Some of the finest state campgrounds we’ve found are located in Georgia. However, Skidaway Island State Park is our favorite. It’s a beautiful spot located in a live oak hammock and surrounded by tidal salt marshes.
Part of the park’s appeal is its proximity to downtown Savannah. We were here last October but didn’t spend much time in the city. The park’s natural beauty kept us close to home.
We love biking and hiking the park trails and just relaxing around camp. That’s basically what we did during our last visit. This time we timed our stop to coincide with the Savannah Music Festival. The plan is to spend more time in the city attending concerts.
The festival venues are spread around the city. This year saw the addition of two new performance spaces, The Trustees Garden (a large outdoor space) and The Metal building. Our first show happened here.
The festival does not focus on one style of music, it’s motto is “A world of music. One city.” We took the opportunity to enjoy some bands from Africa.
James Edward Oglethorpe established the city of Savannah in 1733. Oglethorpe planned the city around a series of squares with streets laid out in a grid. Each square had a small community of colonists living around it. Originally six squares were set up and grew to twenty four squares. Today, Savannah includes twenty two of those original squares.
Savannah is a beautiful city that’s a joy to wander around in.
Savannah is a port city that was vital in supplying Confederate troops during the Civil War. When General Sherman rolled through Georgia he left a path of destruction. However, when he got to Savannah he spared the city. Sparing the city allowed the Union army to use the port to supply its troops and deprive the Confederates of supplies.
We’ve been lucky to have been able to visit Savannah on numerous occasions. While we enjoy revisiting favorite places we are always looking to find new spots. This trip we decided to checkout Savannah’s famous Bonaventure Cemetery where some of Savannah’s early residents are buried.
Oglethorpe’s original charter forbade slavery and guaranteed religious freedom in the colony. As a result many Jews elected to join the colony resulting in a Jewish section in the cemetery.
There’s also plenty of southern Gothic beauty to be found in the cemetery.
In between our explorations we are still attending music festival performances.
One of the perks of camping in a Georgia State Park is free admission to any other state park. We decided to travel south to Fort McAllistar for a hike on the Redbird Trail.
A lot of American History has occurred in and around Savannah. From colonial times, Revolutionary War, Civil War and the Civil Rights era history happened here.
Savannah is also home to a number of Art Galleries. Two of our favorites are the Jepson Center of the Arts and the SCAD Museum of Art.
The Savannah College of Art and Design has a large presence in Savannah. They have been active in preserving historic architecture throughout the city. The SCAD museum is housed in a former train station which makes for an interesting exhibition space.
Savannah is a uniquely beautiful city and that alone is a reason for a visit. As avid music lovers, having a great music festival was added incentive to stop by for a visit. When we realized one of our favorite piano jazz trios was part of the festival we booked our trip and bought concert tickets.
We’ve had a a wonderful stay in Savannah but it’s time to start heading west to New Orleans.
Tincan Travels 