Exploring “The Hostess City of the South”
Hurrah, the Memorial Weekend family getaway is Louis and Lucy visiting and seeing the sights of Savannah, Georgia. A new adventure for these two amazing and adventure loving grandkids. Papa and I are always excited to share favorite getaways while at the same time providing a bit of a history lesson. On this visit, we are staying in a rental called “A Walk in the Park,” conveniently across from Forsyth Park. The largest park in Savannah, Forsyth Park is an amazing 30 acres. The location is terrific! In the Park isa great eatery, Collins Quarter Forsyth, a fun playground, its famous magnificent fountain, and the tree lined walkways with the draping elegance of Spanish moss. Our Savannah experience officially starts on Saturday.
FORSYTH PARK IS HUGE AND FUN
Our morning starts with a short walk to Collins Quarter at Forsyth Park for a hearty breakfast. Louis is happy with Chicken ‘n Waffles while Lucy savors the Avocado Toast. Walking the tree covered sidewalk to the Forsyth Park Fountain, we see vendors selling their wares along this wide sidewalk. HUGE! The fountain is a beautiful white. It’s crowded as families, couples, and individuals attempt to capture that perfect photo of the fountain or them in front of the fountain. Smile for the family photo at the Fountain.
At Forsyth Park, we spot their great playground. The awesome trees provide shade over the playgrounds on hot days. As we walk Forsyth Park, we see families having a graduation party, a wedding, and birthday parties. Wow, a lot of activity on Saturday at Forsyth Park. Papa likes to take a nap in the shade of the huge live oak trees, away from the crowds. After enjoying the playground, it’s time for a cold TASTY Doki Doki Ice Cream at Collins Quarter walk-up window by the playground.
Later on the Trolley Tour, we learn about the different monuments in Forsyth Park. There is the Civil War Memorial in the south area of Forsyth Park, close to where we are staying. On the North end of the Park is a Memorial to the Marines. It was erected in 1947 to commemorate Chatham County Marines killed in the Second World War. The monument has since been updated to honor Marines killed in more recent conflicts too. We go by to get a picture by the memorial.
OLD TOWN TROLLEY HOP ON HOP OFF TOUR
Awesome, our rental on Drayton Street is only a block from Stop 5 Forsyth Park for the Old Town Hop On and Hop Off Trolley. Hopping on the Trolley at 9:15AM, we’re off to learn about Savannah. Terrific! The Drivers/Guides share lots of information on this unique city with fun tales, like don’t play with Spanish moss as you’ll get chiggers. The Trolley winds us through Savannah’s famous Squares. Savannah’s founder, James Oglethorpe, initially designed the area with six squares where people would live and each square also had certain public building like a church. Today Savannah has 22 squares with fountains, statutes, and monuments dedicated to famous people of Savannah. Interesting? General Oglethorpe, did not permit slavery, liquor, lawyers or Catholics in the colony.
It’s a bumpy cobblestone ride down a narrow twisting alley to River Street. In fact these hand-laid cobblestones are actually ballast material from the many ships that sailed into Savannah’s Harbor. We see the wide Savannah River, the Waving Girl Statute, and more. At Colonial Park Cemetery our driver tells us “Savannah is the most haunted city in America!” The entire Trolley Ride covers 15 stops in 90 minutes. The Trolley tour is great for learning about Savannah’s history from a colony to the American Revolution to the American Civil War, the challenges of living on swampy land, and the growth of the city over the years up to today.
PLANT RIVERSIDE DISTRICT
Time to start exploring Savannah! Hopping off at Stop 3 by Franklin Square near City Market it’s a short walk to Plant Riverside District. Anxious to get out of the heat, we enter the Plant Riverside building from a side door. Sorry, Louis and Lucy, we miss some of the excitement in Generator Hall. There is so much to see it is a bit of a visual overload with bones of ancient birds and a massive dinosaur overhead and rotating colored lights in the ceiling.
Plus there are so many different kinds of rocks, geodes, Amethyst, agates and a wide variety of fossils. Amazing and impressive is a huge stainless steel dinosaur (bones) suspended from the ceiling. There’s a lot to see and comprehend with all these beautiful stones, fossils and many displays in the Generator Plant.
Stepping outside we find outdoor activities. Lucy and Louis test their skills at Ping Pong while Mom coaches them. Papa and Dad try their talent at Corn Hole. After playing the games, we stroll on the Riverwalk. Following a tasty lunch at Poe’s, it’s time to do some shopping to at City Market. Awesome, we locate a shop that has a wide array of T-shirts for Savannah – especially the Savannah Bananas.
WHO ARE THE SAVANNAH BANANA’S?
