With 2020 nearing the end I was skimming through our digital picture library and came across Savannah. Now some people love, love Savannah but I found it a bit ordinary. There were a few highlights here and there but what really stands out for me is how much my daughters have grown and the fun we had in Savannah.

Downtown Savannah

We were invited by friends to stay in their Tybee Island beach house but we were to meet up on River Street by the, not surprising, Savannah river. While we were deep in the American south it was a bit cold and blustery day in Savannah. Everyone shuttled down the street to do a bit of shopping in the many shops and to get out of the wind. My daughters were successful in scoring some candy each proudly displaying their haul.

For me, the shops seemed so fake. Savannah pralines, which looked just like the ones in New Orleans, genuine Savannah peach jelly with amaretto made amazingly in El Paso, Texas and t-shirts galore. It didn’t give me much hope but, hey it was the first day and my first taste.

What I enjoyed was the oyster shells included in the sidewalks but, again, this colonial look was really a facsimile, designed by city planners in the 1950’s and 1960’s. But it did add a nice touch!

What I enjoyed much more were my daughter’s having fun with friends and getting some fun/cute pictures

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Savannah is pretty though with Spanish Moss covered trees lining East Bay Street, the Waving Girl Statue welcoming ships and several quaint town squares. Chippewa Square was used for the movie Forest Gump and, while the bench in the movie facing the street isn’t there, you can sit in a comfy one and have a box of chocolates.

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Tybee Island

The next day we explored Tybee Island checking out the Tybee Island Lighthouse, which dates from 1736. It is Georgia’s oldest and tallest working lighthouse. I am not sure our youngest cared about the lighthouse but was more enthralled with the playground nearby.

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Juliette Gordon Low

One of the Savannah landmarks we were focused on was the Juliette Gordon Low house, who was the founder of the Girl Scouts. My daughter, Clare, was in the girl scouts at the time and going to Juliette’s home earned Clare a merit badge. Ms. Low was a wealthy socialite of Savannah and having divorced early spent much of her later years devoted to expanding the Girls Scouts before dying of breast cancer. The home was beautiful showing the opulence of the wealthy class of Savannah and the tour guys also shared Juliette’s story.

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Time For Lunch!

Soon after we were packed and almost ready to head back to Charlotte. I think everyone had fun but were ready to be back home. Lunch was going to be at Lady and Sons restaurant but being Sunday it was completely packed. Couple that with a few picky eaters on our end and the expense of Paula Deen’s restaurant for fried chicken was not going to be worth it. We perused the Paula Deen store purchased a couple knickknacks and headed over to the Pirates House restaurant for lunch, which proved to be a big hit (at least for most)!

Overall Savannah was a fun place to visit, but lacked some of the charm and palpable history of Charleston. Maybe we missed some major areas or key features but unless someone can give me a big reason to head back soon, Savannah has its tick in the box. Been there, done that. I look forward to your comments and suggestions.