"Savannah ~ My Hearts Desire"

What can I say about Savannah ~ I just LOVE this Old Charming City so much that I never tire visiting it. The Old Southern Homes, the 24 parks adorned with huge oak trees draped in moss, the history that waits for you around every cornier, the Southern kindness that greets you everywhere you turn and the fabulous food. Such as Mrs Wilkes ~ Southern hospitality and cooking, served family style and Paula Deen's ~ Lady & Sons ~ Yummy Southern Buffet... Not a surprise in a town with so much history that there are many ghost stories you can here all about from all the locals...

One of my favorite stories is "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil". If you have not already read the book or seen the movie I highly recommend it. It is a 1997 American drama which was based on real-life events in the 1980s. It is a tale of Savannah's eccentricities focuses on a murder and the subsequent trials of Jim Williams:

Because of the presence of The Bird Girl in the movie and on the book cover, Bonaventure Cemetery was made a popular tourist attraction. Due to tourists disrupting and damaging
neighboring graves while posing with the statue, The Bird Girl no longer stands in the cemetery and is in the museum. However, there are many other beautiful statues and sites in Bonaventure Cemetery. Also pictured here is the Johnny Mercer House (song writer of over 1000 songs including Moon River & You must have been a beautiful baby) where Williams threw his annual Christmas parties for the cream of society. Apparently, the shooting occurred in the study - lower right hand window. Today, the house has been restored and is now a museum.



I have taken hundreds of photos and would love to share them all with you but that would be such a never ending post ~ lol. So I have made yet another slide show of the homes and sites we have seen during our time here in Savannah... This is a wonderful place to visit!

We Stayed in a GREAT RV park while we visited this area ~ Hardeeville RV Park in Hardeeville South Carolina. Click on the RV park name to see my complete review of this nice park. It was only about 10 minutes north of Savannah and easy access to the historic city! We also got a 2 day pass on the Old Town Trolley while visiting Savannah and it made it really easy getting around the area plus they tell you a lot of the history of the area.

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

St. Simon Treasures

As an avid reader I have read many books but none have touched me as much as Eugenia Price. Eugenia Price (June 22, 1916 - May 28, 1996) was an American author best known for her historical novels which were set in the American South. One of her series is called St. Simons Trilogy ~ especially "Lighthouse". So on this trip I made it a point to come and visit this area. I only wish I could have spent more time here... I highly recommend her books if you like fictional stories with history woven into them.

The St. Simons Island lighthouse was established in 1807 to serve as a marker for the entrance to the St. Simons Sound. James Gould of Massachusetts built the original lighthouse; the story of Mr. Gould and the building of the lighthouse are chronicled in Eugenia Price’s novel, “Lighthouse.” The beautiful two-story, brick keepers' dwelling and the white,
104-foot tower was deeded to Glynn County in 1972 for use as a museum and visitors' center. After three years of restorative work overseen by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, the museum opened to the public. The tower was opened in 1984 to
climbers willing to brave the 129-step spiral staircase. Under the National
Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, ownership of the St. Simons Lighthouse was
officially transferred to the Coastal Georgia Historical Society on May 26,
2004. ~ Interesting fact: Gould used the ruins of Fort Frederica, which was built on the island in 1736, as a source for the tabby, and completed the seventy-five-foot tower in late 1810 at a cost of $13,775. Oil lamps suspended on chains served as the light source. We love visiting Lighthouses and this one did not let us down.

Maritime Museum is at the Historic Coast Guard Station. This interesting museum is located in the restored U.S. Coast Guard Station at East Beach, which was built during the Depression as part of a WPA project. The museum features seven galleries that explain the importance of our coastal ecosystem and its preservation, the coast’s military history, and the important role played by the U.S. Coast Guard. It is a fun place to explore~



Fort Frederica National Monument was built in 1736 and it was the most expensive military installation in British North America. The town and fort, established as an outpost by Maj. General Oglethorpe, played a crucial role in establishing England’s claims to the disputed Georgia territory. At one time over 800 people lived in this area and when peace was declared the town declined. Soon after because of the heat, alligators & mosquitoes hey decided to abandon the town & fort. It was burnt down mysteriously and to this day no one is sure who had a hand in it. We spent the afternoon exploring this wonderful National Monument and enjoyed our picnic lunch while here. We also took Tiffy and she did a great job getting around the park~

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

A Day visiting Jeykll Island ~ WOW!

Jeykll Island ~ April 5th, 2012

Jekyll Island Historic District, a National Historic Landmark

that is situated on the southeast side of Jekyll Island.

Occupied by the Guale Indians who called the area Ospo. Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia, maintained an outpost on the island, and a plantation was established by one of his officers, Maj. William Horton. In 1794 a French family, the du Bignons,bought the island. They retained possession until 1886 when the island was sold to the newly formed "Jekyll Island Club." The house was built of a material called Tabby. Tabby is a building material consisting of lime, sand, water, and crushed oyster shells. It seems to be very strong and these are the remains of the house that both Horton & the du Bignons owned.

