This adventure is a visit to Savannah in an RV. This was a fantastic trip because we stopped on our way to Georgia and picked up Steve’s cousin Eddie and his wife Dianne at their home in Opelika, Alabama. They are the very best sports, so easy-going and enjoyable people to share a small space with. What a great adventure altogether!
Skidaway Island State Park
52 Diamond Causeway
GPS Coords: N 31.9493100 W -81.053710
After a gloriously comfortable night at Eddie and Dianne’s home, we all four hopped in the RV and drove the five hours to Savannah. We had a three-night reservation at the nearby Skidaway Island State Park.
The Park is nestled in among majestic live oak trees loaded with Spanish moss, but less than half an hour from River Street in downtown Savannah. Skidaway has many pull-thru sites, laundry facilities, bathrooms, showers, hook-ups, picnic tables, fire rings, hiking trails, and easy check-in with the personable staff.
Skidaway was a perfect home base to have for our adventures in Savannah and the surrounding area.
River Street
223 E. River St.
GPS Coords: 32.0809, -81.0872
We got settled in at Skidaway and squeezed ourselves into our Jeep, and headed to town. This area of Savannah is, of course, along the river. Tons of restaurants, pubs, galleries and boutiques can be found in this part of the City. We did not arrive until dark, and most of the shops were closed.
Unfortunately, we only had time for dinner, so we parked in a pay lot and made our way to the restaurant. Parking in this area was a bit of a challenge. I hope we can return on a warmer (but not hot) day and explore thoroughly.
Graffito’s Pizza
400 W. River Street
Our first experience in Savannah was a brief walk along River Street (it was COLD) and a stop at this authentic Neapolitan-styled pizza restaurant. We each had different individual and delicious hand-crafted pizzas. Mine was an excellent Funghi pizza.
Genteel & Bard Savannah Dark History and Ghost Encounter Tour
The Genteel & Bard tour was the best choice to maximize our time and was all about Savannah’s colorful history. Ghost walking tours are among the best ways to learn about the history of the cities we visit.
This particular tour was full of interesting, funny, sometimes shocking, and gruesome stories about Savannah’s past. No ghosts, but great ghost stories, just as our Galveston ghost tour was. Our tour guide wore a wireless speaker, and all tour participants were given earbuds.
We were able to hear the entire presentation, even when we strayed a bit behind the group. Our guide was a professional storyteller and very knowledgeable about Savannah’s legends, tales, and stories.
One fascinating story we heard was about the graves in Colonial Park Cemetery. In the late 1800s, this Cemetery was “resized” to make room for streets, sidewalks, and buildings. Much later, in the 1960s, street construction workers discovered human remains.
A decision was made to leave the remains where they were, and the construction continued. On one of the brick sidewalks next to the Colonial Park Cemetery, we noticed each brick had a swirled pattern on it. Our tour guide told us these bricks indicate where human remains from the Cemetery are still buried.
We were walking on those human remains. This Cemetery is kept locked after dark, so we were unable to venture into the Cemetery.
Historic Squares
Savannah has 22 historic squares. Each square is a small park that provides a green space mixed in with the historic homes and buildings. These squares have benches, beautiful trees and plants, a fountain, and/or a landmark statue. Each one has a particular and often colorful history. We only visited a few, so we have plenty to see when we return.
Wright Square
Chippewa Square is where a statue of General James Oglethorpe stands. This is also the Square where Forrest Gump sat on a bench waiting for his bus.
Lafayette Square
Madison Square is the location of a statue of Sergeant William Jasper, an honored Revolutionary War soldier.
Forsyth Park
2 W Gaston St
Forsyth Park encompasses over 30 acres of land and is home to that beautiful fountain you see in photos of Savannah. This park has large sports fields, including tennis and basketball courts, large playing areas for soccer, a children’s playground, and much more. Forsyth is a large park!
Isn’t this a beautiful Park?
Mercer-Williams House Museum
429 Bull Street
Mercer-Williams House Museum
Our tour of this home may have been my favorite thing we did in Savannah. Construction of this more than 150-year old house began in 1860. After a delay caused by the Civil War, it was finished in 1868.
Even though this house bears his name and was built for General Hugh W. Mercer, he sold it before it was finished and never lived there. I was told historic homes in Savannah are named after the original owner and the most prominent family that owned them. The most notable family that lived in this home was, of course, Jim Williams.
Mr. Williams was a famously known antique dealer in Savannah but is better known as the subject of the well-known non-fiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil written by John Berendt.
The book was made into a huge hit movie starring Kevin Spacey. I read the book and saw the movie years ago, but I have watched the movie again since our tour. If you plan to visit Savannah, re-reading the book or watching the movie will significantly enrich your visit.
The house is now owned by Jim Williams’s family, who still live upstairs in the home. For this reason, we were not permitted to take any photos of the house’s interior or exterior gardens. This was somewhat disappointing but understandable.
The movie was actually filmed in this house, and today it looked very similar in many of the movie scenes. The home contains a tremendous number of antiques and unusual objects from around the world. It was a charming home to take a little peek into.
Pinkie Masters Bar
318 Drayton St
A fun place to visit
While Dianne and I toured the Mercer-Williams House Museum, Steve and Eddie discovered a historic Irish bar nearby, where they could take a break from all our walking and be out of the cold wind while they waited for us.
This small corner bar was visited by President Carter when he was in Savannah. Pinkie’s opened in the 50s and was a big deal in its day and still a great place to stop by for a casual drink with friends.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist
222 E Harris St
This Catholic church is simply beautiful. It is an active church and cannot be toured, of course, during services or religious events. We were there at just the right time and popped in to take a look. It was dedicated in 1876, partially destroyed in a fire in 1898, but repaired and opened again in 1900. This is a must-see when visiting Savannah.
Bonaventure Cemetery
330 Bonaventure Rd
Thunderbolt, GA
This much-photographed former Plantation, covering nearly 160 acres, is located about four miles from Savannah’s Historic District in Thunderbolt. Bonaventure Cemetery was featured in the novel Garden of Good and Evil written by John Berendt.
The Cemetery is breathtakingly beautiful and full of old oak trees dripping with Spanish moss and striking monuments and headstones. I cannot imagine how many unique and fascinating stories there are to be told about this Cemetery and the people buried here.
Well, guys, this was a very “this and that” sort of visit to Savannah for us. There is so much more to see and do, and we have saved that adventure for a warmer spring day when we can enjoy wandering through the City. Hopefully, after the “trials and tribulations of COVID,” we will have an opportunity to try all the fantastic restaurants, museums and see all the beautiful things to be found in Savannah.
Check back next week for the rest of our four-day adventure in Georgia with cousins extraordinaire Eddie and Dianne.
And a fun trip it was; and wonderful hosts! Thanks Steve and Debbie for letting us tag along!
It WAS a fun trip. I think we travel well together.