Savannah, GA

I got my first taste of Savannah today and I loved it. I love the history, the architecture, the squares, the waterfront, and of course, the food.

I decided to take advantage of the free shuttle provided by Old Town Tours today, to get acquainted with the city without having to worry about finding my way and parking. With a few stops on the way into town it took less than an hour to get from my campsite to downtown Savannah.

Once in Savannah, I transfered to one of the hop-on, hop-off Old Town Tours trolleys for our 90 minute guided tour. We immediately were immersed in the history and beauty of the city, and within minutes had passed several of the 21 of the remaining town squares (3 were lost to development before the formation of a historical society to save them). To be honest, I didn’t pay too much attention to the history today and I think my brain is getting to the point of saturation. I just sat back and enjoyed the stories and the views and didn’t worry about trying to absorb much. I’ll try doing a better job another day of figuring out the important history this city played in the American Revolution and the Civil War.

Savannah’s historic district is a very walkable 2.4 square miles and in that small space there are 2300 houses of historic or architectural significance. Founder, British General James Oglethorpe is my kind of guy. He planned out the city on a grid which is infinitely easier to navigate than some cities that meander. And he planned the 24 town squares which are the most wonderful, places to sit on a park bench and contemplate what life must have been like. One of the original squares had been turned into parking by the city over 50 years ago and as soon as the lease was up they tore down the garage and returned it to it’s original condition. It was especially historically significant because it was the centre of the slave trade for almost 50 years in Savannah with the market taking up the whole square.

Cotton and later rice exporting was the primary reason for the development of Savannah and you can see evidence of that in the buildings near the river – cotton storage warehouses and the cotton exchange. The city was spared in Sherman’s March to the Sea campaign in 1864 at the request of President Lincoln, although no one offered an explanation of why.

I didn’t make it all the way around on the tour before deciding to jump off – you guessed it – at the river front. It looked like a fun place to wander, so wander I did. I took some pics, looked in some shops and stopped for an early lunch. I didn’t sample the seafood which I’m told is great, especially in the restaurants lining the River Walk, but opted for a lighter chicken salad, eaten on an outdoor patio, that although it was perfectly lovely out, had their heat on.

I wandered the waterfront for a bit and then I headed up the hill to visit some of the squares we’d passed on the tour. I started at Johnson Square and then went south on Bull Street, visiting 4 more before getting to Forsyth Park in the middle of the historic downtown. One with most current relevance is Chippewa Square (developed in 1815) which was made famous by a scene in the movie Forrest Gump where he is sitting on the park bench and goes into the soliloquy about life – “life is like a a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get”.

Forsythe Park is a huge, beautiful park with walkways covered by live oaks covered in Spanish moss, and open green spaces where games of football, tag and other games were taking place. In the centre is a fountain that is so bright white it glistens. We were told that’s because it’s repainted in Jan/Feb of each year so the green water used around St. Patrick’s Day stands out. Savannah hosts the 2nd largest St. Patrick’s Day parade and celebrations in the US (second only to NYC) attracting over a million visitors to this tiny city.

One of the other interesting things about Savannah is that it is the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, who started the Girl Scouts of America. There are several buildings in the historic district with some attachment to Juliette Low, which the Girl Guides now run. Another tidbit I learned is that the pineapple is the sign of hospitality in Savannah, and they pointed out a place that had pineapples on either side of the entrance walk. Apparently the hostess would put pineapples on the mantle, to show everyone they were welcome and then she would take them down from the mantle when it was time for the guests to leave.

The tour guide mentioned that in Savannah a red door on a home meant that the home was paid in full, i.e. no mortgage. And I saw quite a few red doors on gorgeous homes, so there is a lot of money in Savannah. And you foodies would recognize another of the city’s famous residents, Paula Deen, who started selling bag lunches that her sons delivered to the downtown business folks. She has since written cookbooks, hosted her own show on the Food Network and won many awards for her restaurants over the years. She and her sons now run a popular restaurant called “The Lady and Sons” which has twice moved to make more room because of its popularity.

After wandering for some time, I jumped back on the Old Town Tour trolley and repeated some of the tour, but with a different guide this time (who was quite a lot better) and stayed on until it returned to the Visitors centre. There is a small museum about Savannah’s beginnings and history, and the famous Forrest Gump bench which they say was put in the museum for preservation, but I think they just did that to increase revenue for the museum.

Then it was time to hop on the shuttle and head back to the KOA. I thoroughly enjoyed my first day in Savannah and it was topped off with a brilliant peach (well, really more orange) sunset tonight.

PS A huge thanks to Mary Jo and Ed for their advice of places to go and things to do in Savannah from their experience in this city a few weeks ago.

Richmond Hill, GA

Greensboro, GA

Social Circle, GA

Covington, GA

Even though I was visiting, this being Easter, I encouraged my friend Marilyn to enjoy her usual church service in Covington before joining me to do some more exploring and to celebrate her birthday this evening. Our day unfortunately didn’t go as planned.

