Welcome to the first half of our family vaca in the South! It was a hot week but lots of adventures were had. Prepare yourself for a big photo dump.
The first clue we were in the South: the Savannah airport had glass window/ceilings! You could never get away with that up here...
My birthday dinner (after various airport rental car fiascos) included good local beer and jalapeno cheddar crab poppers. So good!
We spent the night walking around after sitting all day. Fun tourist sights included the famous Pink House (above) and lots of spots along the Savannah river.
Making our way to River Street
So many palm trees! And public art!
I was blown away by the Plant Riverside District: a private investment of over $300 million to redevelop the riverside for shops, restaurants, public walkways, and the renovation of the old power plants. A truly impressive achievement, combining the history and structures of centuries of Savannah industry plus modern hotels and amenities.
Did we mention Savannah is a major port? We saw countless container ships each day cruise up and down the river.
Inside the old power plants
At our airbnb the next morning, with gorgeous summery weather and our new friends the lizards (technically, green anoles). Harmless but entertaining.
We spent the majority of our first full day in Savannah hopping on and off the trolley. It was a nice way to see the sprawling city and take a load off when we got hot.
A stop for lunch: biscuits!
Followed by cookie samples at the locally famous Byrd's
A tourist and local favorite: the 22 public squares. I believe Forsythe park is the biggest of these and we appreciated the picturesque Spanish moss (neither Spanish nor moss, but actually part of the pineapple family?) and the famous white fountain.
Richard Kessler's house - the guy who led the development of the Plant Riverside District!
Got my birthday cake ice cream a day late but it was worth it.
Checking out the ancient cemetery near our airbnb.
Favorite pastime: strolling the picturesque streets of old Savannah and peeking into the immaculate gardens and patios.
The overhanging oaks made a noticeable difference in the shaded street-level temperatures.
No one in my family had any interest in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (first the book, then the movie with John Cusack and Kevin Spacey) but apparently they didn't realize it was based on a true story. Once we got that all straightened out, I convinced them to stop by beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery which was made pretty famous by the movie. The famous statue is now located in a museum but we ran out of time to visit everything.
A quick day trip to visit Tybee Island (thank goodness for the rental car, after all) which was appreciated with all the hot weather. I was surprised how warm the water was; absolute bath water compared to the ocean I'm used to!
Sam and I saw a dolphin swimming but of course we didn't get it on camera.
My friend Katie recommended we stop by Wormsloe Plantation if we had time. We only had about an hour before they closed but the views of this 1-mile long driveway made it worth it. There was even a group taking wedding pictures.
The ruins of the ancient buildings and house
Another long walk along the pretty streets...
A stop at a convenience store on our way out of town! Sam even saw a (sadly deceased) alligator on the side of the road!
