Savannah, next stop on East Coast Tour

Savannah Georgia is a great place to visit.  We actually have been here before during work lives but did not have enough time to explore in-depth.  We are back now and have chosen to spend a week in the area to get a better sense of the history and see more of the sights.

Now here is something you don't see everyday.  A three-legged person's tracks in the sand.  Obviously, someone(s) went to a lot of trouble to do this and probably got a 'kick' (get it?) out of it when we stopped to memorialize the sighting in a photo.

Hmmmm?

We actually are staying at Camp Jasper Lake RV Park in Hardeeville, SC.  It is close to Hilton Head and Savannah.  As it turns out this is a great choice for the quiet atmosphere and large RV sites.  It is also where we met a very nice couple (John and Sandi) who are starting their RV Full-time adventures.

They are selling their retirement house nearby and have already moved into the RV to keep from having to clean the house while it is being shown by realtors.  If you are interested in a large, nice retirement home in this area that has access to all the Del Webb Sun City amenities; let me know and I will put you in touch with them.

We always update our location on RVillage so we can see and others can see where we are located.  It was this update that led to the introductions.  As I was setting up the satellite dish, they came around to introduce themselves.  It is so nice to find folks along the way, especially those that share the love of the lifestyle.  They gave us great information about the area and took us to a famous local place, Cahills, that is a restaurant serving home cooking that is grown on-site at the Cahill farm.  We even went back later to purchase some fresh veggies that were equally delicious.

We had lots of ‘gab’ sessions where we learned about each other’s plans, aspirations, history and families.  It was a great time and fun to socialize with folks that share so many interests.

When we visited Savannah again, we did the Old Town Trolley thing again like we did in Saint Augustine.  These drivers know their cities and can tell some great stories.  Again, the architecture of the city is front and center.  Whereas Saint Augustine had a decidedly Spanish influence, Savannah is definitely English.  When we visited during our work lives, we did a Segway tour.  This is also an excellent way to experience the historical area of Savannah.

There are many sights to see including the area where Tom Hanks sat on the bench in the movie ‘Forrest Gump.’  The bench is not there as he has it but there is a replica in a museum close by.  It is kept there so it doesn’t sprout legs and walk off.  Another sight to see is the house used in the filming of ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.’  The movie is based on a nonfiction book about a murder that took place and the subsequent trial.  You can also see the statue of The Bird Girl featured on the cover of the book.

Statue of Oglethorpe in one of the Squares

Savannah has been used many times for filming of movies.  In fact, so many that it would be way too lengthy and difficult to try to remember and describe all of them.  Suffice it to say, the ambience and scenery lends itself to movie sets.

Street scene leading away from a Square

Fountain in a Square

Closer view of the fountain

We took a short river cruise to get a view of the city from the waterway.  It is easy to see why Oglethorpe chose this site to establish the Georgia colony.  The water is protected as a port as well as deep and wide enough to allow ships of huge size to navigate the passage easily.  There were plenty of stories (including the firing of a cannon at us from a fort and the story of the statue of the waving girl) told along the way to make the short one hour excursion very interesting.

View of waterfront from the boat.

Waving girl statue, interesting story behind this memorial.

While visiting this city, we were able to agree to a contract to sell our second house back in Texas and close the deal via long distance.  We located a UPS store right off the city market that we spent about an hour in printing, signing and transmitting the signed documents back to the title company to finalize the sale the following day.  Today’s modern technology is such that you can actually transact business legally such as sell real estate in real time even when a thousand miles separate you and the other party.  Amazing technological times indeed.

Speaking of the city market, there is a museum dedicated to the preservation of history surrounding the Prohibition Era in this country.  Yes that is correct, remembering the time and crime during a period in this country when it was illegal to drink booze.  It was obviously a failed experiment and the lesson we should have learned is you cannot legislate morality, even though we still try to do so, even to this day.  Each individual’s moral compass has to guide them in making decisions and not some lawmaker’s pen.  (Just my opinion, which is free today.)

The museum is a fun place to stop and visit plus it had some pretty unique characters in it.  There were figures, recordings, still photos and live docents, dressed in period clothing, to guide you through the times and events surrounding this unique experience.  It was fun, entertaining and a lively stop.

Hey!  Whose that woman in the strange garb picketing?

Oh come on pal; share a little!

Whoah!  Them there is fighting words!

The museum, along with the sale of the last remaining real estate, put us in the mood to celebrate.  So we made our way to one of the oldest restaurants in town.  We chose the Pirates’ Restaurant.  It is located up the hill from the water and is on the site of a frequented watering hole of yesteryear frequented by pirates from days of yore.  It is said there were tunnels beneath the restaurant that led directly to the docks.  Many a poor sailor that tied one on would wake up the next day and find themselves on a ship out in the ocean, pressed into service for the balance of the voyage.  That sounds like a pretty steep price to pay for a night of drinking.

Pirates' House - you can see it has seen many add-ons over the years

All good things eventually do come to an end and so does our time in Savannah.  We are now headed up the coast to Charleston and then on to Myrtle Beach.  Check back in soon for the latest.