Planes, Trains & Autos

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time in Savannah, GA.

Read Days 1 & 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here & Day 6 here – Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

We started the morning with coffee in our room as we admired the beautiful views from our hotel window!

After our coffee, we headed out for the day.

We walked down to the waterfront beside our hotel.

As I had mentioned in my last post, our hotel was located right along the iconic River Street.

We spotted the Olympic Torch Sculpture.

The sculpture is a monument to Savannah’s role as host of the Yachting events of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

The cauldron that now exists with a copper “flame” as part of the monument, was lit with the original flame from Olympia, Greece, burning brightly along the bank of the Savannah River to kick off Savannah’s Opening Ceremony.

Next, we spotted the Waving Girl Statue.

The statue is a tribute to Florence Martus, who greeted ships entering Savannah by waving a cloth at approaching ships from the lighthouse on Cockspur Island, in search of her long lost lover.

Her fame spread and ships would return her greetings with a blast from the ship’s horn. Many still sound a salute to her statue.

Near the statue, we saw the Old Harbor Light.

The light was erected by the United States Lighthouse Board in 1858 to guide ships into the Savannah Harbor and avoid the six British ships, which were scuttled in 1779 to impede French and American ships during the Revolutionary War.

After walking around for a while, we left the hotel and headed to the historic district to see some of the beautiful homes located in this area.

The Historic District is the heart of Savannah and features cobblestone streets, manicured gardens, and oak-shaded parks drizzling with silvery Spanish Moss.

The largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States, Savannah contains more than twenty city squares filled with museums, churches, mansions, monuments and famous forts of the Revolutionary & Civil War eras.

The homes in this area are simply breathtaking!

Read reviews for this area here

After driving around for a while, we stopped and parked near the popular Forsyth Park. 

Spanning more than 30 acres, Forsyth Park is Savannah’s largest and oldest public park.

One of the park’s first uses was serving as a parade ground for Confederate troops drilling before mustering out to battle, which is why this spot was selected for Savannah’s memorial to Confederate soldiers.

There are several monuments scattered throughout the park.

This park is beautiful and I highly recommend that you don’t miss it when visiting Savannah!

Read reviews here

Also, located here is the park’s iconic fountain that was installed in 1858 and is today one of the most-photographed places in Savannah.

Although the fountain has become a symbol of Savannah, it isn’t unique: similar fountains can be found in Paris and Cusco, Pero (it was actually ordered from a catalog!).

The fountain was originally built to provide clean drinking water to the citizens of Savannah. During that time, yellow fever was a major epidemic in the city and access to clean water was crucial for preventing the spread of disease.

The fountain was built in 1858 and named after Governor John Forsyth. It stands at a towering height of 30 feet and features a large marble basin with four spouting decorative statues.

Click here for parks in Savannah

After taking our pictures of the fountain, we walked 2o mins to the Owens-Thomas House to purchase tickets to tour the house.

We passed gorgeous homes along the way!

Once we arrived, there was already a line to purchase tickets.

Once we made it  to the ticket booth, we were told the earliest time to tour the house wasn’t until 11:15 am ….so, we had about 45 mins to kill.

Tip: The tours start every 15 mins and are guided tours that last approx. 45 – 60 mins. The house is closed on Mon & Tues. Adult ticket prices are $30 pp.

So, we headed to a nearby cemetery called Colonial Park. It was a 2 minute walk from the Owen’s Thomas House.

Colonial Park Cemetery served as Savannah’s cemetery for more than a century and contains over nine thousand graves.

Established in 1750, by 1789 it had been expanded three times to reach its current size. Colonial Park Cemetery is approximately 6 acres in size and is located in the heart of Savannah’s Historic District.

The cemetery is the final resting place for notable figures like Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Archibald Bullock, Georgia’s first governor, and Joseph Habersham, postmaster general that served under three US Presidents, along with many others. 

The cemetery had beautiful moss covered trees scattered throughout the grounds!

Read reviews here

All of the notable gravesites are marked with a sign.

There are so many cool, old headstones located here!

The gravesite of Button Gwinnett….he died in 1777 after a duel with the governor of Georgia.

It was hard to make out most of the names on the tombstones because they were so old.

I had also read that the cemetery had become a temporary home for Union troops in 1864 and that they had damaged and defaced some of the headstones….including, altering some dates and ages!

There are nearly 700 victims (666 to be exact) of the 1820 yellow fever epidemic that were buried in a mass grave.

After spending about 30 mins walking through the cemetery, we headed back to the Owens-Thomas house to get ready for our tour.

Our tour started shortly after arriving back to the house.

We were first taken to a small room and given a brief history lesson about the house.

