CharlestonSavannah2013: Savannah

September 26, 2013

This morning we shuttled to Savannah. We drove all the way in rain and it was cool and raining in Savannah most of the morning. Fortunate for us, today is not a biking day. In fact, today is a free day. To start with, we had a walking tour of the historic area of the city with its large number (23) grassy squares. Savannah is position on a bluff overlooking the Savannah River, which separates Georgia and South Carolina.

The history of Savannah begins in 1733 when General James Oglethorpe lands on the bluff with 120 men who sailed from England on the ship “Anne.” Oglethorpe named the 13^th colony “Georgia” after King George I and Savannah became its first city. Oglethorpe laid out the plan for Savannah based on a grid with individual neighborhoods surrounding squares, 22 of which survive today. Oglethorpe became friends with Tomochichi, the local Indian chief, and Tomochichi gave permission for Oglethorpe to build Savannah on the bluff. Therefore, Savannah didn’t suffer many of the hardship that earlier colonists experienced. A brief history of Savannah can be found at this link.

Our walking tour took us from one square to another, with their large live oaks and surrounding old homes and churches, in the historic district. The pictures below show some of these homes. Because of the rain, we weren’t able to take many pictures. Maybe tomorrow after returning from our bike ride, we can return to some of the spots and take more pictures. Following lunch at Gryphon’s we headed back to the hotel to rest and wait out the rain.

This evening we had a light dinner at Six Pence, a small pub, and saw the musical variety show, Savannah Live, at the Savannah Theatre. It was a high energy 2 hr musical show with a live band and singers performing music from many periods. The show was excellent.

Tomorrow is our last day and we will be cycling to the Isle of Hope and Burnside Island.