Haunting Memories

The next day of my Savannah adventure started in the afternoon after work. We worked a short day because that evening we had to attend a work dinner. That meant that we had some time in the afternoon to explore. The guys had other things they wanted to do so my coworker, Kim and I took the rental car and drove to Bonaventure Cemetery. It was on the list of must-see locations on every Savannah travel guide I found.  

It is one of the most hauntingly beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen! (did you see what I did there?)

This cemetery is over 150 years old and is still in use today. It is filled with history. Several of Savannah's founders, Statesmen and soldiers are buried here. 

It's apparently one of the most photographed burial grounds in the country. Totally understandable. It's gorgeous. and we were there in the dead of winter. There were some trees in bloom, but I guess if you go at the right time of year it's covered in magnolias.

It's always been a tourist destination, but it was made famous by the book (and later movie) Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  I'd never heard of it- but I guess it was famous enough that they had to remove on of the monuments and put it in a local museum to keep it from being destroyed by visitors. 

It was something out of a story. I can't even describe it. The 250 year old oak trees draped in Spanish moss and white marble grave markers stained black with time. 

 We looked all over for a weeping angel, but there were none to be found... that day...

The graves of children always break my heart and Bonaventure is filled with many.  This one in partictular was very sweet. Gracie was the daughter of a local hotel owner and had run of the hotel (imagine a Victorian version of Eloise!) and was beloved by guests and residents. She died at the age of 6 and her statue was made from a photograph and is apparently a very good likeness.

We saw markers like this all around the cemetery and learned that they are markers of Confederate soldiers.

This area was particularly humbling. There was a significant Jewish  section.

One grave marker in particular was very sobering. Here are buried the ashes of hundreds of Holocaust victims. We were there the day after Rememberance Day- and you can see that many people were there and left markers, promising that they would never forget.

The map told us that these were the two oldest trees in the wood. They were not the largest- but that doesn't mean they can't be the oldest. 

This grave was absoluetly lovely with these amazing pink blooms growing all over it. January! It's January! Back home we're covered in snow and ice and these flowers are just blooming like they haven't a care in the world. 

There was only one person whose name I recognized in the cemetery so we made sure to search him down. 

 

This is the plot for the Mercer family. You may recognize the name Johnny Mercer. No? Well I'm sure you've heard some of his songs. He was a noted lyricist and won four Academy Awards for his words. You've heard "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's, "Jeepers Creepers" and I just learned that he wrote a Disney song- "The Phony King of England" from Robin Hood.

He also co-founded Capital Records. No big deal.

That evening we met with the management team from the hospital we'd been visiting. We had dinner at a restaurant called The Vault. You guys know me. You know I love a good theme. It was so cool! It was built in an old Bank of America.

They still have the old vault doors- and you can even reserve a table inside the vault.

Everything was decorated with banking in mind. The bathroom floor was paved in nickles. 

Nickles, guys! NICKELS!

 The decor on the wall and the very bar itself were both fashioned out of safety deposit boxes.

Sure it had atmosphere- but was the food any good? Yes! I had Turmeric  Chicken. Sooooo good!

Apparently their blood orange martinis are very potent... Long story short- I drove back to the hotel that night. Hooray for the designated driver!

The next day was another short work day and our last day as a group in the city. We had been wanting to eat at Paula Deen's. It wasn't far from our hotel so we walked there and had lunch.

The rest of my party all did the buffet- but since I had already done fried chicken, I wanted to try something else. I wanted good, comforting chicken pot pie. Isn't it the cutest pot pie you've ever seen?

And it was super yummy! The Lemonade was also incredible.

After lunch we took a drive to Tybee Island. Because, why not? Whenever you get the chance to see the ocean, you should absolutely take it!

It's January. And wasn't exactly bathing weather- but a cruddy day at the beach is still better than a regular day.  It was windy and cold- but I was in heaven.

The others wanted to find somewhere to have a drink. I walked with them for a while- but I would really rather hang out on the beach. So I ventured off alone and wandered the sand looking for shells.

I'm not sure if it was just because it was off season- but there were more shells than I've ever seen in my life! You didn't even have to look for them. They were just there, ripe for the picking. 

Sand is always a fascination with me. I don't know if you can tell- I know this photo doesn't do it justice- but you could see the detail of the shell fragments that made up the sand. Every grain of sand- every remnant of shell is a miracle to me. Can you imagine the places they've been? The things they've seen? the stories they could tell? Miracles I tell you. Miracles. 

I went back to find my crew and they were hanging out in a smoky bar. I sat with them for a while- but then thought, "what am I doing? There is a BEACH 30 yards away! Why am I sitting in a stinky bar?" So I went back to the pier and watched the cargo ships come in.  In my next life I'm coming back as a beach bum. 

That evening back in the historic district we took a haunted city tour.  It was about an hour and half long. They told us some fun stories as we drove through the city. We made two stops. The first was at the Andrew Low House. An example of genteel living during Savannah's prime. It was also the home of the Girl Scouts founder Juliet Gordon Low.

This chandelier was so beautiful.
After my life as a beach bum, I'm going to come back rich and live in a Victorian manor.

Even the Pianoforte was a work of art!

The children definitely had it well in this house. Even if the toys are the tiniest bit creepy. 

It held all the modern conveniences. This is the fanciest Victorian Era bathroom I've ever seen!

 Seriously though, those beds!

And the dining room was also impressive. 

The second stop on our tour was the Chandlery on River street. I didn't take pictures there because they said that the artifacts were too fragile and to please not expose them to light.

Can anyone smell the B.S?

They assured us over and over when we were buying out tickets for the tour that it was not a spook alley. I am a fan of the history. Do I believe in ghosts? sure- but do I think that they have nothing better to do than to hang around haunting their old stomping grounds? No. But I don't like to have things jump out at me.

They took us into the Perkins & Sons Ship Chandlery where I was hoping to see some nautical paraphernalia but instead they sat us down on some barrels and had a guy come out and tell ghost stories (that's not a problem- this was a ghost tour, after all) but when they started slamming doors, grabbing at people and trying to make grown men jump- I was done. It was like they were trying to give you a Disneyland experience... yeah.... no.

So for anyone who may be interested- don't go on this particular tour. It only scores a C- with me. My coworkers agreed. They were also a little disappointed in it. I'm glad I did it- don't get me wrong- but it's not one that I would do over and over.  Maybe a different tour company next time?

Anyway- that was the last night in the city. Sit tight in your seats for the ever so exciting last day.