Savannah Day 3--City Tour

Day three began with a Trolley Tour of historic Savannah. The weather that morning said it was going to rain lightly for a little while, but it managed to "rain lightly" for most of the day. At least the temperature was reasonably warm.

One of the most impressive places we saw on the Trolley Tour was the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. As you can see, it was a majestic building! It was built by the French in 1876, burned in 1898, opened again in 1900, and underwent an extensive restoration in 2000.



Michael Faughn took many great photos on our trip. This is inside the church with some members of our group looking up in awe! The Cathedral now serves as the seat of the diocese for ninety counties in southern Georgia. Thanks for the photos, Mike!

Mike also got a good picture of the Spanish Moss that was hanging on the trees everywhere. We were told not to pick it up off the ground because it had chiggers and other bugs in it. Some wondered if we were told that so we wouldn't be tempted to bring any home?

Another stop was the Sorrel-Weed House. It is one of the oldest and largest homes in Savannah, and is considered a great example of the early architecture. It was the boyhood home of a civil war confederate general, and is also said to be haunted. However, we were not there for the night-time ghost tour! The scene from the movie "Forest Gump" where the feather floats to the ground was filmed from the roof of this house.

Lunch was on our own that day, and we re-grouped after for a tour of the Mercer-Williams
House. Construction on this home began in 1860, and was finished in 1868 after being interrupted by the Civil War.  It was the scene of a murder that is described in the movie, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." It too, is said to be haunted.

The Davenport House was our last tour of the day. It was built in 1820, and was a stately home for many years. However, it became run-down and was almost demolished in 1955. That is when the Historic Savannah Foundation formed. This group has since saved hundreds of buildings in the city--which we were able to enjoy.

It was interesting to see so many things that were constructed in the early years of the formation of our country. The city of Savannah was established in 1733.

We were also treated to Madeira wine tasting at the Davenport House. Importing of that wine played an important role in the history and development of the city.  (Photo of Davenport House is from the Internet).

Now that we were much better informed about the early history of Savannah, and a little damp from walking in and out of the rain showers all day, we were glad to head back to the hotel to get ready for our fantastic evening meal! More on that next time.