October 4, 2014 - Statesboro, GA to Savannah, GA

We headed to Savannah this morning – it was only about 60 miles from Statesboro, so it was an easy drive. We had read that the Visitors Center allows overnight RV parking for only $7.00 a night and we thought we would check it out. Turns out to be true – and it looks like it will be a pretty quiet location right in the heart of the city.

After getting our 24-hour pass, we took Penny and started off exploring the city on foot. It is filled with a rich history dating back before the Revolutionary War. Founded by General James Oglethorpe and his settlers in February 1733, Savannah became England’s 13th and last colony. It is located on a bluff overlooking the Savannah River and became a prosperous port as a crossroads with England. Savannah was a key location during the Revolutionary War. In 1778 the British captured the city by surprise and made it their base of operations against the colonies until their departure in 1782.
We passed the First African Baptist Church which was built in 1859. It is the first brick structure in Georgia owned by blacks. It is open for tours, however, not when we went by.

We continued through the City Market area and down to River Street. Located on River Street is the Old Savannah Cotton Exchange building which was completed in 1887, during the era when Savannah ranked first as a cotton seaport on the Atlantic and second in the world. The Cotton Exchange was the center of activity and the staple which dominated this city’s economic life before its evolution into a leading industrial seaport.

Octoberfest is going on, so there were lots of arts and crafts booths, food booths, and music and entertainment. We even got to see the keg rolling contest.

At the east end of River Street is the Waving Girl Monument. The statue is of Florence Martus, the city light-tender’s sister. Martus became known to seamen all over the world for waving at every ship. Legend is that she promised her sailor sweetheart to greet every ship until his return.


We stopped at several squares and read the historical markers. Every square we went by – and there are 22 in the city – have statues or monuments of some kind. This was James Oglethorpe, founder of Savannah.

Penny was greeted by lots of people with remarks about “what a cute dog!” We had to agree. She was also becoming a tired dog, so we took her back to the RV to rest.
We caught the free DOT bus and headed over to Forsyth Park. In the 1840s, 10 acres of wooded land was set aside here for the development of Savannah’s first recreational park. It was named for Georgia’s former governor, John Forsyth. In 1854, the fountain was added. There are 52 different kinds of trees in the park, along with other plants. The park is beautiful and was busy with activities going on. As a matter of fact, tomorrow the city is sponsoring “Picnic in the Park” with free music and other activities. We will probably check it out!

We walked back to River Street and took the free ferry across to the Hutchinson Island then back to the Waving Girl Monument dock. We made our way home to change into jeans then headed out for dinner.at the Six Pence Pub. We both had French onion soup and shrimp salad sandwiches and it was good.