I started my day by heading into the small town of Greensboro, which I had come through on Friday on my way to the KOA, to explore and take pictures. It’s a small town of only about 3500 people, founded in 1780, incorporated as a town in 1803 and as a city in 1855.

It’s most imposing building is the County Courthouse, around the corner from the Greene County Gaol that was built in 1807, used until 1895 and is still standing and in relatively good shape. There are some antebellum houses but not nearly the number as in Madison.

They did have a rather interesting Sheriff by the name of Lloyd Lee Wyatt. He started as a policeman in Greensboro in 1925 after being recruited from a neighbouring county because of his “fast legs and honest reputation”. During prohibition Greensboro had some of the most productive corn whiskey moonshiners, but Policeman Wyatt waged a one-man battle against them and cleaned up the county. In 1940 he ran against and defeated the incumbent sheriff and he remained in that position until 1977 when he died having been the longest serving sheriff in the state at that time. During his tenure he received 5 gunshot wounds while killing 6 men only after being shot at first. In 1974 when he was 70 years of age, he was responsible for killing a fugitive (bank robber who killed a teller and had two hostages) that 100 policemen had been chasing all across Georgia. He literally stood in the middle of the road as the car approached and he lucked out because the bad guy’s gun misfired and he was able to kill him without harming the hostages. He received Police Office of the Year for his bravery.

Also of note, are a US Congressman, and a US Representative/Senator both from Greensboro, and Mickey Mantle lived his final years, after retiring from the Yankees, in Greensboro.

Then, as planned I headed to Covington, the town nearest Marilyn’s country home, to meet her after church. She met me, but she’d spent the morning in bed with a sick stomach and headache. She toughed it out for a few hours while we explored Covington, Pottersville, and some of the other surrounding towns. Covington has a lovely town square with very active stores and restaurants surrounding the centre park with the courthouse as a visual anchor.

Covington has a reputation (and trademarked title) as “Hollywood of the South” for the more than 60 movies, TV Series and commercials that have been filmed there. Because of it’s locations (climate, proximity to an international airport) historical buildings, and experienced film industry people it has attracted all sorts of directors, producers and scouts. It’s “Mystic Falls, VA” in the “Vampire Diaries”, home to the “Dukes of Hazard”, and prominent in “The Heat of the Night”. The Twelve Oaks Antebellum home, now a B&B, has had a particularly active role. Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind, recommended Twelve Oaks to the director of the movie as what she imagined Tara to look like. Advertisers used The Twelve Oaks for a commercial for Cindy Crawford’s home furniture collection commercial and it was in season 6 of the Vampire Diaries.

Unfortunately, as brave as she tried to be, Marilyn eventually had to give up and head home to bed. I was sorry to see her go, it’s been such a fun weekend, but I totally understood and know she was disappointed as well. We had a dinner reservation for this evening to celebrate her birthday which was today, and she encouraged me to go without her, which I did.

The restaurant, called the Blue Willow, was in a town on the way back to Greensboro called Social Circle, and it is in a beautiful antebellum home with both the downstairs and upstairs converted into dining areas. It was a madhouse with people coming and going, waiting for their tables, kids playing, everyone in their Sunday best (except me – hey, I’m camping). It was a special Easter buffet and I was able to try some of the Southern dishes that I hadn’t encountered yet: fried green tomatoes (not what I was expecting), Southern Fried Chicken (crunchy, juicy and tender), sweet potato pie, and pecan pie, along with some I had tried, including Hush Puppies and corn bread. Disappointing to do it alone, but glad to have had the opportunity to mingle with the locals.

This weekend has been a special experience because most tourists don’t have an opportunity to get to see “the real Georgia’ as Marilyn said. And she’s right. I wouldn’t have seen any of these incredibly beautiful, history filled towns if not for my side trip to visit her. I’m very grateful to Marilyn for being a tour guide this weekend and hope she’s feeling better tomorrow after a good night’s sleep.

Greensboro, GA

Madison, GA

In 1864, during the American Civil War, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman led a military campaign that is referred to as the “March to the Sea” when he and his troops left Atlanta, Georgia on November 15 and marched to capture the port of Savannah on December 21. Along the way they disrupted the Confederacy’s economy by destroying not only military facilities, but industry, infrastructure and civilian property. This strategy as well as the Union blockages of Confederate seaports crippled the South.

Sherman’s scorched earth campaign left towns in smouldering ruins as the troops moved on, except not Madison. There are a few theories as to why Madison was spared. Some say it’s just because Sherman thought it was the prettiest of towns, but many think it’s because it was the home of pro-Union Georgia Senator Joshua Hill and he was friends of Sherman’s brother who he met at West Point and Sherman’s brother had promised his friend with a handshake that it would be spared.

