Visit Dates: October 7 & 8, 2019
We’ve been talking about this trip for years; whenever I mentioned our plans people usually responded with “Go to Charleston, South Carolina” or “Go to Savannah, Georgia”. We’ve got it covered. On October 7, we packed up from our place in Charleston and after a short delay, headed down the road to Savannah – the southernmost part of our journey.
Because of our late start we stopped for lunch in Beaufort, South Carolina. Not to be confused with Beaufort, North Carolina. The two city names are spelled the same but pronounced very differently. While the North Carolina city is pronounced “Bow Fort”, The South Carolina is pronounced with the first syllable rhyming with “View” and the second syllable rhymes with “bird”: “Beufird” I can imagine the good natured arguments when citizens of the two towns meet.
Like most of the rest of our journey we were close to the Atlantic Ocean. We found a lovely little restaurant where we could sit on the back deck while we ate.
After lunch we strolled along the waterfront.
I even persuaded the sisters to sit together. I don’t take pictures of people very often so my results are decidedly mixed
One of the sisters grabbed a pic of Carla and me
We strolled around the downtown area for a while before getting back in the car and heading to Savannah. Savannah, is on the south bank of the river that bears its name and separates Georgia from South Carolina.
We had a very nice AirBnB in the downtown area. We could tell we weren’t in Charleston anymore. Whereas Charleston was boisterous with parties going late into the night, we were given notice that any noise after 9:00PM in Savannah could result in immediate eviction by the police. Okay, then.
In the morning we headed over to the old part of town for a walking tour the sisters had arranged. We enjoyed our tour guide who was a semi-retired architect who moved to Savannah a few years before.
James Edward Oglethorpe founded the town in the early 18th century. He built a city of groups of city blocks, each group surrounding a park space. Here is a view of the “Oglethorpe Ward Plan” drawn by our tour guide.
The 4 trust lots on the east and west sides of the square were usually public buildings such as shops or professional offices. The tything lots (called that because there were 10 lots in each of the four areas) were usually homes.
Here is a better picture I grabbed from the internet.
And when the blocks are built next to one another the city looks like this (image from the internet)
A walk through this area is wonderful. Every central park is a bit different.
Later we drove out to the Wormsloe Historic Site, the grounds of a very old Slave Labor Camp (Plantation). The main building is not open for tours as it is still in private hands, but there are tours of the older parts. Originally, indentured servants were used for labor, but in the mid 1700s, the ban on slavery was lifted and enslaved people were used because it was more profitable.
Oysters were plentiful and the shells were used as aggregate to make “tabby”: a type of concrete.
Some of the original wall remains.
The tour was very good providing views of marshes, Shipyard Creek and the Skidaway river.We even saw a lizard skittering up a tree.
Once the tour was over we took a leisurely hike back to the main building. We got in the car and said in unison: “Let’s Eat!”. We found the Sandfly At the Streamliner barbecue joint on a quick internet search and headed over. There is a Sandfly barbecue joint just across the river from the Wormsloe Historic Site, but we went to the “Sandfly at the Streamliner” 1220 Barnard Street. As we approached the building I had a good feeling about our choice.
The interior is as classic as the exterior.
We all ordered plates with various sides. I opted for brisket coupled with collard greens along with Mac & Cheese.
But we had to try the ribs, so we ordered a half rack as an appetizer. I should have taken a picture. While the rest of the meal was delicious, I can say that the ribs were the best ribs I’ve ever tasted. They were divine. A lot of times when I eat in a restaurant I think to myself “I can make this”; and I can cook pretty good barbecue. But I can’t make these ribs; I don’t know what the magic is but they were perfection. Just the right amount of smoke and spice. If you go, order a full rack.
We were full but the sisters wanted to walk. While they walked through Forsyth Park, I sat on a bench and enjoyed the view. There are so many beautiful fountains in the south.
We went back to our apartment for a few hours to rest and digest. I wanted to see the old riverfront touristy part of town. We didn’t need a big meal, but ice cream is always in order, right? As we walked along the old riverfront we saw a container ship heading out from its dock and under the bridge connecting Georgia and South Carolina.
It passed about 100 yards away – it is a big ship! And some workers were on the side doing I don’t know what.
As we headed toward our apartment we saw the moon behind a church steeple.
We had a good night’s sleep; after breakfast we packed up and headed back up north. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Starr; she had to fly back home, so we dropped her off back at the Charleston, South Carolina airport.
Next stop: Bryson North Carolina and The Great Smokey Mountains
