After walking River Street, and eating a hearty breakfast, we decided to check out one of the sightseeing/history tours. There were three bus/trolley tours available as we walked around. We went with the Old Savannah Tours and the “hop on and hop off option”. Although we chose the on/off option, we didn’t end up using it as we just stayed on for the whole 90 minute tour instead. We found a $5 off adult tickets coupon at breakfast, which was nice.
We walked a few blocks and picked up the tour at their Visitor Center. It was already pretty full, but we did manage to catch the next bus. It was all open air/open window as well, but we still kept our masks on. (Georgia just recommends masks, although they are required indoors at many places, so we kept ours on the entire time we were out.)
We saw lots of neat architecture, learned about local attractions and soaked in some great Savannah history.
We drove by the Mercer House (Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil), Forsyth Park, Lucas Theater (first public building to have air conditioning in Savannah), the Owens-Thomas house (first indoor plumbing in the US, even before the White House!), the Sorrel Weed house (where the feather drifts from the roof in Forrest Gump), the Mickve Israel (only gothic synagogue in North America), the Scottish Rite building (corner building with really neat detail near the roof), and the first Girl Scout headquarters. We also learned that the stone streets were made from using ships’ ballasts, thus the bumpy ride.
We learned about Haint paint (aint blue, aint green, per our tour guide) and how it was used to ward off evil spirits. I looked it up later, and it was believed that evil spirits (haints/haunts) could not cross water. People painted their porch roofs (interior) a blue shade to make the spirits think that it was water and therefore were unable to come into the house.
Old Savannah Tours also had a couple of stops where a historic figure (actor) would come on board to say a few things. This could have been cool, but it was my least favorite part as they were not wearing masks. Luckily, we were not in the front row. We have also found that the tour guide makes a huge difference in your experience. It was a nice way to see the city and learn some its history.
After we got off of the tour, we walked around the River Street area some more. We stopped by the Plant Riverside District, based on the tour guide’s recommendation. This is part of the JW Marriott, and contains the skeleton of an ice bear, several huge geodes, mammoth tusks, and a chrome replica of the largest dinosaur ever found. It is an amazing space.
We traveled down the river walk, grabbed some cookies at Byrd’s, a coffee at Starbucks, and watched some ships coming in. We found where X marks the spot to hear your echo at Rousakis Plaza. We had walked by it earlier and didn’t even notice, but our tour guide pointed it out. We had to stop back and try it. You can hear your echo if you are in the right spot, although it is faint due to all the background noise of the city. You can also find some great views of the River, the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, and the cargo ships here.
It was a great day exploring and learning about Savannah. If you have been to the Savannah area, what were your favorite activities? Send us a comment and we will be sure to check it out.
Very interesting… sounds like fun!!