As part of of East Coast Vacation, we spent a day in Savannah, Georgia. The plan was to go to Tybee Island but we didn't make it that far. We decided to take the Old Town Trolley Tour in Savannah and it ended up taking a lot longer than anticipated. Totally worth doing, but it meant we didn't make it to Tybee Island. Aiden did get his nap on the way back to Hilton Head though and we were able to go back to Coligny beach later that afternoon.
Here we are on the Old Town Trolley. Aiden loved riding the "bus" and seeing all the other "buses" around town. There were 15 stops along the way that we could get on & off at and even though we weren't able to see everything, what we did see was great.
The first stop we made was at Forsyth Park. This is
The Mansion on Forryth Park which is a restored victorian mansion that is now a 4-star hotel. We went into the lobby and art gallery area as we were told there was a 1 ton, $750,000 crystal cut chandelier and that's it hanging from the gold leaf ceiling in the picture top left. Adam said it was "ugly and something he'd n-e-v-e-r have in his house" but I don't think I would mind it!
Next, we stopped at the
Cathedral of St John The Baptist. The cathedral has been restored twice since it was built in the late eighteenth century and is amazing inside and out.
After that, it was time to stop for lunch. We'd heard talk of
The Pirates' House Restaurant and decided that we would eat there. Pirates' House opened in 1753 as an inn for seafarers and became a meeting place for pirates. Even though it is now a restaurant, this old house has been preserved very well. The brick walls and pine floors are original and there are cob webs hanging in the original wooden ceilings. The photo in the bottom right corner is what leads to the old rum cellar which has a tunnel that leads to the river. The photo next to it is a sign that is posted to explain more about the tunnel. Years ago visitors could still go down into the tunnel, but now they have it blocked off at the top of the stairs. In the picture of me at the top, I have a "skull crusher" that I really enjoyed on such a hot day. You can also see Aiden scored his very own pirate hat but wouldn't wear the eye patch and mustache, so daddy wore it instead. The Pirates' house is associated with the classic book Treasure Island and the famous Pirate Captain Flint died at the Pirate's House in an upstairs room and its said that his ghost still haunts the historic tavern. I don't think we could have picked a better place to have lunch that day.
...The pictures top left of the light and shutters and of Aiden and I wre taken on the front porch of the Herb House built in 1734. Its the oldest house in Georgia and is adjacent to the Pirate's House in Trustees Garden where the states major crop, peaches, were first grown.
...The big tree to the left is the
Candler Oak which is a live oak tree said to be 270 years old and is not only huge, but hugely beautiful. The stuff hanging from it is spanish moss which is not actually spanish or moss and hangs from many trees in South Carolina and Georgia. The spanish moss looks so neat but is how the saying "sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" started!
...The big statue in the picture in the middle is a monument "To the Confederate Dead 1861-1865" At the top of the monument a bronze soldier in a confederate uniform stands facing north following the long time tradition of placing a statue to face the enemy. What intrigued me about the monument(and blame it on being an Army wife who's survived deployment) is the carving of a grieving widow sitting under a weeping willow tree who is surrounded by 4 winged angels.
...The other photos are just a few that I chose as favorites from ALL the ones we snapped that day! The unique fence outside a home for sale, the welcoming pineapple out front at a big old house and the lamp and brick designs.
By the end of the day we were hot, tired, and over-loaded with lots of new historical information. But for our last stop we got off at the river front and had some ice cream at
Savannah's Candy Kitchen. Before we could even walk in the door we were smacked in the face with the sweet smell of sugar. The place just reeks of it. They have just about any kind of candy and sweet treat you can think of, handmade ice cream and gelato and cases of pretzels and truffles and candy apples and fudge and popcorns and taffy and fresh warm carmel pralines! One of my favorites was the candy apple bumble bee and krispie treat bee hive! They had barrels and dispensers and jars and shelves full of commercial made candies too! I could have left there with just about one of everything (at least!) but instead I decided on just a tin of fresh taffies!
So just when you think I've bombarded you with enough pictures...I must warn you that I still am not done sharing our vacation with you! Part 3 coming soon, with a few new ones thrown in there too hopefully. Right now, I'm headed to the pantry for some of that yummy taffy I still have hiding in there!
