June 10 - Savannah, GA

Day 96 – Savannah

Bahia Bleu Marine

We took the bus into Savannah this morning…it was only a 15 minute ride. We took a trolley tour so we could hear a little history of the city and see all the squares. In 1733, General James Oglethorpe landed on a high bluff along the Savannah River. Chief Tomo-chi-chi and his wife Senauki were there to greet the settlers on their arrival. The gentle and civilized Indians pledged their friendship and granted the colonists permission to settle on the bluff. Oglethorpe and the chief became lifelong friends. The Yamacraw Indians would prove instrumental to the success of Savannah, and the town flourished without the warfare and hardship suffered by so many of the other colonies.

Oglethorpe named the thirteenth colony Georgia after King George II, and Savannah became the first city. Under the charter, the colony was to benefit the poor, increase trade, and to provide a protective buffer between the northern English colonies and the Spanish in Florida.

Oglethorpe and his engineers designed “America’s first planned city” around a system of wards and shady public squares, which were used for public services and as meeting places. Homes and shops were built on the town lots, while the larger lots facing the squares east and west were reserved for churches and other public buildings. The original plan of the city included 24 squares, 22 still exist today with many of the original buildings still in use. Most of the squares have some type of statue or monument to honor those who helped in some way to Savannah and Georgia’s development.

We stopped at Paula Dean’s restaurant, The Lady & Sons, for lunch. The food was traditional southern fare and was delicious. We definitely ate too much. We spent hours walking around town so I guess we needed a big lunch. We walked through some of the squares and then walked along the riverfront. The waterfront is 20-30 feet lower than the rest of the city…very different from other water side cities we have seen. The city is very pretty and we will need at least one or two more days to explore it.

This picture shows the difference between high and low tide. Most docks in this area of the country are floating docks. The dock in the middle of the pictures is fixed and the dock on the right moves with the tide. Quite amazing how much it changes.

The Lady & Sons Restaurant

City Market

Forsyth Fountain

Forsyth Park

These pictures show the difference between the riverfront and the rest of the city