Touring Savannah
As Oglethorpe understood in 1733, all expeditions require a
plan. Before embarking on any lengthy tour of our moss-draped city, make sure
you prepare a daypack of essentials. For your purposes, an umbrella, water
bottle, sunscreen, street map, and camera should suffice. By day, the dress
code for just about everything is tourist casual, so don’t forget to
include that souvenir sun visor from the gift store. If you want to beat the
heat, plan your visit between February and May; after that, temperatures climb
above 90 degrees.
During business hours, you will need to locate a parking
garage. Over 3000 parking meters are also ready and waiting… along
with the meter police. These timed parking reservations are stringently
enforced. Make sure you examine each meter carefully for time limits to avoid
fines or towing expenses. Check with Savannah Parking
Services for convenient, secure garage locations, pre-paid ‘smart
cards,’ and general parking information. Currently, Robinson and State
Street Garages advertise free parking all week from 6:00PM to 6:00AM. Now
you are ready to follow your interests where they lead.
Savannah’s picturesque landscape and historical
landmarks are wide-ranging in appeal. They also make for good business. Sign up
for a tour—or combination of tours—to broaden your knowledge of
art, history, culture, and our seacoast environment. Historic Downtown,
in particular, lends itself well to scenic tours of well-preserved squares,
homes, monuments, cathedrals, and displays of decorative ironwork. Be sure, however,
to call tour companies for current rates and reservations, as these vary
according to the season.
Take advantage of area experts. Personalized Tours of Savannah
will arrange a tour specific to your own special occasions or events.
Likewise, Tootsy Tours focuses
on African and Jewish Heritage. Walk alongside professional architects,
biologists, and historic preservationists. Check out S.C.A.D graduate Jonathan
Stalcup's new book Savannah Architectural Tours for a close look at architectural history, spanning
from Georgian to contemporary. Learn about the city at night, and the role electricity plays in architectural invention and evolution.
Ghost walks and cemetery tours are interesting additions to
the historical tours. With authentic ties to parapsychology in Savannah, Sixth Sense of Savannah dares to scare with a lively mix of local legend and eerie paranormal
testimonials. Perhaps less scary, but more spirited, is the Haunted Pub Tour,
guided by Cobblestone
Tours. Nightly (Mon-Sat) crawls depart from Moon River Brewing
Company and Molly Macpherson’s Scottish Pub. Click on Cobblestone tour
link for $5.00 coupon off the $10.00 admission. (Must be over 21 to
participate)
Cinefiles should zoom in on Savannah Movie Tours. Visit the
shooting locations of Bagger Vance, Cape Fear, Forces of
Nature, Forest Gump, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Something
To Talk About, and others. Your walking guide is filmmaker & tour
guide, Hollywood Ron Higgins.
When walking is not on the agenda, you may choose to hail an
environ-friendly bicycle taxi at Savannah Pedicab.
These charming rickshaws are a fun, quirky alternative to driving and
walking. You can also hoof it around town in a Viennese carriage. Carriage Tours of
Savannah provides old-fashioned horse-drawn rides around the downtown
and City Market areas. For those who prefer vintage engine power, Classic Car Tours
offers excursions to Bonaventure Cemetery, the haunted gravesite made famous by
John Berendt’s book and novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Couples can pick up a $10.00 coupon from their web site.
Larger groups may opt for a trolley tour. Old Savannah Tours &
Transportation includes mini-buses and limousines, in addition to the
open-air trolleys. Belles of Savannah is a new 3-hour tour, which
focuses on important women throughout Savannah history. Another new tour
spotlights southern dining entrepreneur Paula Deen, and ends with a marsh side
meal at Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House.
Exciting adventures are not limited to land, however.
Dolphin and fishing tours are also available for the seafarer. Standard Bay Charters
provides an outstanding list of environmental tour options. Docks for departure
and return are located at Isle of Hope, Skidaway Island, Thunderbolt, and River Street hotels. Additionally, Riverstreet Boat Cruises operates year round, and features an assortment of
theme-based tours, including services for corporate and educational purposes.
For interactive sleuthing, sign up for the Murder Afloat Mystery Cruise.
Immerse yourself in the saga as onboard actors unfold the drama and subsequent
crime.
Call well in advance to schedule a special tour package in Savannah. Ask about new tours and discounts for children or elderly. Whichever
service you employ, please remember to tip your guides accordingly.
