Savannah, Georgia

With an eventual goal of reaching Washington D.C. by May 1st, and having about 3-4 weeks to get there, we decided to take a meandering path, making as many stops along the way as felt comfortable. After leaving Jacksonville, we drove just 170 miles northeast to Savannah, Georgia, where we spent three days taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and impressions of this very vibrant and interesting Southern city. No doubt we could have spent three months and still not seen enough, but we did what we could in our allotted time.

Savannah is lush with plant life. Everywhere you turn is a tree, a shrub, a flowering plant, with Spanish moss hanging from huge trees that look to be hundreds of years old. The architecture of the city reflects its Southern heritage with its many plantation style homes and buildings. Beautiful churches seem to loom on every corner, and history is captured in the monuments, plaques, and statues sprinkled throughout the city streets.

We were even able to capture a little taste of Southern cooking, vegan style. Dan and I ordered two sandwiches to share, one filled with Fried Green Tomatoes, and the other with a Black-eyed Pea veggie pattie. We stopped in a peanut shop along the Riverwalk and bought a can of boiled peanuts, otherwise known as Goober Peas. It really is fun exploring the traditions, cuisine, and history of our very diverse country!

Established in 1733, Savannah was the first capital of Georgia, is the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Lowe (founder of the Girl Scouts of America), and the downtown area with its 22 park-like squares is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States. Horse-drawn carriages and trolleys line the streets waiting to take visitors on tours of the city. Bonaventure Cemetery, featured in the book and movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", is a landmark not to be missed, a former plantation and the final resting place for some illustrious Savannahians.