A Visit to Savannah

This past week John's parent came to visit us from Elk Ridge, Utah. They arrived in Savannah on Monday night during a severe thunderstorm warning. We didn't have much rain but we were worried that their plane wouldn't be able to land because of all the lightning in the sky. They were able to land fine and the rest of the week made up for any rainy weather on the first night. It was sunny, hot, and humid all week. So much so that it was almost impossible to be outside at any time of the day. Despite the heat we were glad that the weather cleared up, although it might have been fun for John's parents to spend their whole first night in Savannah in our laundry room waiting for a tornado to pass.

Day 1

On Tuesday John's Dad went bird recording and the rest of us went downtown to see the sights. First we drove around Forsyth Park and looked at some fancy homes around Victory Drive, then we parked and walked through some squares to the City Market. On the way to the City Market we walked by Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons. There was a long line of tourists waiting to get on the list for dinner that night. We felt pretty smug that we had reservations and didn't have to wait in that line because of our local connection. In the City Market we went to the Savannah Candy Kitchen and got some famous Pralines. Pralines are candied pecans, they're really yummy and Southerners are very proud of their pecans. Then we went down to River Street but it was so hot that we took refuge in an air conditioned restaurant for lunch.

Later that day we met up with John's Dad arriving home from a great day of bird recording. He found some great nesting places with lots of birds and even alligators. He heard one alligator boasting and another walked out of the pine forest from right behind him. He was a little startled since he was expecting the alligators to be in the water and not behind him in the forest.

Downtown Squares

City Market and the Savannah Candy Kitchen

Dinner at Paula Deen's, "Hey Y'all!"

That night we had dinner at The Lady and Sons restaurant. We all got the all-you-can-eat buffet and ate until we were sick. John ate the most by far. He had 3 pork chops, lasagna, beef stew, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, collard greens, vegetable casserole, a cheese biscuit, and a pancake. Not to mention the banana pudding and peach cobbler for dessert. It was great! We also managed to throw in a few "Hey Y'all's" before the night was over.

John eating collard greens, what is that stuff anyway?

The team stuffed to bursting after an all-you-can-eat southern, fried buffet

The Lamborghini at the City Market

After eating ourselves sick, we took John's Dad through the City Market and down to River Street. At the Candy Kitchen we saw them pulling taffy and making pralines. Parked beside the City Market we saw a yellow Lambhorgini. The men (boys) were pretty excited about this. The owner was even kind enough to have left the hood open so that any curious person might take a peak at the engine.

River Street

We carried on down to River Street where the sun was setting over the river and the street players were serenading us. There weren't very many people there and the atmosphere was really nice. It was a good way to end a busy and fun-filled day.

Day 2

The second day of their visit, John's parents spent a quiet day together and went to Jekyll Island to check out some birding places. John went to school and I went to work. That night we went out to dinner at the Shell House. The Shell House brings you fresh Savannah seafood. Interestingly, each one of the tables has a big hole in the middle with a garbage can underneath for you to rid your shells while you eat. It's quite an experience and a process to eat all those crab legs and shrimp.

Dinner at the Shell House

Day 3

On Thursday we all spent the day together sightseeing. First we went to Tybee Island and saw the beach and the lighthouse. Unfortunately it was so hot that we only stayed for a few minutes. After that we drove through the Bonaventure Cemetery. The Cemetery is really old and beautiful especially with the Live Oaks and the Spanish Moss draping over all the ornate headstones and statues. We saw "Gracie," a little girl who died when she was six. She has a life-sized statue of herself as her gravestone, which is pretty famous.

Bonaventure Cemetary

Vinnie Van Go Go's Pizza in the City Market

In the evening we went to Vinnie Van GoGo's for dinner and then on a Ghost-themed tour of the downtown. We heard some pretty interesting stories about hauntings in the downtown, cursed homes, and reasons why Savannah is so prone to these happenings. One of the reasons is that much of the downtown area is built over a cemetery and many of the graves were desecrated. We were told that the spirits of people who die in Savannah can't leave even if they want to and so we should make sure we get out before we die or we'll be stuck in limbo here!