The Pirate's House, on the northeastern corner of Savannah, is thought to be Georgia's oldest building, and is certainly one of its most famous. Captain Flint, from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, is said to have died here after drinking too much rum.
Found on on the eastern side of Telfair Square, the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences occupies a Regency style mansion built in 1818. It's been a public art museum since 1886, which makes it the oldest in the South.
The biggest mistake you can make in Savannah is forgetting to bring your camera with you when you leave the house. Unique photo opportunities spring up like clockwork in this city! Jürgen brought his everywhere -- to the supermarket, on walks with our dog, and even to the bar. You never know when this city is going to surprise you with a great snapshot.
When we chose Savannah as our next destination, it was partly because of the weather. In December, the average is supposed to be between 40 and 63°F. So, I never expected to encounter a frozen fountain in Forsyth Park. It's a beautiful sight, and one that's relatively rare, so we're happy to have seen it. But we're done, now. Could someone please give us back the warm weather we had been promised?
I'll admit it. I was already partial to Captain Mike's Dolphin Adventure, out on Tybee Island, because I like anything featuring my own name. Mike & Ike's? Delicious. Michael Jackson? The greatest ever. Mike the Headless Chicken? Best headless chicken ever. Mikes rule, and so it was no surprise to discover that Captain Mike's Dolphin Adventure was totally awesome.
Savannah's coolest cafe has long been the Sentient Bean. That is, if you measure a cafe's coolness by its hipster quotient. For us fashion-challenged, self-conscious non-hipsters, the Sentient Bean might be Savannah's most stressful cafe. Still cool, though.
After spending the day in Beaufort, we drove out to Hunting Island State Park, a semitropical barrier island that had been used since the 19th century as hunting grounds.
Lafayette Square, on the intersection of Abercorn and Macon, is named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French aristocrat who became a major Revolutionary War hero and impressed Savannah with a speech delivered from the balcony of the Owens Thomas House.
With its Gothic houses, squares and Spanish moss hanging from every tremendous Live Oak, Savannah truly makes a great first impression. But far from skin-deep, its beauty only becomes more captivating the closer you look.
We had been excited to get into the old homes of Savannah, especially after our experience at the Scarborough House. So it was with high expectations that we visited the Owens-Thomas House on Oglethorpe Square. Unfortunately, our high expectations weren't met, this time.
Biking home with a fresh loaf of bread from the Back in the Day Bakery, we passed a tiny shop in which someone was at work blowing glass. Curiosity stoked, we returned to the Drayton Glassworks a couple days later to meet Jonathan Poirier.
Just a short half-hour drive from Savannah, Tybee Island is the region's top recreational destination, with a beach, surf and kayak shops, nature trails, cool restaurants, dolphin tours and bunch of hotels.
