Tybee Island

Just 17 miles from Savannah is the quaint town of Tybee Island or as it was called Savannah's Beach. Not only do you have miles of beach and all that goes with being near the water there are other attractions available for all of the family to enjoy:

The Tybee Island Marine Science Center offers a number of educational programs but it is fun to go in and see the baby alligators, the unique Polkadot Batfish and say hello to the Striped Burrfish. The center is open daily from 10AM – 5PM. There is fee for admission but worth it.

The Tybee Island Pier & Pavilion is a great place for fishing and people watching. The pier offers spectacular view of the area and a place to go fishing. The Pavilion is used for just setting or attending the many functions that are scheduled. On the premises are picnic tables, snack bar and public restrooms. Open daily and no admission charge.

Tybee Lighthouse has been guiding mariners safe entrance into the Savannah River for over 270 years. The Tybee Island Light Station is one of America's most intact having all of its historic support buildings on its five-acre site. The Lighthouse has been rebuilt several times but it still displays its 1916 day mark with 178 stairs and a First Order Frenel lens (nine feet tall). The lighthouse has a gift shop and tours can be arranged. Hours of Operation are every day except Tuesday, from 9AM – 5:30PM.

Fees are charged.

Nearby, you can visit Fort Pulaski and learn of its involvement in the Civil War. This beautifully maintained historic fort is worth the visit and a lot of fun for the kids.

Have a Sunny Fun Day!

Photo Credit: Hubert Weldon

Telfair Art Museum

A must see when visiting Savannah. Telfair is the oldest art museum in the South. The mansion in which the museum's collection is housed is neoclassical Regency style building. The mansion. The first owner was Alexander Telfair, son of Revolutionary patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair. The mansion served as home to the Telfair family until 1875. Mary Telfair, a patron of the arts, gave the house and its furnishings to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum.

In the early 1880s, the mansion was enlarged with the addition of the Sculpture Gallery and Rotunda. It opened to the public in 1886 as the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences. The museum has grown to include two additional properties: The Owens-Thomas House and the Jepson Center for the Arts.

Today, the Telfair offers many interesting art exhibits and programs that span all ages and cultures. The new Jepson Center for the Arts has a large collection of 20th century art and a wonderful children's learning wing called ArtZeum with many hand-on exhibits.

Visit their website at www.telfair.org to learn more about this wonderful place and see what is scheduled during your visit to Historic Savannah

The Jepson Center and Telfair Museum are located adjacent to Telfair Square off of State Street. The Owens-Thomas House is just off Oglethorpe Square.

A must see when visiting Savannah. Telfair is the oldest art museum in the South. The mansion in which the museum's collection is housed is neoclassical Regency style building. The mansion. The first owner was Alexander Telfair, son of Revolutionary patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair. The mansion served as home to the Telfair family until 1875. Mary Telfair, a patron of the arts, gave the house and its furnishings to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum.

In the early 1880s, the mansion was enlarged with the addition of the Sculpture Gallery and Rotunda. It opened to the public in 1886 as the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences. The museum has grown to include two additional properties: The Owens-Thomas House and the Jepson Center for the Arts.

Today, the Telfair offers many interesting art exhibits and programs that span all ages and cultures. The new Jepson Center for the Arts has a large collection of 20th century art and a wonderful children's learning wing called ArtZeum with many hand-on exhibits.

Visit their website at www.telfair.org to learn more about this wonderful place and see what is scheduled during your visit to Historic Savannah

The Jepson Center and Telfair Museum are located adjacent to Telfair Square off of State Street. The Owens-Thomas House is just off Oglethorpe Square.

About 10 miles south of downtown Savannah is the charming community of Isle of Hope. First settled in the 1840s as a summer resort for the wealthy, it's now a showcase of rural antebellum life. To reach Parkersburg (as it was called in those days), citizens traveled by steamer down the Wilmington River or by a network of suburban trains. Today you can reach Isle of Hope by driving east from Savannah along Victory Drive to Skidaway Road. At Skidaway, go right and follow it to LaRoche Avenue. Take a left and follow LaRoche until it dead-ends on Bluff Drive. This is the perfect place for a lazy afternoon stroll. The short path is home to authentically restored cottages and beautiful homes, most enshrouded with Spanish moss cascading from the majestic oaks lining the bluff. A favorite of many local landscape artists and Hollywood directors, Bluff Drive affords the best views of the Wilmington River.

Wormsloe Plantation

Just a few miles from downtown Savannah is Wormsloe Plantation.

A breathtaking avenue lined with live oaks leads to the tabby ruins of Wormsloe, the colonial estate constructed by Noble Jones, one of Georgia’s first settlers. Jones was an English physician and carpenter who carved out an even wider career in the colonial wilderness. He came to Savannah with James Oglethorpe in 1733 and commanded a company of Marines charged with Georgia’s coastal defense. Jones served as constable, Indian agent, surveyor (laying out New Ebenezer and Augusta) and member of the Royal Council. He was also one of few original settlers to survive hunger, plague, Indians, Spaniards and a new environment.

The tabby ruins on the Isle of Hope remind us of the dreams and lives of British colonists who settled Georgia. Today, visitors can view artifacts excavated at Wormsloe and a film about the founding of the 13th colony. A scenic nature trail leads to the living history area where, during special programs, costumed staff show skills and crafts necessary to early settlers. During early February of each year, the site hosts “Colonial Faire and Muster” highlighting 18th century life, military drills, craft demonstrations, music and dance. This site is on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail.

Wormsloe is maintained by the National Park Service

The Savannah Waving Girl

The Waving Girl statue is a popular monument for visitors to the River Street area of Savannah, Georgia

The statue immortalizes a Savannahian named Florence Martus, who lived near the entrance to Savannah Harbor and supposedly waved to each ship that came and went -- for 44 years!

The bronze statue of Florence Martus (1869 - 1943), known as "Savannah's Waving Girl" because of her practice of waving to ships entering and leaving Savannah's harbor is located on the bluff overlooking the Savannah River at the south end of downtown Savannah's riverfront area.

Enjoying Historic Savannah

This is my first post and first blog so I will be learning as I pursue this new way of telling people about the historic and beautiful city of Savannah.

The Picture on this page is an exhibit in the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum.

While I am not a native of Savannah, we have lived here for almost 20 years and have enjoyed every day of it. It really is beautiful even though it can really get hot in July and August but I'll take the heat and not the cold from my early days in Illinois.

In subsequent blogs, I'll write about Savannah: places to see, to do and other informative facts about the city and surrounding area.