Slow-vannah (Savannah, GA)

After hiking around Biltmore all day long we got back in the car and drove 5 more hours to Savannah, GA. "Slow-vannah" as the locals call it is a charming little Southern town on the Savannah River that still seems like it did 50 to 100 years ago. Here's an ariel view:

One of the first things you notice in Savannah is all the "stuff" hanging from the trees. It's Spanish Moss - related to pineapple - or so said our tour guide. It's everywhere and it's another thing that gives the entire city a small southern cozy feeling - like things never change.

Another really unique thing about Savannah was that when they originally planned the city they created squares/plazas EVERY OTHER block. The abundance of all the well manicured and welcoming squares all over the city really give Savannah the charm and southern hospitality we were hoping to find. Most of the squares had fountains or statues of prominent citizens in the center with lots of benches to sit on and relax or paths to wander.

Downtown Savannah and the Riverfront:

Paula Deen's Restaurant - Lady and Sons (the Banana Pudding and Butter Cake were to die for!) Apparently Savannah is known for it's Banana Pudding. Who knew?

Most of the Riverfront was lined with the original seawall made from rocks brought from England in ships to weigh down and stabilize them while crossing the Atlantic.

One of the things I was excited to do was ride on a real paddle boat in a real river - since the only other paddle boats I had been on I had to paddle or were at Disneyland. The tour itself wasn't that exciting as most of Savannah's harbour is still a working harbor - but it was fun to ride on the paddle boat.

Some views from the Paddle Boat:

Riverfront

Tug Boats

Talmage Memorial Bridge

Turning around on the river

Some great shots from all around Savannah:

Tree lined streets with well kept up restored homes

Neat old building downtown

Savannah's City Hall

Churches of Savannah:

Forsyth Park

Forsyth Fountain

In the Savannah and Charleston areas the beaches are not on the mainland - there are tons of small islands protecting the shore where people go to the beach. So from Savannah we checked out Tybee Island and Hilton Head Island.

Tybee Island is like a small beach community. But with the entire island protected from the beach by structures that look like they can survive a war and signs all over to gauge what category the storm is - it's obvious that hurricanes are a common occurrence around here.

Tybee Lighthouse

After Tybee Island we headed to Hilton Head Island. Tom had great memories of Hilton Head from a family vacation they took there years ago. We were surprised by how many fancy pants golf courses and hoity-toity hotels and shops there were. You can tell the people who live/vacation there have money and only want the best. But having said that - they had some of the nicest public beaches I have ever seen - complete with walkways on the sand, swings, water fountains to mark the entrances to the beach and plenty of public bathrooms and showers.