There's Something Very Special About Savannah

View Skidaway Island State Park in a larger map

We traveled from Charleston to Savannah and have spent the past three days here enjoying the area.  We are staying at a state park on an island called Skidaway.  It is not easy to get here.  Be sure to check the state parks website for directions and use your GPS.  The state park is mostly the campground and all the sites are pull thru and 30 or  50 amp. Water, electricity and cable are provided for $28 per night.  It is a very pretty park but it can be tricky navigating to your site.  It is a great location for visiting Savannah and Tybee Island (both about 30 mintues away)

Our campsite

We have hiked two of the trails and found them to be very beautiful.  It still seems strange to hike through pine and oak forests that are interspersed with palm trees.  You don't see that in Indiana.  There are beautiful salt flats and the intra coastal waterway can be viewed at frequent points along the trails.  Here are a few of our favorite pictures. 

We enjoyed visiting Savannah and started off by taking a trolley tour.  Savannah was settled by Gen. James Oglethorp in 1733.  It is very organized into squares (22) and most of them have lovely sculptures and gardens in the center.  The architecture is much like Charleston's and we really liked just wandering around the streets. 

We think this is the bench where Forsst Gump sat waiting for Jenny. Do you remember the scene with the feather?

City Hall (note gold dome)

The city is right along the river.  There are many restaurants and shops along the
cobblestone street.  The guide on our trolley tour told us about this free ferry ride over to the Westin Hotel.  It was a great way to see the riverfront. 

Free Ferry

We enjoyed watching the ships and tow boats going up and down this very busy river.



One afternoon we went to Tybee Island probably best known as the home of southern chef  Paula Dean.  She has two restaurants in the area that are very popular.  There is one campground on the island called the River's End.  It was ok but the sites are very close together.  We much preferred Skidaway. 

The beaches were lovely but mostly abandoned at this time of year.  There are long board walks that lead out to them and benches to sit and watch the waves or people go by. 



Tybee Beach



Tybee Lighthouse


It was a nice visit and a very beautiful city. 

Visiting Where the Civil War Began - Fort Sumter

(Charleston)  It was a beautiful and somewhat chilly day.  We were both interested in visiting Fort Sumter and learning more about what happened on April 12, 1861.  It is a man made island at the entrance of the Charleston Harbor and is now a National Monument.  Be sure to arrive early and spend some time reading the displays in the visitors center.  It really helps you understand what took place.

We rode this paddle boat over to the island. It was a very nice trip and a wonderful way to see some of the islands and Charleston Battery.  You can see the islands that were involved in the first battle of the Civil War. 

A park ranger meets you upon arrival and explains some of the history of the fort. Only one flag was flying due to the anniversary of Major Anderson moving his troops to this fort from Sullivan's Island in 1860.  This move made the South very angry. 

Fort Sumter

Here our a few "cliff notes" regarding our nations history.  South Carolina was the first state to succeed from the Union.  The fort was at the entrance of the a very important harbor and they demanded that the fort be vacated by the North under the command of Major Robert Anderson and his army of 85 men.. He refused and several hours later the first cannon shot was fired from James Island under the command of  Brig. General Pierre Beauregard towards Fort Sumter. Thirty four hours later Major Anderson surrendered and he was allowed to leave with his army  by a supply ship sent by the North. 

“The firing upon that fort will inaugurate a civil war greater than any the world has yet seen.”
  Robert Toombs, Confederate secretary of state, 1861.


The South continued to control and defend this fort from many assaults for another four years during the Civil War.
 

You can see from this map below how important Fort Sumter was to the South.  The green balloon is Fort Sumter, red is Fort Johnson (first shots fired by the South) and purple is Charleston.

 
 

View Fort Sumter in a larger map

This tour is a great chance to really understand some of our  history and is  very well done by the park service.  We learned so much more than I can convey here.  You have about an hour to walk around the fort and there is another museum and gift shop on site.  Here are a few more pictures.

. 

Jennifer and Carol

Later that evening we were able to have dinner with my girl friends daughter, Jennifer. She has lived in Charleston for about a year.  She works in the downtown area for a very exclusive clothing store.  She really likes her job and this city.  It was wonderful to see her. 

Tomorrow we leave for Savannah.  We plan to spend a few days at the Skidaway Island State Park.