Savannah River Street

Our last day in Savannah we went to Bay and River Streets, another sunny & warm day . River street is lined with old factory buildings, once cotton warehouses, that are now mostly refurbished inns, restaurants, shops and art galleries. River Street is along the broad Savannah River, it’s definitely a good spot to see all kinds of boats and ships pass. Especially when you get to see ships from around the globe sail into one of the busiest ports in America. Dave & I saw a huge Freighter filled with layers of train box cars piled on top of each other pass thru from Vietnam.

Bay Street.

Bay Street is above river street about 48 feet. In the day it was just a drop off, hard to get too. Until they decided to build the steps and cobble streets to the river.

These shots are from Bay street looking down toward River Street.

You’ll notice the streets and walls are cobblestone, they are actually ballast from ships that came across the Atlantic.

River Street

On our way down to River Street, lots of shops.

One of the many fountains

Somewhere on River Street.

Looking down River Street.

Original bell and tower from a church, the bells were rung during the War of 1812 to warn the citizens that the British were coming.

These cannon are very historic, they were captured during the American Revolution, and given to Savannah as a gift by President Washington. During the Civil War they were buried in one of the Armories to keep them hidden from Union troops

 

The Chandler Oak,  is over 300 years old, and was here when the city was founded.

 

 

Echo Square

“X” marks the spot of an echo chamber in the middle of Rousakis Plaza Echo Square plaza.

It’s an X created by the cement pavers, and a mysterious echo created by the plaza’s unique acoustics.

If you stand in the center of the X and speak, there is an unusual and very noticeable echo which cannot be heard by anyone immediately outside the square. Dave and I both tried this and we definitely heard our echo.

 

 

 

The Waving Girl statue

The Waving Girl statue, located at the east side of the Savannah River, commemorates Florence Martus, who took it upon herself to become the hostess of the Hostess City. In 1887, Martus, daughter of an ordnance sergeant at Fort Pulaski on Cockspur Island, decided to greet each ship entering the Port of Savannah. Florence welcomed visitors by waving a handkerchief during the day and holding a lantern at night, and according to legend, not a ship entered or departed Savannah without her greeting or farewell for the next 44 years.

 

 

Pirate House Restaurant

A small plot of land, originally a botanical garden modeled after the Chelsea Botanical Garden in London, England, is now home to the Pirates’ House, a Savannah restaurant and one of the oldest standing buildings in Georgia.

In 1734 a small building was built on the plot of land and in 1753, as Savannah became a port town, it was decided this structure should be an Inn. This was the start of the Pirate House Inn, where it’s rumored seamen and pirates alike drank and shared stories of their adventures at sea.

The modern-day restaurant was established in the early 1950s Dave and I decided to have the buffet to  enjoy an extensive southern-inspired menu, that included Southern fried chicken. It was all very, very good! The restaurant has 15 separate dining rooms. The atmosphere remains true to a pirate’s inn, with maps, helms, flags and skulls hanging on the walls, as well as some of the original dining sets protected in glass cases.

It also said that Captain Flint, a pirate mentioned in the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, died in the upstairs bedroom, and that his ghost still haunts the building. Haunted or not, visitors can see rare early edition pages of the novel hanging on the walls of the Captain’s Room and the Treasure Room. It was a great experience and we were glad different people told us to go there.

When we got there we were seated right away, when we left there was a line out the door.

Our eating area was the old gardeners house, it is very small.

 

The underground tunnel, led to the river, it is said that if a sailor had too much rum, and passed out he would be taken through the tunnel and put on board a pirate ship to serve the rest of his days.

Our pirate escort

 

 

 

Our visit to Savannah “was like a box of Chocolates, you never

know what your gonna get.”  We got a  good time.