Friday, April 14 - Savannah, Georgia Part 3

 The weather has cleared up and we got a lot to see on this day.  It's a biggie!  We started with another ride on the Hop On Off Bus to get places a bit quicker.

Adventure Time

Though we hadn't eaten lunch yet, we were close by and had to stop at Leopold's Ice Cream shop opened since 1919.  We were warned there is always a huge line.  Going on this road trip in Spring was genius cuz we didn't ever have much of a wait.  :) 

There is a bit of a connection with Leopold's and Hollywood so the décor was fun.  

The ice cream was so yummy it inspired us to try flavors that are completely out of our norm.  Love when that happens!

On our way back to the apartment we decided we had to stop at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist.  

There is no good way to take a picture of a place this large.  They allowed us to walk through the chapel and were willing to answer questions.  The door and stained glass were most stunning.

Once we got to the apartment, we were only there a minute cuz we were taking a quick trip to Tybee Island to check out the Light House.  We had been warned that it wasn't that big of a deal to see this place, but we really wanted to touch the Atlantic Ocean since we were so close.  

Proof we made it to the Atlantic Ocean

The boardwalk over the swampy area was kinda cool since we don't have that in the West.  But the sand itself was full of tiny broken shells that made walking barefoot impossible.  There was also no parking in the area unless you paid.  That was different, as well.

Back to Savannah for our last night's sleep before hitting the road to our next destination.  So, one little detail to add.  The NBA basketball finals were just about starting at this point.  Every evening we had at home meant we could get in a game or two.  A fabulous way to relax after so much walking and exploring.

Places to Eat

   *  Clary's Cafe - This just happened to be close by.  It was such a normal, non-touristy type place, but the line was still getting long-ish.  How fabulous it was that our party was just 2.  We always got in where others had to wait.  :)

   *  B&D Burgers - A fabulous burger after getting rained on ... again.  Fun Fact:  Savannah is like the 2nd most popular destination for Bridal Showers.  There were a number of Pedal Pubs with crazy ladies seeming to have a fun time pedaling as they drank.  

Thursday, April 13 - Savannah, Georgia Part 2

Historic Savannah is definitely a town you can walk through.  The driving is difficult with all the one way streets.  We were happy to walk everywhere and we really racked up the steps.

Adventure Time

We woke early and got going with our day.  Walked to the main part of town to get breakfast and found the stop of the Hop On Off Tour.  We figured that would give us a good feel of the area and we could tour what we most felt inspired to.  

On our road trip, it was suggested (STRONGLY, and by many) that before we got to Savannah we HAD to read the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  We listened and were grateful we did.  It's very long, but it was good to get a taste of the history of the place.  (You might be tempted to watch the movie instead, but trust me ... DON'T!  The book is so very different.  You can watch after and see what I mean.)

We toured the Mercer-Williams House from the book.

Obligatory Selfie

It turned out to be a rainy day. So getting off the Hop On Off bus was kinda hard.  We decided to go home and wait out the rain a bit.  But when we started walking down the road to site see again, we hit the jackpot.

Just down the street from our apartment we saw a line of people.  Brian mentioned that this was one of the lunch places that was suggested, but I hadn't heard about it.  So after some back and forth we decided to wait in line.  It ended up being the famous Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room.  All family style and check out that table of food.  (Not pictured well is the 2 heaping plates of THE BEST homemade fried chicken we've ever eaten.)

So many options!

Normally, I would put this whole thing in the "Places to Eat" portion of my entry.  But this really was an event for us.  By chance, we got seated with 2 couples from Alabama also visiting the area.  There were so many Southern dishes we've heard of but never tried.  Not only could they tell us what the dishes were, but the could tell us if they were made correctly.  It was a delicious education for us.

The cutest bookstore:  E. Shaver Bookseller
The window displays are perfection.  The sections of books are divided in the small
rooms throughout the store.  It feels like a home ... including the 2 store cats that just lounge.  

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a huge part of Savannah life. 
The art of the students are all over and I loved it.  This picture isn't great with the reflection,
but I really liked the work.

I could not get over the beautiful Spanish moss dripping off the oak trees.  We commented on it everywhere we went, but didn't take any good pictures.  Ha!

The Statue of Savannah's Waving Girl
You can click on the link to read about her.