The Owens-Thomas House was a modern masterpiece in its day and was the first home in the United States to have running water when it was completed in 1819.

The house was built in 1816 by a wealthy shipping merchant and enslaver named Richard Richardson.The Richardsons only lived in the home for a few years after losing a lot of their wealth.

In 1830, lawyer, landholder, and enslaver George Welshman Owens purchased the property at auction for $10,000. He lived here with his wife, Sarah, their six children, and up to fourteen enslaved laborers.

Over the next 121 years, the home would continue to be owned by the Owens family until the last descendent, Margaret Gray Thomas, George Owens’s granddaughter, bequeathed the property upon her death in 1951 to the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences to be run as a house museum in honor of her grandfather, George Owens, and her father, Dr. James Gray Thomas.

The site opened to the public in 1954.

There was a “wall of names” that listed the names of the enslaved people that were owned by the Owens and Richardson families. The Owens family enslaved almost 400 people.

After a brief overview of the house and the history, we began our tour of the slave quarters.

The building contained the original slave quarters for the site.

This two-story structure was composed of three rooms on each level. About five to fourteen enslaved people, most of which were female and children or teenagers, lived and worked on the site at any given time.

These individuals worked in domestic labor duties like cooking, cleaning, washing laundry, and raising children.

The ceiling of the slave quarters is painted haint blue, which was used in Gullah culture to deter ghosts or other evil spirits.

After leaving the slave quarters, we headed outside to the gardens.

The garden occupies the space between the main house and the carriage house. This area originally functioned as a work yard, which likely included a small kitchen garden, areas to dry laundry and clean rugs, and perhaps pens and coops for small livestock and chickens.

Next, we finally entered the house.

You will first see the public spaces of the house such as the drawing room, front hall, and dining room.

These rooms were used for impressing guests and had elaborate furniture and decorations.

The furniture and decorative objects  that are displayed in the house date largely from the early to mid-19th century.

Most were produced in England or America. About one third of the objects descended in the Owens family, and many others were owned by wealthy Savannahians of the same period.

Next was the butler’s pantry.

It was huge!

This is where enslaved butlers managed not just the daily operations of upper-class homes, but also the enslaved staff that serviced them.

In addition, enslaved butlers maintained the fine silver, china, and glassware used in entertaining.

More shots of the downstair rooms

We then headed upstairs

The main foyer of the house was beautiful!

The  best part of this stairway is this elegantly arched bridgeway that connected the front and back halves of the upstairs…..so unique for this time period!

Pictures of some of the rooms upstairs

We then headed to the basement.

The basement, which retains many original components, contains the kitchen, scullery, a large cistern, and other workspaces.

These preserved spaces offer more interpretive text and material to help visitors understand the day-to-day lives of the enslaved people who lived and worked here.

Items that had been found in/around the property.

After this room, the tour ended and we headed back outside to take a few more pictures of the outside of the house.

Read reviews for the house here

From here, we headed to find something to eat.

We ended up at the TapHouse.…it was a 5 min walk from the house.

The restaurant is located in the former Avon Theater that opened in 1944 and closed in 1970.

The building still retains many historical artifacts from the theater.

After being seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu. 

We both ordered a burger and they were delicious!

Read reviews here 

After lunch, we continued our walk through the historic town.

We spotted a beautiful building that housed the Marshall House Hotel.

The Marshall house opened in 1851 and is one of Savannah’s oldest hotels.

It also served as a hospital during the Yellow Fever Epidemics in the mid-1800s, and as a Union hospital during the final months of the Civil War.

The Marshall House was also home to Joel Chandler Harris, author of the famous Uncle Remus Stories during the Reconstruction Period.

For economic and structural reasons, The Marshall House was closed in 1957.

However, in 1999, the hotel was extensively restored with great efforts taken to ensure the historic hotel was preserved.

The hotel has the original staircases, original wood floors, fireplaces, brick walls, the doors to each guest room, and several claw foot tubs dating back to 1880.

If you stay here, be sure to go up to the 2nd and 3rd floors to see artifacts that were found during the renovation and are on display in glass cabinets.

Read reviews here

Continuing our walk

We spotted the historic Lucas Theater. 

The theater was opened in 1921 by Savannah-native and theater developer Arthur Lucas.

The theater closed in 1976 and was restored and reopened in 2000.

We then headed inside the Aleksandra’s Gift shop to purchase a t-shirt. Y’all know we have to purchase a t-shirt and coffee cup at every place we visit! 😉

After our purchase, we headed for ice cream at the famous Leopold’s!

You can not go to Savannah without getting ice cream at Leopold’s!

Leopold’s Ice Cream was founded in 1919 by three brothers from Greece.

