Where to begin!! We rolled in on Thursday and hit the ground running. First, a word about the unbelievably beautiful place we're staying in. Skidaway Island is really it's own destination spot in the Savannah area. People come from near and far to visit. It's an island, separated from the rest of the mainland by a drawbridge. Once over the bridge, you come to an area filled with multi-million dollar gated estates and homes. There is a small town center with a few shops, offices, and a grocery. There are lots of new churches. It's an idealic place really...then there is Skidaway Park. Our travels are not over so we're not making any final judgement, but so far we both agree that this is the most gorgeous yet. It's a large park, filled with tall trees and endless fields of saltgrass. Mary Ann's mesmerized by the raising and lowering of the tides in these fields. So once we leave the park to go exploring, we're in another world- a world of wonderful historic homes and buildings that go back in time farther back than this country has existed. The downtown of Savannah isn't very large. It's easy to walk, and walk we have. The entire main part of the Old Town is dotted with dozens of little parks. About every three or four blocks... and there's a park! They are all distinct, and each has a sign telling of it's significance. It's easy to take yourself on a guided tour by just walking from one park to the next. The most major historic name that pops up here is British General James Ogelthorpe. You can Google him, but in a few words, it was he who pretty much founded this city (and the original colony of Georgia) and even designed it. He did a magnificent job! Highlights? Several operating downtown movie theaters (we saw The Good,The Bad, and The Ugly with a bunch of locals Saturday night in a beautifully restored one). We visited Leopolds Ice Cream Parlor.......TWICE! This place is a one of a kind. A replica of the original 1919 parlor, operated by one of the grandsons of one of the founders, and the Johnny Mercer song "Tutti Frutti" is named after their invention of that flavor. By the way, that name, Johnny Mercer is all over the place here. He grew up here, and made many nearby spots famous from the lyrics of his songs. Possibly the most famous spot is a real river, pictured here, and just a few blocks down from our home away from home, Skidaway Island. Observation: The Old South still exists here. We've noticed people saying things like "thank you," or "pardon me," and they even drive a bit friendlier and will let you into traffic without a fight. The men still wear sport jackets and look more formal. Women seem to dress up a bit more too. Children have manners. It's really astounding that such a place still survives.
Hilton Head Island is just up the road, about a 45 minute drive, and shares the airport with Savannah. It's much bigger than we expected, and the zoning is wonderful...very high-end feeling. There are no large or high signs anywhere. Stores are sort of camouflaged behind foliage. It all has a neat and clean look, unlike most other beach areas we've seen. We stopped at a local restaurant called "Roast Fish and Cornbread." It caught our eyes in a listing that said the food was local and fresh. The chef is a black man, whose family can trace back in the area almost 180 years! The sweet South Carolina shrimp and brown rice were superb, as were the local crabcakes and cheese grits. They were served with sweet potato cornbread that tasted like a sweet poundcake with cinnamon. All in all, these are wonderful places and highly recommended. Next stop is a just 100 mile jog up the road....to Charleston.
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