Scrumptious Savannah!

December 16-24, 2020

During our stay in Savannah, we camped at Skidaway State Park.  The park itself is a treat with miles of trails taking you through the forested area as well as the marshes.  We had a full hookup with laundry facilities on site.  The sites were very spacious, level and absolutely perfect!  If you camp, this park is a gem!  We were here for the winter solstice, so we finally will be beginning to see the daylight growing a little longer each day.  For now, the days seem short and I have been enjoying pulling out my sewing machine and doing a little stitching on the advent nativity each evening!

At the intersection where you turn into the park is a United Methodist Church.  After having spent a day exploring historic Savannah, there was a long line of cars backing up the intersection.  It turned out the church was having a drive-through Live Nativity!  Before we knew it, we were in line for the nativity!  They had recorded narration taking us from scene to scene telling the story of Christ’s entering the world.  It was such an unexpected treat!

The next night, we were able to see the Christmas Star.  Jupiter and Saturn lined up for what appeared to be a giant star which hadn’t happened in 400 years.  We drove a couple of miles from the campground to find an unobstructed view.  Way too many live oak and pine trees in the park!  Haha!

Located between the campground and Savannah is Wormsloe, the ruins of Noble Jones' homestead.  Noble Jones was one of the first 114 colonists to arrive in 1733 with James Oglethorpe.  The mile-long entrance lane is lined with live oaks filled with Spanish moss.  Such a beautiful first impression!  On the grounds we learned about midden (the oyster shells Native Americans had discarded hundreds of years ago).  These shells were used to make tabby for construction of the home.  You can see the oyster shells in the walls of the buildings!  There were also costumed re-enactors on the site who demonstrated how to load and fire a musket.  

We took a trolley ride tour of historic Savannah on our first trip into the city.  This allowed a lot of the highlights to be pointed out, allowing us to later walk to the areas of most interest.  Our driver was quite the comedian as well as tour guide and kept us highly entertained.

Historic Savannah highlights included:

 

River Street which offered Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, Tabby’s restaurant with its 2^nd floor outdoor dining offering a view of the Savannah River, Waving Girl statue, African-American monument, Shrimp Company Restaurant, and massive container ships which offer the opportunity for taking a “ship shot” if dining while a ship goes by.

City Market with Rise Savannah boasting the “Best Darn Biscuits and Donuts”, Savannah’s Seafood Shack – we recommend the Shack Cone with fried oysters and their Low Country Boil, Leopold’s Ice Cream Shop – their Savannah Socialite flavor is a MUST have! 

Other amazing things were: attending mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist (with the most amazing nativity I have ever seen!), learning Savannah was laid out so that every two blocks in every direction has a square (small park), spending some time at Chippewa Square to see the location of the Forrest Gump bench (no longer there), and learning the feather that floated down to Forrest Gump’s foot appears to take flight from the steeple of the First Baptist Church in Chippewa Square.

We were privileged to take an “Indigo Journey” (so named as indigo was a large commodity in the area – along with cotton, slaves, and rice) with our guide, Karen, who has done extensive research into the history of the enslaved.  It was a heartbreaking tour which greatly enhanced our knowledge and understanding of this tragic part of America’s history.

We drove to Tybee Island for an afternoon of, once again, strolling along the shoreline of the Atlantic.  There were wooded swings located at many of the side street entrances to the shoreline which gave us a perfect spot for our picnic lunch!  We also went to see the Tybee Lighthouse.  It’s a very historical lighthouse location.  It’s been rebuilt several times, but the location is the same as the very first lighthouse built in the US!

It was hard to leave Savannah.  There is so much more to see and do in the area.  One week is simply not enough!  It’s a charming community and has certainly left its mark on our hearts!  We are off to Florida for what was supposed to be a Peterson Family Disney Christmas, but that didn't quite work out with COVID.  Regardless, we feel very blessed to have spent so much of 2020 traveling, experiencing, learning and absolutely loving every minute of it!  We hope this finds you experiencing the love and joy of the Christmas season!  We can't wait to see what 2021 has in store for us.  Sending you our wishes for a healthy and love-filled New Year!

Up Next:  Clermont, FL