanders,
French Huguenots, Germans, Austrian Salzburgers, Sephardic
and Ashkenazic Jews, Moravians, Italians, Swiss, Welsh,
and Greeks all arrived to create what could be called a
rich gumbo.
In 1793 Eli Whitney of Connecticut, who was tutoring on a
plantation near Savannah, invented a mechanized means of
"ginning" seeds from cotton bolls. Cotton soon became king,
and Savannah, already a busy seaport, flourished under its
reign. Waterfront warehouses were filled with "white gold,"
and brokers trading in the Savannah Cotton Exchange set
world prices. The white gold brought in solid gold, and
fine mansions were built in the prospering city.
Happy Trails,
Jan
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--DESTINATION:
In 1864 Savannahians surrendered their city to Union gen-
eral Sherman rather than see it torched. Following World
War I and the decline of the cotton market, the city's
economy virtually collapsed, and its historic buildings
languished for more than 30 years. Elegant mansions were
razed or allowed to decay, and cobwebs replaced cotton in
the dilapidated riverfront warehouses.
In 1955, Savannah's spirits rose again. News that the
exquisite Isaiah Davenport House at Number 324 East State
Street was to be destroyed prompted seven outraged ladies
to raise money to buy the house. They saved it the day
before the wrecking ball was to swing. Thus was born the
Historic Savannah Foundation, the organization responsible
for the restoration of downtown Savannah, where more than
1,000 restored buildings form the 2½-square-mile Historic
District, the nation's largest. Many of these buildings
are open to the public during the annual tour of homes,
and today Savannah is one of the country's top 10 cities
for walking tours.
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--WHAT TO DO AND SEE:
Armstrong House
House/Mansion, Historic District
Antiques dealer Jim Williams lived and worked in this
residence before purchasing the Mercer House. On a late-
afternoon walk past the mansion, Berendt met Mr. Simon
Glover, an 86-year-old singer and porter for the law firm
of Bouhan, Williams, and Levy, occupants of the building.
Glover confided that he earned a weekly $10 for walking
the deceased dogs of a former partner of the firm up and
down Bull Street. Baffled? So was the author. Behind the
house's cast-iron gates are the offices of Frank Siler,
Jim Williams's attorney, who doubles as keeper of Uga,
the Georgia Bulldog mascot.
Address: 447 Bull St., Savannah, GA, USA
Chippewa Square
Square, Historic District
Daniel Chester French's imposing bronze statue of General
James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of Savannah and Georgia,
anchors the square. Also note the Savannah Theatre, on
Bull Street, which claims to be the oldest continuously
operated theater site in North America.
Address: Bull St. between Hull and Perry Sts., Savannah,
GA, USA
Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace/Girl Scout National Center
House/Mansion, Historic District
This majestic Regency town house, attributed to William Jay
(built 1818-21), was designated in 1965 as Savannah's first
National Historic Landmark. "Daisy" Low, founder of the Girl
Scouts, was born here in 1860, and the house is now owned
and operated by the Girl Scouts of America. Mrs. Low's paint-
ings and other artwork are on display in the house, restored
to the style of 1886, the year of Mrs. Low's marriage.
www.girlscouts.org/birthplace. COST: $7. OPEN: Mon., Tues.,
and Thurs.-Sat. 10-4, Sun. 12:30-4:30.
Address: 142 Bull St., Savannah, GA, USA
Phone: 912/233-4501
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Other Places of Interest:
Melon Bluff
Resort, Midway
On a centuries-old 3,000-acre plantation that has been in
one family since 1735, Melon Bluff includes a nature
center and facilities for canoeing, kayaking, bird-watch-
ing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. You can camp
here or stay at one of the three B&B inns ($$-$$$):
Palmyra Plantation, an 1850s cottage; the Ripley Farmhouse,
a classic rural house with a tin-covered roof; and an old
barn, renovated to contain nine guest rooms. From Melon
Bluff you can visit nearby Seabrook Village, a small but
growing cluster of rural buildings from an African-American
historic community; Old Sunbury, whose port made it a viable
competitor to Savannah until the Revolutionary War ended its
heyday; Fort Morris, which protected Savannah during the
revolution; and Midway, an 18th-century village with a house
museum and period cemetery. To reach Melon Bluff, take I-95
south from Savannah (about 30 mi) to Exit 76
(Midway/Sunbury), turn left, and go east for 3 mi. The other
sites mentioned here are all within a short drive.
www.melonbluff.com.
Address: 2999 Islands Hwy., Midway, GA, USA
Phone: 912/884-5779 or 888/246-8188
Fax: 912/884-3046
Old Fort Jackson
Military Site, Greater Savannah
About 2 mi east of Broad Street via President Street,
you'll see a sign for the fort, which is 3 mi from the
city. Purchased in 1808 by the federal government, this
is the oldest standing fort in Georgia. It was garrisoned
in 1812 and was the Confederate headquarters of the river
batteries. The brick edifice is surrounded by a tidal moat,
and there are 13 exhibit areas. Battle reenactments,
blacksmithing demonstrations, and programs of 19th-century
music are among the fort's activities for tour groups.
www.chsgeorgia.org/jackson/home.htm. COST: $4. OPEN: Daily
9-5.