Places to Eat:

   *  Maple Street Biscuit Company - When you're in the South, you gotta try the biscuits.  We sat above the kitchen area, in a sort of loft, and watched the workers doing their stuff.  I really enjoyed their Peach Berry Lemonade.

   *  Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room - You can read about the historic significance of her place on the website.  Really, the best Southern cooking.  

   *  Screamin' Mimi's Pizza - As we were walking home from the river, we just picked a place close by.  I think it was probably a typical college pizza place rather than a tourist stop, but that made it all the more fun ... and less crowded.  Ha!

Wednesday, April 12 con't - Savannah Georgia Part I

 I can't lie ... Savannah is the place we were both most excited about visiting.  That probably makes our opinions about New Orleans unfair since we were just wanting that trip to end so we could get to Georgia.  

Adventure Time:

We arrived before the sunset.  That gave us time to find our fabulous Airbnb place and grab some dinner.  

We stayed at 204 W Jones St.  Right in the Historic area of Savannah.  Have you heard the phrase, "Keeping up with the Joneses"?  This is the street where that phrase is said to have originated.  The streets are brick.  The front doors are high.  Look at those live oak trees.  Swoon worthy.

In this photo, our apartment is the bottom doorway  on the right.  In the yellow house. 
We're guessing it used to be servant quarters.  Ha!

This is a picture of Jones St going the other direction.

 

Where to Eat:

   *  Treylor Park - Hitch   We heard about this place as we were watching YouTube videos about Savannah.  Check out the menu.  Super unique.  We really enjoyed the PB&J Chicken Wings.  Our opinions split when it came to the Bacon Brownie.

Wednesday, April 12 - Montgomery, Alabama

We left NOLA early heading to Savannah, Georgia ... about 10 hours of driving.  We went through Alabama but didn't have a specific activity in mind.  I planned to stop in Mobile where there were some Civil Rights places I wanted to see, but the timing wasn't right for a stop.  So we ended up in Montgomery, but I didn't take time to study what I wanted to see.  Ugh!

Adventure Time:

Everyone we ran into was super friendly in Montgomery.   I stopped at the building where Dr. J. Marion Sims, the "Father of Modern Genecology", conducted the surgeries that made him famous.  The art on the window of the building was explaining 'the rest of the story'.  The artist, Michelle Browder, bought the building so she could tell the world the real story of the "Mothers of Gynecology".  As I read trying to comprehend a stranger stepped up and asked if I was visiting their city.  I told him I was really interested in the Civil Rights things in the area and he pointed out how we were right in the middle of where things had gone down.  Seriously, everyone was so nice.  

Just around the corner we saw this statue of Rosa Parks.  On the corner "where it happened".

This is where things went sideways.  As we were reading the sign and getting our bearings, a homeless guy came up to tell us more of the civil right history.  It wasn't too bad, but the guy kept going and going and going.  We couldn't get a minute to thank him and move on.  At that point I was ready to move on down the highway, finally I gave him a couple of dollars and we were on our way.  Ha!

Places to Eat:

   *  Mama's Sack Lunches - Simple sack lunches with sandwich, apple, and great sides options.  Affordable and great atmosphere.  My favorite thing is that on every sack they have the quote:  "Be the reason someone believes in the good of people."  The entire visit was filled with kindness.  (And the chicken salad sandwich was VERY satisfying.)

Tuesday, April 11 Part 2 - New Orleans, Louisiana

We returned around noonish to the city after our Swamp Tour adventure.  Wow!  So much fun!  We walked into town looking for a place to eat before our second tour of the day.  The streets are old and they all feel kinda like back alleys ... a bit dirty and maybe like we shouldn't be seeing that part of town.

Adventure Time:

We'll combine adventure with where to eat for this one.  We read about Court of Two Sisters and headed that direction in the French Quarter.  We had no idea that this would be an activity in it's own right.  It was everything we wanted for our first trip to the South.  A huge buffet of all the yummiest dishes we had heard about.  Crawfish, catfish, red beans, jambalaya, bisquits, the best lemon cake along with other sweet treats.  The atmosphere is fabulous here with live jazz music being played.  We had a fun waitress who tried so hard to teach us how to eat the crawfish.  Brian was a quicker learner.  Ha!

