A quick overnight visit to historic Savannah, Georgia  found us staying in the River District and even though our time was brief we fell in love with the area instantly.  River Street is normally a bustling and busy street but the time when we visited we found empty streets and shops which was actually a nice way to visit.  It was a cool January day  and I think the post holiday crowds were long gone.

Look at this street.  Hardly a soul on it the afternoon we were there and it was a wonderful way to enjoy a tourist spot without having to dodge tourists.

Savannah does a great job of making sure visitors have all the information that they need when they visit.  From signs like this that detail shop locations and offer directions to visitor’s centers and booths it is easy to find your way around.

We did not take the trolley tour because it was such a nice day we felt like walking but that is a great way to get the overall view of Savannah with a limited amount of walking.  You can hop on and off at any of the trolley stop locations and it is probably the best way to see the area.  The Old Town Trolley Tours offers a great website with all the information that is needed for the perfect trolley tour experience and I plan to use their services the next time we visit Savannah.

I started taking pictures of each of the signs along the river walk but quickly was distracted by other things and realized later that I had a very incomplete selection of pictures from the day.  Isn’t that always the case?  I have great intentions to take the best and most complete pictures to share but then once I upload the photos I find that I have fallen very short in my task.  Ah well–I still did manage to click a few photos for you to enjoy.

Street artists of all kinds are abundant and I snapped this picture as the artist stepped away to chat with a customer.  Can’t you imagine what this will become once it is finished?

Another artist had her wares scattered about on the brick walkways for sale and the contrast of the green leaves against the red bricks caught my eye.

Along River Street you can also find several monuments and tribute areas.  I am always intrigued by sites like these.

According to the Visit Historic Savannah website Florence Martus was known as Savannah’s Waving Girl.

Florence Martus (1868-1943) become a legend in ports across the world. When she was 19, and her brother worked as the lighthouse keeper on Elba Island, Florence began waving at all the ships entering or leaving the port of Savannah. It is said that for the next 44 years Florence continued to wave by day with a white handkerchief in hand, and at night by the light of a lantern, only to stop in 1931 when her brother retired and moved away. Her story spawned many myths including one popular tale that claimed she was engaged to a sailor, and that she waved at every ship that arrived in hopes of being the first to welcome him home. But alas, he never returned.

The Altrusa Club erected the statue of the Waving Girl to commemorate her friendly vigil. The memorial was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, who sculpted the famous Iwo Jima monument in Washington, D.C.

Another site that I loved was the 1996 Olympic Yachting Cauldron . I did not realize that Savannah was home to the Olympic Yachting events.   This cauldron was lit by the original Olympic flame from Mt. Olympus at the opening ceremonies on July 20, 1996, and burned throughout the Centennial Olympic Games in Savannah.  My pictures do not do it justice at all.

Another stop on our walk was this amazing memorial to World War ll .  Sobering but inspiring at the same time.

Of course there were ships of all shapes and sizes to watch. I loved this view of the bridge, don’ t you?

It was a whirlwind visit but if anything it inspired me and made me want to make another trip to explore all that Savannah has to offer.  Tell me if you have ever visited and if so what was your favorite thing to see or do in Savannah.  Maybe I can add that to my next itinerary.  Remember that all comments on the blog this month mean a 50 cent donation to The Cindy Platt Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County.