They had learned the art of candy and dessert making from an uncle who had already settled in America. George, Peter and Basil Leopold perfected their secret formulas and created the now world famous Leopold’s Ice Cream.

Famed lyricist Johnny Mercer grew up a block away from Leopold’s and worked at the shop as a boy.  He was a faithful customer when he was home from Hollywood.

The ice cream shop offered so many flavors that it was difficult making a decision!

I wanted to try them all!

The line for this place is usually out the door and down the sidewalk but thankfully, for us, it wasn’t too long when we arrived.

As we made our way inside the store, we noticed lots of props and photos from movies.

We later learned that after the death of one of the three brothers, Peter, his youngest son Stratton, took over the business but he later left Savannah to pursue his dream of working in Hollywood.

Stratton served as Producer on films such as Mission Impossible 3, the Sum of All Fears, The General’s Daughter, Paycheck, and Parker.

He has also worked on many other blockbuster hits during his nearly 50 years in the film industry including The Big Chill and John Carpenter’s They Live.

When Stratton is not on location with his latest film project, he can be found behind the soda fountain scooping ice cream, and washing dishes, just like when he was a kid!

Once we made it to the counter to order, I knew what I wanted….the lemon custard!

This flavor is one of the original recipes from 1919 so, I just had to try it….and I’m so glad I did because it was delicious!!

Tip: You can order their ice cream online and have it shipped to you too…however, there is a 5 pint minimum.

The hubby ordered the coffee flavor and he said it was very good!

Read the reviews here.…there are over 12k!

After eating our ice cream, we continued our walk through town.

The line at Leopold’s was now out the door and down the sidewalk!

We passed the Lutheran Church of the Ascension.

Sadly, the doors were locked so we couldn’t go in.

This church was built in 1844.

It was renovated in 1870 after decades of antebellum hostility, war and reconstruction.

Included in the remodel was a stained glass window over the altar. The window depicted the Risen Lord ascending into heaven with the disciples at his feet. It was in 1879 that the church took on the name “Ascension,” as it had become known for the beautifully crafted window.

Right next to the this church is the old Chatham County Courthouse.

The courthouse was built in 1889. It is now home to the Administrative Legislative Center.

Next, we spotted the gravesite of Tomo-Chi-Chi,

Tomo-Chi-Chi was the Chief of the Lower Creek and Yamasee Indians. He helped establish the Colony of Georgia. When he died in 1739, it was his desire to be buried in Savannah. He was buried with military honors.

Next, we headed to the incredible Cathedral of the St. John the Baptist.

If you only have time for one church in Savannah, make it this one…it’s amazing!

I was disappointed when we arrived and saw where they were doing renovations on the church….all the scaffolding definitely took away from the beauty of the church! 🙁

Construction of this church began in 1873. The structure was nearly destroyed by fire in 1898 but was rebuilt by 1899.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist was the first building in Georgia constructed of brick.

The steeples tower 207 feet in the air and the crosses add another 7 feet making a total of 214 feet!

The church is painted white and outlined with beautiful gold.accents!

The doors were open so we headed inside.

The inside features 81 stained glass windows & 16 gargoyles.

There were gorgeous murals painted all over the walls!

The altar area was so elaborate!

A few more shots of the inside

After leaving the church, we continued our walk where we stumbled upon the historic Green-Meldrim House.

The house was designed and built in 1853 at a cost of $93,000. The property’s first owner was Charles Green, a wealthy cotton merchant and grandfather of the writer Julien Green.

After the Union troops captured Savannah in 1864, Gen. Sherman occupied the house and used it as a headquarters until the end of the Civil War.

It was in this house in December 1864 that Sherman composed his famous telegram to President Lincoln, in which he communicated his desire to present to the President “as a Christmas Gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton”; the cotton belonged to Charles Green, the owner of the House.

The house was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

Tip: You can tour this house – Read reviews here & Click here for more historic homes in Savannah

We then spotted the Congregation Mickve Israel. 

The church was built in 1876 and is the third oldest Jewish church in America.

It was named one of the “15 Most Beautiful Synagogues in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler and rated among the “15 BEST Things to Do in Savannah” by Trip Advisor.

Next, we came up on the old Sorrel-Weed House.

The home was built in the 1830’s for wealthy French Hatian merchant Francis Sorrel, who hosted well known guests like Robert E. Lee.

The Sorrel Weed House quickly became known as one of the most significant homes in the United States and was the first home in the State of Georgia to be designated a State landmark.

If you’re into ghost tours, this is the one to see as it’s been featured on Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, HGTV, the Travel Channel, the History Channel and more!

Read reviews here

We then decided to go find something for dinner.