Louis wants a Savannah Bananas T-shirt. Who are the Savannah Bananas? Louis explains they are a baseball team that has unique, odd, and funny rules for playing baseball. Louis and I enjoy watching a video of how Savannah Banana’s started. They play a fast moving and entertaining game of baseball including bizarre things on the field like choreographed dances performed by the players. Louis gets a cool “Savannah Banana’s” shirt and Lucy picks out a Savannah T-shirt.
Dining at and in The Vault Kitchen and Market
Dining at The Vault Kitchen and Market, a restaurant that was formerly a bank, is extra unique. We are actually seated inside the former bank vault. Good, the massive thick door with all the locks to totally seal the Vault Room remains open. It’d be hard to break into or out of this huge safe. With an Asian Fusion cuisine, Louis and Lucy love the Pork Dumplings and the Duck Dumplings. It is delightful and unique dining experience in our own private bank vault dining room.
CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
On Sunday morning we enjoy the beauty of the Cathedral at the 8:00 am Mass. The service is very nice with the Monsignor giving a excellent homily. It’s a bit different, as the only music is the massive organ at the beginning and end of the service. Wow! Without music the Mass was over in less than 45 minutes.
HISTORIC RIVER STREET SAVANNAH
After Mass, it’s a hearty breakfast and then a walk to River Street. Today, we find a variety of vendors along the Riverwalk. We stop and check out unique wares. One vendor has writing pens made from bullets and parts of guns. Louis carefully inspects the unusual design of each pen. We casually stroll this section of River Street before heading back and preparing for our next excursion. So much for going to Tybee Island, with Memorial Day Weekend the traffic is backed up for miles. A fast change of plans. Mom suggests suggestions the SCAD Museum of Art, where it will be cool inside on this hot day.
SCAD MUSEUM OF ART
Now to explore the SCAD Museum of Art. Hurrah, with Dad’s Military Pass, the entire family gets in for FREE. The initial feature is the Malcom X display where Awol Erizku that “focuses on pioneering American Muslim human Rights Activist” Malcom X. Next we admire the Sunken City (Cammie Staros) where old pottery seems to be reflected in the water below. Looking closely we see there are “real fish” in these exhibits. That’s different! As we continued through the museum we are impressed with the “String Art,” and a variety of other exhibits.
A fun place outside is SCAD Beach! On the Trolley Tour, we saw this shell of a building and learned it is now SCAD Beach. Yes, the creative students of SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) created a beach setting inside the vacant building. It has no roof and no windows. Now this skeleton of a building is a beautiful relaxing “beach type setting” with large swinging structures with canopies for relaxing, cool beach chairs, picnic tables and more. AHH! RELAX!
Outside we find what looks like woven branches making a tall connecting structure. It’s from Patrick Dougherty called “Making Birds Proud.” It definitely resembles large bird’s nest that are connected. Amazing, how these are built from branches, limbs and more. We try to determine how these nests are supported but are not able to figure it out. Louis and Lucy take time for a quick photo before exploring these “nests” a little more. At the SCAD Museum, the receptionist tells us to see SCADstory, that’s like a Disney experience. Next stop, The SCADstory at the original SCAD building on Bull Street.
THE SCADstory – The TALE of a Dreamer – An Inspiring 4D Experience!
Hurrah, we arrive in time for the 2:00PM show. Gathering in a room, the doors close, as we begin our journey on how SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) started. Entering another room, we are immersed in a 4D experience. Here a cartoon depiction of Paula Wallace, the founder of SCAD, shares her dream of creating a different kind of school for students. This dynamic 4D presentation takes visitors from Paula’s initial dream of a new kind of college to its success today. The SCADstory has all the magic and excitement with its 4D’s of motion, vibrations, scents, fog, and more as it goes from the initial vision to the beginning of SCAD to its success today. It shares the challenges Paula faces to finally creating SCAD. Despite a lot of naysayers, Paula’s dream of making a huge paradigm shift from the lock step structure of traditional education to a more open concept to match the student’s needs is a huge success. In four decades SCAD has grown tremendously and today is a leading university. Wow! This is impressive and inspiring story of achieving one’s dream. Oh, the BEE is SCAD’s Mascot as it symbolizes “hope, humble origins, and soaring” the school’s driving principles. Lucy got a stuffed Mascot BEE at SCAD Museum of Art.
THE GRAVE TALES GHOST TOUR –
Sunday at 8:00PM we arrive for the Grave Tales Ghost Tour at Johnson Square. We are excited to hear eerie ghost stories of the “most haunted city.” Will we be scared? Hope we see a ghost! Our ghost guide shares her tales, taking us to well-known haunted places in Savannah. What’s the difference between ghosts and spirits? An Interactive Personality is usually the ghost of a deceased person that is seen or heard. Some sightings are of a swirling mist or fog. While a Poltergeist is a noisy mischievous ghost. Ghost orbs are small floating orbs of light only visible through a camera. Johnson Square is known for orbs, so everyone starts taking pictures with the cell phone cameras in live mode, hoping to capture an ORB.
