Savannah – A City of Many Faces
Known to be America’s first planned city, Savannah was voted one of the “World’s Top Ten Trendy Travel Hot Spots” by the New York Times and was featured as a “Top 10 U.S. City to Visit” in Conde Nast Traveler. Savannah is also of interest to literary and musical aficionados as it is the home of Johnny Mercer, composer of “Skylark.”
Savannah’s charm is a direct result of the city’s respect for its past. Nowhere is this more evident than in the many small neighborhoods, which often seem more like pictures from a storybook than the corners of a 21st century city. With no skyscrapers, few modern-looking structures, and the shopping malls placed mercifully, inconveniently on the periphery of town, this city of 150,000 people keeps the soul of the Old South alive for residents and guests alike.
The two-and-half square mile Historic District serves as the functional heart of Savannah. Here is where you will find picturesque civic squares – 23 of them – that make Savannah famous as well as street after tree-lined street of churches, monuments and museums, including the Telfair, which now houses the famous “Bird Girl” statue featured on the cover of John Berendt’s book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”, as well as a movie directed by Clint Eastwood.
The historic district includes the festive shops and restaurants of River Street at the city’s northern extremity. On Bull Street sits the golden dome of Savannah City Hall, the site where General James Oglethorpe first set foot on the Georgia clay in 1733, making Georgia the 13th and final colony developed in America.
A number of the city squares played host to such Hollywood notables as Forrest Gump and Kevin Spacey’s Jim Williams. There are more than 2300 historic buildings – about 80 percent of which have been restored – representing architectural influences that range from Federal to Italianate.
The Riverfront area runs along the length of the Savannah River. Once the nerve center of Savannah’s booming cotton trade, the neighborhood began to deteriorate after the yellow fever quarantine and the subsequent depression of 1818. Abandoned for over a century, the riverfront was resurrected in 1977, and its brick warehouses and merchant buildings were transformed into a parade of shops, restaurants and art galleries.
This area has developed into the most popular destination for visitors, and maintains a festive atmosphere that lasts well into the night. Popular restaurants include Huey’s, the lively Shrimp Factory and the elegant Chart House sit alongside quaint shops featuring everything from nautical gear to kudzu soup mix. The cobblestone surface River Street serves as the center of entertainment for the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and celebration, and the monthly Arts and Crafts Festival. A “must do” in Savannah is an evening ghost tour narrated by one of many story tellers who reside in the community. A significant number of old buildings have extravagant stories attached to them which are sure to raise your neck hairs.
The Victorian District is a 50-block neighborhood situated just south of the historic district, between Martin Luther King Boulevard and East Broad Street. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this area represented the first suburb of Savannah as the city spread out in the late 1800s. Here you will find an unsurprising abundance of Victorian structures which contrast the Southside suburban sprawl or 1950s and 1960s residential neighborhoods.
The low country, surrounding the city, harbors many small islands, including the residential boom areas of Wilmington and Whitemarsh, the touchingly quaint Isle of Hope, whose antebellum homes and vibrant gardens are the stuff of Dixie dreams. Nearby, Skidaway Island is the site of golfing communities, marinas, and miles of biking and nature trails. Skidaway is where you will find the Wormsloe Historic Site, a comprehensive colonial settlement restoration.
When it’s time to shake the cobwebs of the past from your vacation, you’ll find plenty of sun and sand to enjoy at Tybee Island, the playground of Savannah’s ocean-loving denizens for over a century. This small coastal island lies a mere fifteen miles directly east of the city. Much of the commercial district at the far tip of the island has been given over to loud beachside bars, kitsch shops and inexpensive restaurants. MacElwee’s seafood restaurant is a must stop, where generations of faithful flock summer after summer.
Most of Savannah’s restaurants express at least some southern influence in the dishes offered. A few establishments commit to providing patrons with a true southern dining experience. Local seafood specialties include crab cakes and crab stew, shrimp, and oysters. The traditional low country boil found on many menus consists of boiled shrimp or crawfish with smoked sausage, corn on the cob and potatoes.
While many of Savannah’s dining establishments operate in historic buildings. The famous Pirates’ House was once an Inn that hosted seamen from ships docked at the nearby River Street Port. The Boar’s Head Tavern & Grill, is the oldest restaurant on River Street, established in 1962 when the city began giving a facelift to the old cotton warehouses along the river. The Olde Pink House Restaurant, a romantic Savannah favorite on Reynolds Square, is located in a mansion, circa 1796.
Any coastal town guarantees restaurants offering pleasant views, and Savannah is no different. Establishments along River Street provide views of the Savannah River where you can watch the huge ships and barges pass by on their way to the Savannah’s international port. Savannah allows restaurants to sell alcoholic drinks in plastic cups that patrons may take with them as the stroll the riverside.
Dining in Savannah is not limited to southern cooking and seafood dishes. The opportunities to dine on wonderful food are limitless. Italian fare can be found at II Pasticcio, Japanese food and sushi at Sakura, or enjoy Moroccan food at Casbah Restaurant offering authentic Mediterranean fare and belly dancing nightly.
Restaurant options are rivaled only by the shopping experiences not to be missed in this wonderful walking city. Avid shoppers will find lovely clothing boutiques, art galleries, and a host of specialty shops that will appeal to wine aficionados, gardening enthusiasts, baby and children clothing stores, gourmet food shops, quilting and needle shops.
One of my favorite memories of this glorious town was the wonderful garden tours that take place in March and April each year. Visitors are invited into beautifully manicured yards of the residents in the Victorian district. Tours take place during the day, but the real treat is the evening walking tour that meanders through the district when the sun goes down.