Address: 1 Ft. Jackson Rd., Fort Jackson, Savannah, GA, USA
Phone: 912/232-3945
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--WHERE TO SLEEP:
17th Street Inn
$70 to $160, Tybee Island
Be the First to Rate It
You're steps from the beach at this Tybee Island inn dat-
ing from 1920. The front deck, adorned with plants, palms,
and swings, is a gathering place where you can chat, sip
wine, and enjoy breakfast. The inn's rooms each offer a
queen bed, efficiency kitchen, private bath, and private
entrance. A continental breakfast is served each morning.
www.tybeeinn.com. 8 rooms, 1 condo. In-room: kitchen. AE,
D, MC, V. Full breakfast.
Address: 12 17th St., Box 114, Tybee Island, GA 31328, USA
Phone: 912/786-0607 or 888/909-0607
Fax: 912/786-0602
Ballastone Inn
This sumptuous inn occupies an 1838 mansion that once
served as a bordello. Rooms are handsomely furnished,
with luxurious linens on canopy beds, antiques and fine
reproductions, and a collection of original framed prints
from Harper's scattered throughout. On the garden level
rooms are small and cozy, with exposed brick walls, beam
ceilings, and, in some cases, windows at eye level with
the lush courtyard. Most rooms have working gas fireplaces,
and three have whirlpool tubs. Afternoon tea and free
passes to a nearby health club are included.
www.ballastone.com. 14 rooms, 3 suites. In-room: VCR. In-
hotel: bicycles. AE, MC, V. Full breakfast.
Address: 14 E. Oglethorpe Ave., Savannah, GA 31401, USA
Phone: 912/236-1484 or 800/822-4553
Fax: 912/236-4626
Bed & Breakfast Inn
$70 to $160, Historic District
So called, the owner claims, because it was the first
such property to open in Savannah more than 20 years ago,
the inn is a restored 1853 federal-style row house on
historic Gordon Row near Chatham Square. The courtyard
garden is a lovely cluster of potted tropical flowers
surrounding an inviting koi pond. A sweeping renovation
has added private baths to all the rooms but managed to
keep many elements of the original charm, such as beamed
ceilings and exposed-brick walls; only the Garden Suite
has a full kitchen. Afternoon pastries, lemonade, coffee,
and tea are served. www.savannahbnb.com. 15 rooms. AE, D,
MC, V. Full breakfast.
Address: 117 W. Gordon St., Savannah, GA 31401, USA
Phone: 912/238-0518
Fax: 912/233-2537
--WHERE TO DINE:
17 Hundred and 90
French, $16 to Over $22, Historic District
Chef Deborah Noelk keeps a creative kitchen in this
restaurant -- in a rustic structure dating to colonial
days, tucked in among ancient oaks dripping with Spanish
moss. Entrées include pan-seared veal medallions with
artichoke hearts and capers in a lemon butter; roasted
half duckling with a port wine lingonberry sauce; and
local shrimp stuffed with scallops and crabmeat and
served with a lemon beurre blanc sauce. There's a ghost
story to go with dinner, so make sure the waiter fills
you in. AE, D, DC, MC, V. No lunch weekends.
Address: 307 E. Presidents St., Savannah, GA, USA
Phone: 912/231-8888
Bistro Savannah
Contemporary, $16 to Over $22, Historic District
High ceilings, burnished heart-pine floors, and gray-brick
walls lined with local art contribute to the bistro
qualities of this spot by City Market. The menu has such
specialties as seared beef tenderloin with shiitakes,
scallions, corn pancakes and horseradish sauce, and shrimp
and tasso (seasoned cured pork) on stone-ground grits.
Another treat is the crispy roasted duck. AE, MC, V. No
lunch.
Address: 309 W. Congress St., Savannah, GA, USA
Phone: 912/233-6266
Belford's Steak and Seafood
Southern, $16 to Over $22, Historic District
In the heart of City Market, Belford's is great for
brunch on Sunday, when so many of the downtown venues
are closed. A complimentary glass of sparkling wine
arrives at your table when you place your order. Brunch
entrées include egg dishes, such as smoked salmon
Florentine and crab frittatas. The lunch and dinner menus
focus on seafood, including Georgia pecan grouper and
Lowcountry shrimp and grits. AE, D, DC, MC, V.
Address: 315 W. St. Julian St., Savannah, GA, USA
Phone: 912/233-2626
GopherCentral's Question of the Week
Topical, timely, controversial, click the link to answer
this week's GopherCentral.com Question of the Week.
Please take a moment to share your opinion, visit:
Question of the Week
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ARCHIVES: WeekendGetawaysArchives
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The travel destinations and events that appear in this
newsletter have been selected by our editors. Apart from
those offers clearly set apart from the text, none of the
links presented here are paid promotions for any company
or organization.
(c)2006 NextEraMedia. All rights reserved.
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