Considered to be the most exclusive social club in the United States, the Jekyll
Island Club had a limit of 100 members, among them the Astors, Goodyear, Vanderbilts,
Pulitzers, Morgans, Macys and McCormicks

A club house was built on the island and members constructed private "cottages". Indian Mound, the twenty-five room home of the Rockefeller family; the Goodyear Cottage completed in 1906: Crane Cottage, circa 1917, the largest and most lavish of the cottages; the original Club House, a wood and brick Victorian structure with towers and manicured lawns; and Faith Chapel, built in 1904 in the Gothic style. The chapel also has a large signed Tiffany stained glass window.

Furness Cottage ~ Faith Chapel

Moss Cottage (Macy) ~ Indian Mound (Goodyear)

Dubignon Cottage ~ Mistletoe Cottage

It was fun visiting Jeykll Island and imagining living the life of the wealthy of years gone by... compared to the hard times the original settlers must of had.

A great place to visit & dream.

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

You Will Love Amelia Island

Along Florida's northeastern coast is one of the state's best kept secrets — Amelia Island. Just thirteen miles long and two miles wide, this petite island packs a big punch. You can enjoy simple pleasures like walking on the beach, or the island's seaside location, Appalachian quartz beaches, natural sand dunes and marshes.

Florida House Inn

A town with charming Southern hospitality ~ with a fifty-block area of historic homes and businesses that have been lovingly restored and are proudly on display. Its Victorian homes and cottages are a throwback to Amelia's Golden Era. Some of these homes serve as bed and breakfast inns and some are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but what all seem to have in common is an interesting background. In the early 20th Century, Amelia Island became the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry. Today, nearly 80 percent of Florida's intake of sweet Atlantic white shrimp is harvested in Amelia's waters and its downtown docks — Fernandina Harbor Marina — is still home to the shrimp fleet. While the oldest structure on the island is the Amelia Island Lighthouse, other places of intrigue include the Palace Saloon, the oldest bar in the state of Florida, and the Florida House Inn. Florida's oldest surviving tourist hotel. We spent the day touring around this beautiful southern city and hope one day to come back and stay longer ~ It is a must see place to visit.

Reflections of Amelia Island, Florida

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

An Old Fort and A Very Old Lighthouse...

Fort Clinch ~ Amelia Ialand, Florida
Fort Clinch is a 19th century brick fortress begun in 1847 after the end of the Second Seminole War. It was named in honor of General Duncan Lamont Clinch, important figure in the First and Second Seminole Wars. The only battle to occur at Clinch was when Union troops recaptured the fort in 1862 after Confederate forces seized control the previous year. Fort Clinch served as the base of Union operations in the area throughout the Civil War. We had a great day exploring this fort and hearing the history from a civil war re-enactor. A great place to visit!

Sit back and enjoy our slide show of Fort Clinch

The Amelia Island Lighthouse is considered the oldest structure on the island. First constructed in 1820 on Georgia's Cumberland Island, it was dismantled and moved in 1938 and reconstructed on Amelia Island. Construction was completed in 1839. In the early days, oil lamps along with reflectors provided the light, but the lights have been powered by electricity since 1933. The lighthouse still works today and can be seen up to 19 miles out to sea.The Amelia Island Lighthouse is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, but because it is located in a residential area, it is not open to the public. The lighthouse is visible above the trees from Atlantic Avenue. We rode up a street near the lighthouse and to a dead end where the entrance to the Lighthouse was to get this photo. It can also be seen from the water & Fort Clinch State Park.

It was a fun filled day and I will be sharing more on what we did in the next post!

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

Georgia is On Our Mind

We headed out around 12 noon to our next destination ~ Kingsland Georgia. First stop was to fill up Tassie with diesel ~ you know how fun that can be. Ca-ching!!! Diesel prices up in North Florida was $4.15 and of course we used our card that gave us an additional 3% off...

Todays distance is 132 miles... it a hard job but we undertake it with no complaints. We had a much better driving experience as we headed east on I10 and then when we reached Jacksonville we took I95 north. Traffic was great and we had the most beautiful weather for our journey. I am so excited to be on the road again ~ isn't that a song??? lol lol

It wasn't long before we crossed the Georgia border and at exit 1 we got off to go to our campground "Country Oaks RV Park". For a complete review of this park click "here". It's a very nice park and the hostess is wonderful ~ however there are a lot of trees so getting satellite made be difficult. If you tell them which Satellite service you have they will put you on a site that you can get TV. Park wifi is GREAT, and both phones AT&T & Verizon work very good... also our Verizon mi-fi works great (3G).

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!