One of many restored homes in Savannah, GA
We spent three weeks in the Savannah area, staying at Skidaway Island State Park and Ft. McAllister State Park. Skidaway is conveniently located at the south end of the city with trails wandering along the intracoastal waterway. Ft McAllister is about 15 miles south (another big driving day for us) and is a quiet park located along tidal creeks with nice kayaking and birding. Deer are plentiful in both campgrounds and we saw raccoons at Ft McAllister. We accidentally treed one of them. I had no idea they could climb that fast.
If you like history or architecture, Savannah (nice slide show here) is a great place to visit. The Historic District has over 2000 buildings on the National Historic Register. We spent an entire day doing a walking tour of most of the 24 squares and some of the buildings. You would have to spend years in order to see them all. Some of the buildings go back to the late 1700’s, with the majority from the 1800’s. Most of the homes were built by wealthy plantation owners, and you can still walk along the riverside cotton wharehouses that have been revonated into restaurants, shops, and condos. Container ships frequent the river these days.
You can’t have cotton plantations without slaves, and there is some information about slavery, but not as much as we expected. We are planning on visiting a former rice plantation farther down the coast that was farmed before and after Emancipation.
Container Ships in the Savannah Port
The active segregration of Savannah stands out if you spend any time here. Neighborhoods seemed to be strictly divided along racial lines. The outlying islands are filled with gated communities, while the city itself is mixed, but separate. There were neighboorhoods of middle class white folks, and places we were stared at as we drove through. The class inequality was striking. Project housing on one street with mansions two streets over. The poverty in the south has been educational for both of us. Once again, we are reminded of how fortunate we have been in our own lives, and how the uncontrollable circumstances of your birth can dictate the life you lead.
Savannah is also a good place for the nature lover. We spent two afternoons at Tybee Island, enjoying the quiet beach. Winter is off-season on the Georgia coast, and tourism is down this year due to the economy. We also enjoyed a day at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (actually located in South Carolina). Great birds, and it was fun to spot alligators. We went kayaking twice. We were a little nervous about the tides. Georgia has very large tide changes, as much as eight feet. The rivers and creeks can go from full to impassable every six hours. Since our average kayak trip is about two hours, it wasn’t a problem. We just made sure we went at or near high tide and always went upstream.
Dan checking out the damage caused by Yankee Canyons in 1862 at Fort Pulaski, GA
Fort Pulaski was another highlight. The fort was built of brick prior to the civil war and still has damage sustained from a Yankee attack during the civil war. We have never been to any civil war sites, and had heard that civil war history is alive and well in the south. For a great book, read Confederates in the Attic, by Tony Horwitz. Down here, the war is referred to as the “War between the States” or the “War of Northern Agression.” Sherman’s March to the Sea is a well known route, and people can tell you which towns were burned or spared, and why. We continue to find friendly people who are happy to talk to us and tell us their favorite places to visit in Georgia. Our quick visit to Georgia before dropping into Florida, is going on 6+ weeks now. What can I say….we like to travel slow.
