Saturday January 12, 2008

Savannah and Charleston

Dates of Trip:  March 19 to 24, 2002

Summary

For my 2002 Birthday trip I decided to indulge my fascination with the John Berendt book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and visit Savannah, Georgia.  I also wanted to see Fort Sumter so I added South Carolina on the agenda.  While cooler than expected I was greeted by beautiful weather on my trip.  The people of Savannah and Charleston are very nice and I recommend a visit to either one of these cities.

Photo Gallery

Georgia

South Carolina

Mercer House

Trip Map

Miles Driven:  317

Hotels

• Savannah-Mulberry, Savannah, GA

  The Savannah-Mulberry is a nice hotel, but my complaint was that when I checked in the hotel had given away my non-smoking room.  This put me in a very smoky room for one-night.  The night manager tried to make up for it by bringing in an air-purifier but it was still smoky.   Other than that the hotel was nice.

   

• Holiday Inn Riverview, Charleston, SC

The Holiday Inn Riverside is an old-style round Holiday Inn tower hotel.  I has a great view of Charleston Harbor.  The rooms were clean but a little dated.  One of the cool things was being able to watch dolphins swimming in the harbor.

 

Points of Interest

• Savannah Walking Tour

  While taking a bus tour is recommended in order to get an overview, it is better to tour Savannah by foot.  Pick up one of the many Walking Tour Guide Books and explore.  The buildings of Savannah are wonderful.  My favorite of course is the Mercer House which was home to Jim Williams (of The Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil fame).
   

• Charleston Walking Tour

  Like the Savannah tour, it probably would be a good idea to take a bus tour first, however, the guide book I had was sufficient.  Make sure you see the Customs House where in the basement many pirates and Revolutionary War heroes were jailed.
   

• Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum

  A visit here allows you to not only tour a WWII submarine but also climb aboard the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier.
   

• Boone Plantation and Magnolia Plantation

  Both plantations are excellent examples of Southern plantations.  The gardens of the Magnolia Plantation are a must-see.  Boone Plantation was used in the miniseries "North and South".
   

• Fort Sumter

  OK, you can't go to Charleston unless you visit Fort Sumter.  This is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.