Getting Hitched at the Davenport House
Q & A with Jamie Credle
Jamie Credle, director of the
Davenport House, provides a glimpse into the fascinating history behind this notable mansion and, furthermore, what makes its garden so special on Valentine’s Day. Located on Columbia Square at 324 East State Street in Savannah, the Isaiah Davenport House Museum is proud to have been honored with the
Preserve America Presidential Award, the highest national award honoring historic preservation achievement. (
The home is open for tours daily – Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. with the last tour beginning at 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. with the last tour beginning at 4 p.m.)
Q. The Davenport House rents the garden for weddings and special events all year round....Along those lines, I see that the home is also opening the garden on Valentine's Day and providing wedding ceremonies for a donation fee of one hundred dollars. This is such a charming idea. What should interested parties do if they are interested in the wedding? Do you anticipate a crowd? Who is administering the ceremony? Who is administering the Spanish-speaking ceremonies should they be needed?
A. Book a time. Convey the donation to the DH. Bring a marriage license.
(See official press release)
We had 8 couples last year and 7 couples the year before. I think if a couple does not want to get involved with a “bridezilla” scenario and wants quick beautiful place to get married the DH Valentine’s Day wedding offering is ideal. So I don’t know if there will be a crowd but we could book up all the spaces available.
Judge Harris Lewis is officiating all of the ceremonies, be they in English or Spanish.
Q. It says at your website that the original home owners (Sarah and Isaiah Davenport) "were familiar with the celebration of Valentine's Day as indicated by a watercolor of an entwined heart in daughter Cornelia's scrap book dated 1839." Is this scrapbook preserved at the home and available to view? Is there anything else people might like to know about the scrapbook and its contents?
A. The album it too fragile to be on view, but a photo of the heart is attached.
The museum has two scrapbooks from Davenport women. One belonged to Sarah Davenport. It was given to her by “a friend” in 1829. It is inscribed with that information. At that time Sarah was 40 and had lost her husband, mother and three of her children. She was managing alone with seven children. We also have Cornelia’s album which she had as a school girl of 15/16 years from the 1840. Reading the two albums is an instructive comparison –providing perspective of a woman and a girl at different phases of life. One has school girl notes and piece of corsages. The other has poetry about the wonder of Heaven and locks of hair from children, parents and a grandmother.
Q. Is there any chance that this will become a traditional annual event for the Davenport House? Does the house participate in or sponsor any other annual events?
A. It is an annual event as long as Judge Harris Lewis is available and willing.
We sponsor several annual programs:
“Potable Gold”: Savannah’s Madeira Tradition (on Friday and Saturday nights in February),
Savannah Garden and Antiques Expo – April 4 - 7 (which we share with our parent organization Historic Savannah Foundation),
Junior Interpreter program and Junior Interpreter Day – in the summer,
living history programs on Friday and Saturday evenings in October (Dreadful Pestilence: Encountering Yellow Fever (2003-2006) and The World of Savannah in 1824/2007),
Holiday Evening Tours by Candlelight (the week between Christmas and New Year’s) – we also do a different interpretation of the house during the December (New Year’s during the 1820s)
New this March will be “Tea at Mrs. Davenport’s” on Thursday afternoons in March and “Tea in the Garden” on Thursday afternoons in May
Q. I understand the Davenport home underwent several renovations, first to save it from demolition and more recently to give it 1820's authenticity. Was the museum closed during that time? What was involved in returning the home to its 1820's appeal?
A. The Davenport House was not closed during its restoration which occurred between 2000 and 2003. It is part of our job to educate the public on the value of preservation so having our visitors see it in progress was a plus. In order to return the house to the 1820s appearance historical research and preservation science (paint analysis, etc.) had to take place to determine what was originally there. Then a decision making process had to take place – to determine what exactly would be done. The museum hired a scholar to use the materials the museum had already put together to come up with a scheme for wall coverings, window treatments, etc. And, very importantly, “infrastructure” rehabilitation took place too – a new HVAC system was put in. The floor was done and the wall revaluated. Plaster was repaired
Q. How many people are involved in the day to day operation of the house?
A. A director, a Museum Associate, Shop Manager, Volunteer Coordinator/Head Docent, Maintenance Technician, Volunteer docents 4 a day (two shifts 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m.), A shop assistant – so 8.