For whatever reason, it’s fabulous that Madison was spared as it’s now one of the largest historic districts in the state and the town has maintained and restored over 100 antebellum houses built in the cotton-boom times in the mid-1800’s making it one of the largest concentrations of antebellum houses in the south.

Today, tourism is thriving in Madison with many of the historic homes having been turned in to beautiful Bed and Breakfasts, and the town square and surrounding streets teeming with lovely gift shops and restaurants.

And today, thanks to Marilyn, I spent a fabulous day in Madison, admiring the architecture and experiencing the restaurants and shops. Marilyn trekked out to Greensboro and picked me up and allowed me to have a rare day of not planning routes or destinations or making any decisions whatsoever. It was such a treat, and so much fun. The countryside between the two towns is so pretty with undulating hills, covered in a million shades of green, and sprinkled with lakes and rivers.

Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and it rained off and on most of the day, at one point coming down so hard we pulled over and sat because you couldn’t see 5 feet in front of you. We just grabbed our umbrellas and went exploring. We stopped in at the visitor’s centre, set in a 1880’s red brick building on the town square and I got a couple of brochures on Savannah as well as information on Madison from the friendly folks there. And we poked around at some of the shops around the square.

Then I was in for a real treat, a high tea service at the Madison Tea Room & Garden. The sandwiches, the world’s smallest salad and pastries were absolutely fabulous, and the service was impeccable. After behaving ourselves through tea, we got to let our goofy sides show through and tried on some fun hats.

Then Marilyn drove around the core of the town so we could see one after another of the most fabulous antebellum restored homes. Most are set on huge lots, with beautiful gardens which are just now leaping to life. Styles included Victorian, Plantation style, Arts and Crafts, and some modest but beautifully painted and decorated homes as well. The main street leading into town is lined by the most impressive of the homes and also includes a huge Roman Revival building that has been turned into a cultural centre.

The rain let up a bit and so we hit some more of the shops that included a beautiful florist, several really nice antique stores, gift shops and lovely clothing stores. And true to form, we stopped for ice cream, which is one of Marilyn’s favourites.

Greensboro, GA

Yesterday my trailer and I travelled north on I-95 and crossed over into a new State – Georgia. It’s new state number 5 for me and new state number 11 for my trailer. Almost at the border the landscape changes over from the flats and marshes of Florida to the hills and trees of Georgia. And I instantly felt like I’m back in the south again after the more diverse population of Florida. The “honey” and “y’all” etc came back into the vernacular and the friendly quotient went way up.

I overnighted in a KOA just south of Savannah, but didn’t go in to the city as it was threatening rain and I’m back there on Monday for a week so lots of time to see that great historic city.

Today I drove up I-95 to I-16 and headed west. Then I headed across country on secondary roads for most of the day to my destination near the small town of Greensboro, Georgia. I loved it. Little towns, some of which looked forgotten, and some where the core of the historic town is still vibrant, sprung up with regularity. Old Victorian homes, plantation style homes some still showing their former stately glory, house trailers on acreage, gynormous ranch houses with land for horses or cattle, and a hodge lodge of other things. There was obvious signs of logging, and a little bit of farming. I stopped for gas at a secondary road intersection and there were so many truckers lined up at the lunch counter that I got in line and joined them to pick up a “4 rib lunch”. They had barbecue half chickens and racks of ribs that you wouldn’t believe. Huge and succulent. Yum.

It’s definitely spring here in Georgia, where the seasons are more noticeable than Florida. There is new light green growth on the deciduois trees, the pink and red azaleas are in full bloom, the yellow daffodils are up and out on the side of the highways, fruit trees of various kinds and colours are magnificent (making me home sick for Vancouver), mauve wisteria blankets patches of trees along the highway and they even have a species of dogwood tree that is blooming. Georgia is the “Peach State” and I haven’t seen any obvious orchards, so I’ll have to be sure to figure out which of the blossoms are peach trees and where they are grown. Too bad not to be here in fall.

The KOA just south of Greensboro is actually on a branch of Lake Oconee which supposedly has great fishing. I won’t find out if that’s the case or not first hand since fishing is not my bailiwick. But my neighbour came back a few minutes ago with 3 fish so it must be so. It’s rather unique in that there are 23 train cars on the property. They are using some for administration, like the office and the pool houses, laundry, etc, and some are for nightly rental. You can stay overnight in a caboose over looking the lake. They look like they’ve been here a while, so not sure what kind of shape they’re in but kind of a neat idea.

Why am I in a small town in the middle of Georgia you ask? Well, do you remember meeting my friend Marilyn in northern Ontario on August 2/3 of my adventure? Marilyn lives at Kensington Point on Lake Huron in the summer where I got to know her, but her winter home is Georgia. So I’m up here visiting with her for the next couple of days. We have some fun stuff planned and I’ll try and remember to take some pictures to share.

Siloam, GA

Sparta, GA