Savannah to Charleston (Yemassee actually)
Morning planning session
This scene played out over and over - arms full and waiting for the hotel elevator
We started the day off at the Savannah Visitor Center and History Museum
The "Bird Girl" statue, which appears on the cover of what people in Savannah call "The Book". Helen insists that I read the book, but I don't remember it - which isn't at all unusual for me. I have the memory of a fish.
Lots of horse drawn carriages are part of the city's charm
We bought a self guided walking tour book and set out to see the city
These pictures don't do justice to just how beautiful this city is and how fun it is to walk around. Gorgeous architecture, lush landscaping, and park squares every couple of blocks.
Cool artwork in the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) store. The college was having graduation the day we were in Savannah so the city was bustling with families and gowned graduates walking the streets.
Eliza Thompson House where Derek, Helen, and I stayed for a wedding years ago when Derek was just a couple years old
The beautiful tree lined streets
Derek really wanted to go on a Segway tour, but they don't allow kids
"The House" (Mercer House) in "The Book". An example of the beautifully restored houses throughout the city.
Stopping in one of the beautiful park squares
Beginning to learn about some of the Revolutionary War history. We would learn more as we traveled up the coast.
Adam couldn't resist cutting loose and running along the stones of this Revolutionary War memorial. He ran up and down for a good while. I guess walking around the town all day wasn't enough exercise.
Stopping in the Colonial Park Cemetery and checking out the grave of Button Gwinnett who our county is named after
Adam was spooked by this fake chicken someone had out on their porch, but then decided he wanted me to take a picture of him and the chicken
Many of the park squares have refreshing fountains
Walking along the river front
The "Waving Girl" statue along the water front
Riding the water taxi along the river front
The kids got a kick out of these steep steps leading from the river front back up to street level
Waiting for the bus to take us back to the visitor center where we parked
Helen cleans Adam's hands after Adam's ant killing campaign while we waited for the bus. Adam can stay occupied almost anywhere as long as there are bugs to be eradicated.
Cool suspension bridge over the Savannah River
Backside of the bridge leaving SavannahSaturday May 29, 2010
The kids never seem to tire of the complimentary hotel breakfasts. They love to check out the different hotel offerings to see if there's anything new. They especially like to make waffles on the waffle irons. They have the whole system down. It seems backwards that if you stay at a reasonable hotel you get a nice complimentary breakfast, but if you stay at a really nice hotel you don't get anything free. The rest of the family has learned to fill up on the free breakfast because Daddy doesn't usually feed them again until dinner. There's just not enough time.
After breakfast, we headed into Savannah. Our first stop was the visitor center where we saw a short film and got our bearings. We bought a book with walking tours and headed out. The weather was nice and breezy and there were lots of people out and about. Some area colleges were having graduation ceremonies so there were lots of families following their cap and gown donned graduate around.
We loved the layout of Savannah with it's abundance of sidewalks and trees with parks and squares every few blocks. It truly does seem to be one of America's most walkable cities. We stopped and played at Forsyth Park. We walked and talked about the different historic sites. There were many Girl Scout troops making a pilgrimage to the home of Juliette Gordon Lowe, the founder of the Girl Scouts. Everywhere we turned there seemed to be a wedding about to start, in progress, or recently ended. We loved the sounds of the horse drawn carriages.
We wanted to eat at the Wilkes House, but they are only open on weekdays. Our second choice, Paula Deene's Lady and Son's had no openings. We kept saying how we thought there was a recession so why doesn't everyone else stay home.
We walked down to the river front and took a short ride on the ferry boat and then ate at a little hole in the wall Greek restaurant on the waterfront. Helen and I had gyros and Derek had one of his best hamburgers ever. Adam was pleased with his fish - Tilapia his favorite. Derek keeps asking to go to hole in the wall restaurants. He's convinced that's where the best hamburgers are to be found.
We caught one of the local free DOT trolleys back to the visitor center. We were a little worried we would get a parking ticket or, worse, have our van towed, since the visitor center had closed at 5 pm, but we were all relieved it was still there. Derek seemed especially worried. I finally asked him why he was so worried since it wasn't he who was going to have to pay the towing company. He said, "Good point" and moved on.
Daylight was fading as we got into the van and headed towards Charleston. We had hoped to leave Savannah earlier in order see some other places on the way to Charleston like Hilton Head, Kiawah Island, and Beaufort, but as we would find throughout our trip - we just couldn't see it all.
We packed all our camping stuff and planned to camp some during our trip. Once again Memorial Day crowds thwarted us. We planned on camping in Hunting Island State Park outside of Beaufort after reading about it on this terrific family road trip site, but it was full.
We were tired and decided to try to find a room in Beaufort but there were none available there either. I finally called and booked a room in a Hampton Inn in Yemassee, about 20 miles west near I-95. We got lost along the way on some tricky rural roads, but finally made it. We were exhausted. We would joke during the trip how getting to the hotel before midnight was early for us.
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