About every 5 years my good friends from childhood meet up for a few days just to catch up and have a great time together. We have been to the Appalachian trial in North Carolina, they came to visit me in Germany when we lived there, we went to New Orleans together and this time we decided to meet up in Savannah, Georgia. We had such a great time. I love that we can all keep in touch and stay friends over the many years. I have known these girls since we were in 4th grade! It's great to have friends that knew you when you were young, so much has changed but our friendship remains. I love these 2 so much and consider them more "sisters" than "friends"
Before I met up with Sara and Pam I flew into Virginia to hang out with Paige and her kids for a few days. I couldn't come all the way to the east coast without stopping to see my cute little nephews:)
Alistair is so dang adorable! I can't believe how big his is getting. He is talking a lot more too!
Graham and Cecil...these 2 are so cute:)
We went to the Yorktown beach. It wasn't the sunniest day ever but luckily the water was still nice and warm.
I don't think I could love this little guy any more than I do, he became my cute little shadow for the few days I was there...it was so hard to leave!
Saying goodbye to the boys as they head to the bus stop for school. This trip was way too quick but I'm so glad I got to see them:)
I love my nephews but my sister is also so much fun and I love that she is always so welcoming when I come to visit:)
From Virginia Paige drove me to North Carolina where I met up with my friend Pam. I stayed at her house for the night and the next day we drove to Savannah. Pam introduced me to Buc-ee's which is the craziest most giant truck stop I have ever seen. Man, that brisket sandwich was pretty delicious though;)
Our first night in Georgia we went on a haunted walking tour. I absolutely loved all the gorgeous homes in the old town of Savannah. Everywhere I looked I saw beautiful things to take pictures of. I mean, who has a trumpeting angel on their balcony??
The Hamilton-Turner house on Lafayette square...I guess people say they see a night watchman on the roof sometimes...but it's a ghost! Most of the stories are pretty corny but I do love a walking tour because you hear stories and legends about the place you are visiting.
With my childhood besties, Sara and Pam!
We took a tour of Bonaventure cemetery. This place was absolutely gorgeous. I love old cemeteries but this place was stunning and I could easily have spent all day here! Again, we got to hear great stories about the people of Savannah and the legacies they left behind.
The family burial plot for Johnny Mercer, a famous song writer. He wrote the lyrics for "Moon River", "Fools Rush In" "Jeepers Creepers" and so many more!
A lot of the old gravestones had this iron cross in front of them with the letters "CSA" which stood for the "Confederate States of America" So if you served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War you were buried with their special honor. It's a bit strange to think about what the world would be like if the US were split into two different countries.
The beautiful oak tree lined driveway to the Wormsloe State Historic Site
One of the earliest structures in Savannah was at Wormsloe. This fortified house was built in 1736 and Noble Jones was one of the first colonists to sail from England to settle in Georgia.
Delicious gelato along the waterfront in Savannah
The Pirates House is a fun site. Rumor has it that in the early days of Savannah men were drugged at this bar and taken to waiting ships to be forced into working on the ship. I guess they couldn't get enough men to volunteer for voyages so they resorted to stealing people.
Inside the Pirates House you can see the tunnel that led out to the river where men were carried, unconscious, onto the waiting ships.
Another cool cemetery, Colonial Park Cemetery. This one is even older than Bonaventure, and it's right in the downtown area of Savannah.
The story goes that troops from the North camped in this cemetery during the Civil War and they knocked over and desecrated many of the head stones. The town didn't know where all the stones belonged so they just ended up hanging them on the wall of the cemetery.
I love the old carvings on head stones.
Starting our day at a cute cafe for breakfast
Inside the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist
I love historic churches:)
Savannah is home to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) We walked around one of the student galleries and I took a picture of Pam taking a picture of a guy taking a picture of a girl looking in a closet:)
Outside the Mercer-Williams house. The owner of this house features prominently in the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which takes place in Savannah. There was a real murder here. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos inside the house but it has a gorgeous interior. The staircase was my favorite part. It spiraled up into the 2nd floor and had a beautiful, round stained glass window in the ceiling above the staircase. I wish I could have gotten a photo!
Wandering around Forsyth Park, I loved all the hanging moss from the trees.
I love this picture of Sara and Pam
I thought this was interesting. This is a statue of a Confederate General in Forsyth Park. In recent years there has been a call to remove statues throughout the US that honor Confederate soldiers. Apparently some people in Savannah aren't happy this is here because on the sidewalk in front of the statue someone has written in chalk, "Confederate Monuments Suck"
A statue honoring James Edward Oglethorpe who led the first group of settlers to Savannah Georgia in 1736. Apparently he was anti-slavery and wrote into the charter of Georgia that there would be no slavery in the state. He only stayed in Georgia for a few years then said back to England, and as soon as he was gone the State decided to ignore his wishes and became a slave state.
My crazy friends got matching tattoos for our girls trip...
...the 3 birds in flight signify the 3 of us. They gave me so much crap for not joining in and getting the tattoo but I just couldn't commit 😂
We had to taste some Leopold's ice cream and it did not disappoint...yum!
Another "must do" stop in Savannah is to eat at the Wilkes House. We stood in line for about an hour but the food really was delicious and I got to try a whole bunch of southern food I had never had before!
The oldest synagogue in Georgia and the 3rd oldest in the United States. After the first wave of colonists came to Georgia the next group to arrive were all Jewish and so this congregation, Mickve Israel, is one of the oldest in the country.
The oldest Torah scroll in the US
We had to take a photo of Sara outside this mural. She is the only alcohol drinker in our group 😝
I found a great little shop that sold sausage rolls:)
The lighthouse on Tybee Island
We walked to the end of this pier on Tybee Island because I had heard you might see dolphins out in the ocean
We didn't see any dolphins but this nice guy (he said his name was Elvis) let us fish with his rods for a while...
...and I actually caught a FISH!!
Ended the night eating shrimp and grits and listening to great music on the river
On our final day in Savannah Sara had to leave pretty early to catch her flight but Pam and I had time to visit the First African Baptist Church. Our tour guide was great. He told some stories and gave us the history of the church and how it featured on the Underground Railroad.
What a wonderful trip and what a wonderful time we had catching up together. I love these ladies and I can't wait for our next adventure:)
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