Our stops include various sites, squares and buildings where there are TALES of ghosts or spirits including the Colonial Park Cemetery, the most haunted location in Savannah. Here over 11,000 are buried. Wow! There are only 1,000 markers. Being in a swamp Savannah had massive outbreaks of Yellow Fever. One grave holds about 700 people. We hear bizarre tales by the Marshall House, the most haunted Hotel in Savannah. Sarah has some intriguing tales of ghost sightings from stories she has heard, as well as, people on the tours sharing their experiences. At the Foley House Inn we learn weird tale of Honoria Foley a widow and the bizarre circumstance that create a ghost in her home.
At Wright Square, the Hanging Square, it is the troubled tale of Alice Riley, the first woman hanged in Georgia for committing the first murder in the colony. As she dies, Alice puts a curse on Savannah. We each touch the tree to see if we can sense the spirit of Alice Riley. Is Alice’s Curse real? Weird! There is no Spanish moss in its trees. Nathaniel Green hated Spanish moss. Immediately after his remains were moved to Johnson Square, its trees no longer have Spanish moss. Scientist are unable to explain this phenomena in these Squares. There are lot of unique and intriguing ghost tales in Savannah. Afterward, I share a weird ghost story from my childhood, “Wrap! Wrap! Wrap!”
GEORGIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM –ALL ABOARD!
All Aboard! We arrive just in time to hop on the Diesel Train Ride at the Georgia State Railroad Museum. Starting at the Roundhouse, our guide points out some of the unique trains on display. There are engines built from 1886 to 1964.
On the train ride as we pass the Storehouse, The Savannah Children’s Museum (former Carpenter’s Shop), and the Coach Shop our Guide gives the history of railroads in Georgia and Savannah. The Civil War had a massive impact in the railroads. On Sherman’s March to the Sea, the Georgia train tracks are destroyed. With Savannah’s Mayor surrendering the city to Sherman, it saved Savannah’s railroad from destruction. It was a major struggle to rebuild the train system in Georgia.
As the train pulls into the Paint Shop, our guide points out various train cars being repaired and explains how long it can take to repair these OLD train cars. It may be a passenger car or a car for fruits and vegetables that required cooling. During the many years these railroad buildings were vacant. It was a fun hangout for many teenagers. The walls of the Pain Shop are covered with some pretty fancy graffiti. The guide shares that visitors come to see if their graffiti is still on the walls.
Next we tour the Executive Railway Cars. These are plush private cars owned by the wealthy. We tour the fancy living areas, dining rooms, and bedrooms. It is an informative Georgia Railroad train ride and tour. After a walk through Colonial Park Cemetery, we have lunch at the famous Pirate House, Savannah’s oldest building, our final stop on our Memorial Weekend Savannah Getaway.
The Pirate’s House – ARGGHHH
It’s tasty lunch buffet at the Pirate House and fun dressing up as a Pirate, too. These two pirates are not very intimidating.
It’s been a fun few exploring and learning all about Savannah!
IF YOU GO:
- The WALK IN THE PARK RENTAL was through Southern Belle Vacation Rental. This 3 bedroom 2 bath 1st floor apartment was perfect for us. Yes, it is on Drayton Street across from Forsyth Park. Plus it has the DOT (Savannah free shuttle bus) just outside the door. The Old Town Hop On Hop Off Trolley Stop 5 is just 1 block away. It’s about a mile to River Street – a nice walk down Bull Street is fun and Squares to see along the way. The rental was clean and fresh. The Decor was well done and comfy. Additionally, Southern Belle staff very helpful and welcoming. We will definitely be back when the family goes to Savannah again.
- While the map shows a Visitor Center at Forsyth Park, it is really just a stand with brochures. On our visit, we were thrilled to find the $5 off per Adult Ticket Discount Coupon for the Old Town Hop On Hop Off Trolley. It was there on Friday but all had been taken or removed on Saturday.
- Savannah is a walking town, so take comfy shoes, get a good map and enjoy exploring this historical and amazing city. The focus for this trip/article were activities we did with our grandchildren. Check out prior articles for other activities by just using Search “Savannah”. Delight in a Variety of Tours in Savannah is about tours including FREE walking tour.
- For the SCADstory – the show is on the hour. Reservations can be made ahead of time. It is FREE – donation appreciated.
- Georgia Railroad Museum – the Diesel Train Ride/Tour is on the hour also. Check their schedule to veriy times.