On our way, we passed many other historical buildings such as the Savannah Theater.

This theater is the oldest in active use in the US.  The theater opened in Dec, 1818!

We passed the Independent Presbyterian Church.

The church was first built in 1755 but was destroyed by the great fire of 1796. It was rebuilt in 1800 but outgrew itself so a third location was built in 1817. The third church burnt down in 1889. This 4th and final church was built in 1891.

In 1885 the manse of the church served as the setting for the wedding of Ellen Louise Axson and Woodrow Wilson.

We then passed the First Baptist Church.

The construction of the church began in 1831 and was completed in 1833. This Greek Revival structure is Savannah’s oldest standing house of worship.

The church is open for tours most Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.

We walked through Chippewa Square on our way to the City Market.

Chippewa Square is one of the most known squares in all of Savannah…it is right in the center of everything! It is one of 22 squares in Savannah.

Forrest Gump made Chippewa Square famous with its bench scenes, where Forrest waited for the bus. They actually used at least four fiberglass benches while filming these scenes on the square. One of which was donated to the city and moved into the Savannah History Museum.

Finally making it to the City Market (we drove here not walked….we parked at Chippewa Square. It’s a 10 min walk from the square).

Tip: You can catch a trolley tour or a carriage tour from the city market

The City Market is one of Savannah’s most popular spots for restaurants, art galleries, shopping and entertainment.

Click here for 5 things not to miss in the market & read reviews here

After arriving, we walked around for a while before deciding on where we would eat.

We spotted these huge Christmas ornaments so of course, we had to have our picture taken in front of them! 😉

We then spotted this statue of  Johnny Mercer.

Johnny was a Savannah native and a famous lyricist, composer, performer, and businessman.

He penned nearly 1,400 songs, with the most famous being Moon River. He was the co founder of Capitol Records.

He died in 1976 and is buried in the Bonaventure Cemetery.

As we continued our walk, we ran into Paula Deen’s restaurant.

Paula Deen’s flagship restaurant, The Lady and Sons, had its humble beginnings back in June 1989 when Paula started The Bag Lady out of her home.

In December 1999, The Lady and Sons was named “International Meal of the Year” by USA Today.

Johnson Square was located near the restaurant.

This square is the city’s first and largest square. It was laid out in 1733 and named after South Carolina’s colonial governor, Robert Johnson.

The square has two fountains and a 50-foot marble monument to honor General Nathanael Greene, a hero during the American Revolution. Greene died near Savannah on June 19, 1786 and was originally buried at what is now known as the Colonial Cemetery.

Some of the most magnificent buildings downtown, including City Hall, the Christ Episcopal Church and several banks surround Johnson square.

Several significant events occurred at this square including a reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and a ball for President James Monroe in 1819.

We then made it to Broughton Street where the street was lined with old, historic buildings!

So beautiful!

Click here for a great guide for things to see & do in Savannah

We then headed back to the City Market to find something to eat.

We decided on the Cafe at City Market because we had eaten enough seafood and wanted something different!

After being seated at a table outside, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

We both decided on the hot ham and Swiss sandwich with a side of potato salad.

It was so good! The potato salad was some of the best I had ever eaten!

Read reviews here

After dinner, we headed back towards our car and passed the Franklin Square.

The Franklin Square is located on the West side of the City Market.

The square was designed in 1790 in honor of Benjamin Franklin, who was an agent for Georgia in London. It was once known as “Water Tower Square,” because it was home to the city’s water supply in the mid to late 19^th century.

In the middle of the square is the Haitian Monument. The monument pays tribute to the Haitian soldiers who fought for American Independence during the Siege of Savannah in 1779.

Also while visiting Franklin Square you’ll see First African Baptist Church — which is the oldest black church in North America.

Established in 1777, this important congregation has a fascinating history . The original baptismal pool, light fixtures and pipe organ are original to the church building.

Walking back through the City Market.

It was really pretty at night with the Christmas decorations and lights!

After leaving here, we headed to a place called, Mate Factor to have coffee.

The cafe serves organic coffee, pastries and sandwiches.

After looking over the menu, I decided to order a coffee that my sister had raved about called, the Old St Joe’s.

It was a special blend of mate, coffees, and spices with agave and steamed milk.

I went and grabbed us a table while the hubby ordered his coffee.

I loved the atmosphere of this place…it was really quiet and cozy!

My hubby showed with two Old St Joe’s coffee and a dessert!

We love our sweet rolls! 😉

Read reviews here

After leaving here, we headed back to our hotel and spent some time on our balcony watching the ships float by.

Later we called it a night!

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for Day 8!

Click here for links to all of my blog posts