Kungaloosh my friends from the interwebs! Wandering Uncle Clyde here with a blast from some of my past adventures, this week the spotlight is on Savannah, GA.
Savannah Georgia, USA is a bustling town filled with culture, color and rebirth. One of the oldest towns in the United States and the oldest in the great state of Georgia, Savannah is full of education and entertainment alike. If it’s old things you’re interested in Savannah was settled in 1733 and has been home to a myriad strange, illustrious and notorious people. John Wesley (of the Methodist Church), Juliette Gordon Low (Founder of the Girl Scouts) and Johnny Mercer (Singer) have all called Savannah home. Along with famous people, Savannah has some of the most ripping buildings to be found, most of which are being restored by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and can be seen on almost every tour including the trolley tour and many of the walking ghost tours around town. You can also see the area where they filmed parts of one of my favorite movies, “Forrest Gump” (which I will give 5 WUCees*). Something that is also notable about Savannah, is their “squares”. Every few blocks, they have small little areas like parks that contain fountains, benches or statues of old people. These make for a quaint afternoon place to rest (or “people watch” if you’re into that sort of thing).
If it’s the supernatural you want, Savannah has plenty of that too. From old homes to pirate hideouts, stores that sell old things to cemeteries, Savannah has loads of spooky places to put a chill in the air and raise those little hairs of the back of your neck (sometimes I wish my back weren’t so hairy). My favorite haunted spot is Bonaventure Cemetery. Whether you are there for the haunts or the history, Bonaventure cemetery is a wondrous location, teeming with live oak trees and Spanish moss, that will not soon be forgotten. (I give it 5 WUCees for a must see spot.) Savannah has really taken advantage of being featured in the novel “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” as well, so if you have read the book or seen the movie (I am not a fan –personally it gives me the heebiejeepies– and refuse to give this any WUCees, but I WILL allow you to make your own decision) then you may recognize many of these places already.
A little further east from Savannah, when you tire of scavenging for purchases on River Street, antique hunting, pub crawling, ghost tour taking, southern food eating, trolley riding, architecture studying and praline savoring, there is a little island called Tybee. Make sure on the way to Tybee you stop off at Fort Pulaski for the Civil War buffs (more information about old things here) and The Crab Shack (not many old things here) for everyone else. The Crab Shack is a scrumptious hidden restaurant in between Savannah and Tybee Island. It is less than mile-long hike (or drive, as the case may be), back into a local village. They serve some of the best seafood in these parts, but be aware it is their custom to eat large shellfish with only your bare hands. For the wee ones you can feed the gators and have your picture taken with great statues of piratey things. Once you reach Tybee, try to stay in one of the island’s bed and breakfasts (I stayed with some kind natives at the Tybee Island Inn). This gives you plenty of opportunity to talk with other adventurers and locals about what to do and what to avoid in the area. The island is small and the foot traffic is fairly light on the beaches (although no-see-um traffic is above average), but they are full of tide pools and critters of all types for lots of learning. The water isn’t very clear (much like all of the east coast) but the beaches are clean, quiet and the people are friendly. There is also a lighthouse (the Tybee Lighthouse) and museum to occupy your time, although check before you go because they keep curious hours.
All in all, the Savannah area is a pleasant vacation spot full of mystery and intrigue (which as you know is what I look for anywhere I venture). It may not be as enthralling for the younger members of your clan but it’s not an inappropriate place for them either. You just have to know in advance that you have to create your own fun, it’s not provided in the form of miniature golf or amusement park rides.
Hope your summer is full of adventure or relaxation, either of which you may find in Savannah!
-Wandering Uncle Clyde
* “WUCees” are Wandering Uncle Clyde’s personal brand of endorsement. Like gold stars and chocolate chip cookies put together, only a little furrier.
Throughout this entry you will find links to my recommendations for favorite old things, shopping, food and fun, but to recap, here is a list of the things in Savannah that get the 5 WUCee seal of approval.
Restaurants:
The Crystal Beer Parlor
The Crab Shack
The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen’s Restaurant) Be hungry when you go here, and know that the wait could be hours.
Pubs: (All of these have great English food as well)
Molly MacPherson’s
Six Pence Pub
Pub Crawl (There are plenty of these and I haven’t gone on them personally, but I have seen them in action)
Shopping:
RiverStreet
Universe Trading Company
River Street Sweets
Old stuff shopping (I liked the ones on River Street the best, but all of the antique stores are great. Be prepared, some of them are very expensive: you will know if you have to ring the bell to get in)
Things to do:
Ghost Tours (There are too many of these to count or link)
Bonaventure Cemetery
Trolley Tours
Juliette Gordon Low House
Tybee Light House
Fort Pulaski
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