Are You Looking For the Perfect Weekend Getaway? – Give Savannah a Try

About four and a half hours southeast of Atlanta is the beautiful city of Savannah. Savannah is the perfect romantic getaway. This quaint city is a perfect example of the Old South. Savannah is a city that is so beautiful that even General Sherman could not destroy it during his slash and burn rampage through the South during the US Civil war.

The city is the textbook Old South city. The waterfront has many old buildings and it is quite possible to close your eyes and imagine its prime time at a cotton trading center as well as a major port for the south during the war. You can hear the sounds of horse drawn carriages and the clip pity clop of the horse’s hooves on the pavement will really take you back in time to the 1800’s.

In recent times, many movies have been set in Savannah. These include Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Forrest Gump. There is a replica of the park bench in one of the parks. It makes you want to sit down and have a piece of chocolate. Walking through several of the city parks, one can see familiar scenes from other movies. Taking a horse drawn carriage tour will take you past many of the homes that were used in various movies. Some of the city’s colorful residents were also featured in the movies.

The architecture is Old South. Driving down the streets one can imagine times from previous centuries. The Cotton exchange reminds one of the time when Cotton was King. Many of the old homes were those of the large cotton Buyers, factors and shippers. The location of the city on the river made it a shipping center for cotton headed to the textile mills in the north.

The restaurants of Savannah are world class. With the proximity to the coast, as one would expect, seafood is a mainstay of many menus. A low country boil should not be missed. It consists of a variety of shell fish, sausage, corn and potato’s all boiled together is a spicy broth and then placed on the center of the table. It is somewhat similar to the crawfish boil of areas of South Louisiana, however, it is not recommended as a meal before the theater as it is impossible to enjoy without getting the juices all over you. If you have a craving for something a little richer, you must go to the Paula Deans restaurant and pay homage to the Queen of Butter. The waterfront is lined with many sidewalk cafes and restaurants.

Much of the night life is concentrated along the rivers edge. There are multiple restaurants and night clubs right on the water. The partying goes on until late at night. One morning while going to eat breakfast we ran in to revelers from the night before. They were definitely making the most of their time in Savannah.

No trip to Savannah would be complete without a visit to the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. The architecture of the Cathedral reflects the long history of the Catholic Church. We were there on an overcast day as the sun was trying to burn through the clouds. It made for an incredible site.

A suggestion would be to take a hop on/hop off carriage tour through the city. You can get off at several stops and see the sites in that area before continuing on riding the next carriage through.

If time permits, a short side trip to Tybee Island is the perfect choice. There is a light house and a beach area. One the way out to Tybee be sure to pick up some of the boiled peanuts sold at several places along the way. On the way home be sure to stop at the Gator farm and have one of the Low country boils previously mentioned. You will love it.

write by Barker