Sure, we're a cute couple, but note the tree that covers
 the entire patio.  Such a great place for lunch!

 We had some time to enjoy the French Quarter.  A pretty cool vibe.  The architecture is beautiful and the music in every area was really fun.

Street musicians were everywhere

Jackson Square.  St Louis Cathedral

Beignets from Cafe de Monde.  Honestly, we
were too full for this stop, but it was a must.

Then we had to RUN to catch our bus for the city tour.  The tour guide was fun and had lots of fun stories.  Worth it for me to get a grasp of where everything was we had heard about.  Since we didn't have a lot of time, this was the perfect option.

We made 2 stops.  One at Cemetery No. 1 to learn of the history and why they bury their dead above ground.

Cemetery No. 1 

It just goes on and on .....

And the second stop at Seven Three Distilling Co.  This was really just a potty break.  Obviously, Brian and I weren't as excited as some of the tourists were for this stop.  But the barrels are pretty cool looking, eh?

The tour was really fun.  I didn't take pictures, but my favorite neighborhood was the Garden District.  A totally different feel.  Not as gritty as Bourbon St. in the French Quarter.

We really only had 1 day to experience all that New Orleans has to offer.  It's not really fair.  We concluded that we had a fabulous time and enjoyed the adventures we planned.  Neither have any desire to return, though.  Ha!  

Places to Eat:

   *  Mulates - This restaurant was suggested by a friend.  It was walking distance from the hotel.  The food was fine, but the atmosphere was fun.  It's a HUGE space, with local art on the wall.  Again with live music.  This time it was more folk type music.  The band brought their own dancers.

Had to try the charbroiled oysters

Tuesday, April 11 Part 1 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Swamp Tour

 I'm gonna be honest, Brian and I felt like we needed to visit this city, but neither of us were very excited about it.  We worked hard to find some specific activities to enjoy our day here in hopes that the visit would surpass our expectations.

Adventure Time:

We woke up EARLY to start our fun with a Swamp Tour.  They picked us up at our hotel.  One other guest of our hotel joined the tour.  He was traveling solo from Scotland.  Liam was a super fun addition.  On the van ride out to the swamp, we got a driver who was born and raised in New Orleans so she was able to point out lots of interesting sites outside the main city.  Including some of the damaged areas due to Hurricane Katrina.  The swamp tour was definitely the high light of our entire time in NOLA.

Full view of the swamp.

View of the bayou.

This is a big one, but not very old.

This little guy is young.  No mama around, thank
goodness.  The tour guide threw out marshmallows
to bring him closer to the boat.

These racoons are well trained.  They come 
right up to the water when they hear boats come.
They are lured by the marshmallows, as well.

Monday Night, April 10 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 On our drive to New Orleans, we were driving through Baton Rouge and had to stop to see the temple.

Places to Eat:

   *  Copeland's - I had shrimp and tasso pasta.  My first experience with tasso.  Still deciding if I liked it.  ha!

Monday, April 10 con't - Natchez, Mississippi

 Another day we got to take an odd road to reach our destination ... and it was gorgeous.  We were only on the Natchez Trace Parkway for about an hour and a half.  We were basically alone on this beautiful, tree filled road.  So peaceful.  

Adventure Time

Natchez is another city in Mississippi that was filled with wealthy plantation owners and beautiful antebellum homes.  I was torn between curiosity to see these amazing homes and worry that we were romanticizing this horrible time in our history where the lifestyle was only possible because of the horrors of slavery.  

We ended up visiting one of the several homes that were open for tour.  Longwood Mansion (click to see a video of the tour) is beautiful in the concept, but was never finished.  That kinda intrigued us.  The property is amazing.  We are here in April, the weather is cool and the bugs haven't begun to swarm.  It was idyllic to me, but I can't imagine how horrible it would be in the summer.  Ha!

 The driveway up to the home really took me back in time ... so beautiful and private.

The plan was so well drawn out.  Due to the Civil War, the home was never completed and the family's wealth was wiped out.  They only ever lived in the basement, but ohhhh what a basement it was.  

This was meant to be the main living floor.

Places to Eat

   *  The Camp Restaurant  -  Super chill place.  We sat outside and split a burger and the best bread pudding we've had.  Great view of the Mississippi River.