From one coast to the other, us Jacks sure love to travel. My most recent trek took me to the beautiful, historic city of Savannah, GA. We explored, we relaxed, and we ate.

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History
The largest portion of our trip consisted of learning about the history behind Savannah and how it came to be today. From the cannon stricken forts to the stone paved streets, you can not take a step anywhere without feeling like you have entered a whole different world. Everywhere you turn there are moss covered trees hanging over you, sounds of horses pulling wooden carriages, and historic homes dating back to the 1800’s. This city takes you back to a time before internet, before electricity and before cars, when life was much simpler.

While we were visiting we went on a couple different tours, but my favorite was a walking tour put on by Free Savannah Walking Tours which I would highly suggest going on. Chris was our tour guide and since he was born and raised here in Savannah, he knew this town like the back of his hand and told us the history behind many of their buildings and squares. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about the squares! I loved how everywhere you turned, there was a new beautiful square and each of them had a statue of someone who the square was dedicated to. We did learn what the squares were used for back in the 1700 and 1800’s, but you will have to take a tour to find that one out!

Moving outside of the city, we explored 3 different forts and we were absolutely blown away. Out of these 3 forts, even though they were all amazing in their own ways, I would have to say that Old Fort Jackson was my favorite followed closely by Fort Pulaski.

As we plugged our ears for the shooting of one of the cannons from 100 ft away and felt the ground all around us shake, it is so hard to imagine what it would have been like to be apart in the war. Cannons going off every couple minutes, explosions happening all around you, colleagues and friends being injured or even dying. Being able to explore these battle fields, see the wreckage, and read about more of the stories, it gave me another level of respect for what the civil war soldiers had to go through and respect for our soldiers today.

All of this history talk and I still haven’t mentioned how Savannah was recently listed as the most haunted city in America. So of course we had to go on a haunted tour through the streets. Along this tour, we were told stories ranging from slavery to the civil war to even a story from the 1980’s. I am not a believer or a non-believer on ghosts and spirits, so this was very interesting hearing about the stories behind each of the hauntings and then the sightings and experiences people have been apart of.

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Oceanside
While we did come to mainly visit Savannah, we actually stayed about 30 min East on Tybee Island. Here we were able to get the best of two worlds. Most days we went into the city to go exploring, but a couple days we relaxed on the beach. We stayed at an oceanfront apartment where every morning started with a stroll on the beach and almost every evening ended the same. The sounds of the waves crashing and the sweet smell of the ocean, immediately puts you in a relaxed state.

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Food & Drinks
Nothing is better than walking around, learning about the history of a city with a drink in hand. Did I mention you can drink on the streets? Yes Georgia has an open container law. So we very much took advantage of this. The tours we very much enjoyed with a cocktail in hand as well as our evening walks on the beach with a glass of wine.

You can’t come to a southern city without tasting it’s southern food. Fried green tomatoes, parmesan truffle fries, deep fried shrimp, fish sandwiches, ice cream, and more. One item I did try when we were there was soft shell blue crab and I am happy to say that it was my first and last time having that. I love all types of seafood but mainly when take out of the shell to eat. It is a hole different texture and taste when you actually eat the shell. Not a fan. But everything else we ate, was delicious!

Overall, there are so many characteristics of Savannah that made me fall in love with this charming city. History by far was what hooked me the most. I have explored other cities on the east coast, but this by far has landed in my top two favorites. If you are thinking of traveling to Savannah, make sure your first stop is a talk with the Jacks. Recommendations from tours to restaurants, from all we have explored will be freely given!