Q. What is your involvement with the home? How long have you been involved with the organization? Do you personally give tours of the home?
A. I manage the operations of the house. I have been director for 5 years. I give tours when need be though we have a wonderful group of volunteers and staff docents who do them with regularity.
Q. Is there one thing you are asked most often about the home?
A. How much would it cost to build the DH today? How much did it cost back then?
. . . and for the answers to those questions - head on over and enjoy the tour!
Q and A with Jonathan Stalcup,
author of new book Savannah Architectural Tours
(with photographs by Elizabeth Osterberger)
Q. Can you tell us a little about your early introduction to the subject of architecture? Were you fascinated with design from an early age?
Did your childhood geography play any role in the development of your interest?
A. As a child I loved playing with Lincoln logs, Lego and any other kind of building toys. I enjoyed drawing buildings and began using a computer for this purpose by the age of 10. Books were a large part of my childhood experience and with them I discovered a wide array of architecture.
Growing up in Madison County, Iowa meant many wood frame structures, limestone construction and the occasional covered bridge surrounded me. Des Moines was a short trip away and exposed me to great examples from the 19th and 20th century and even a 16th century English hall taken from the King’s House in Salisbury, England.
Q. You are a graduate of The Savannah College of Art and Design, a school that has done so much to renew and preserve the city. How did you incorporate the city in your studies? Are there any specific local buildings you studied (or worked on) while at SCAD? For those who might be interested in following in your footsteps, can you elaborate any on the master’s program you completed?
A. My degree is in design, but I was also able to take several history and preservation classes. I gave tours at the Owens-Thomas House almost the entire time I was a student and wrote a paper on the Bulloch-Habersham House. William Jay designed both houses but the later was demolished in the early 20th century. I also wrote a paper on the First Federal Savings Bank, now the Broughton Street Municipal Building. In the process I gained a greater appreciation for Functionalism and a greater knowledge of the research process necessary for the work I do now.
Q. When did you start your touring business, Architectural Tours of Savannah? What were/are some of the challenges of the job? What do you find most gratifying about the work?
A. I started putting together the tours after graduating from SCAD in 2004. While there are a few challenges, perhaps one of the worst is standing outside for 2 hours on a cold, rainy day. At the same time I meet many interesting people and you never know who will be on a tour even in bad weather.
Q.The book seems a natural extension of your work. Does the book take us deeper into the history of the city? How did you decide upon the three specific tours? What differentiates one tour from another?
A. Going with me on an actual tour connects all the buildings and periods together in a narrative and the book allows you to see many more examples from the city. I divided the Landmark and Victorian Districts into three sections and laid out a suggested tour for each. Some of the buildings I cover in person didn’t make it into the book and several of the buildings in the book aren’t on my regular route.
Q. What are a few of your favorite architectural locations in Savannah?
A. The entire Landmark District functions as an architectural location so it’s hard to pick out specific building, but of course I love the Owens-Thomas House and William Jay’s other buildings. The old County Courthouse by William Preston is constantly surprising me with new details I’ve overlooked before. There are fantastic buildings in every district including the Victorian, Streetcar neighborhoods, Chatham Crescent and Ardsley Park. It may surprise you that I’m even a fan of a small white building on the southeast corner of Abercorn and DeRenne.
Q.You must meet people from all walks of life guiding architectural tours. What’s the funniest or strangest question a tourist has ever asked you?
A. The funniest question I’ve heard from a tourist was actually directed at another docent in the Owens-Thomas house and that is, “Was the river here when the city was founded?”
Q. Are there any stories from the famous architects associated with Savannah...notes or frustrations involved with their constructions?
A. Always! Perhaps the most famous is the Custom House. Charles Blaney Cluskey lived in Savannah and the citizens expected him receive the commission. Instead it went to New York architect John Norris. Cluskey moved to Washington D.C. and Norris moved to Savannah. Less well known be even more dramatic visually is the transformation forced on William Gibbons Preston’s design for the County Courthouse. The building is now a story higher than he intended, it is covered in brick instead of the rough hewn stone he wanted and there is no longer an entrance on President Street.
Q. Do you plan to write another book?
A. I’m already working on it!
Q. What do you think about the Jepson? Some people did not welcome its style...said it didn’t mesh with the theme of the city.
A. The answer to this question could be an entire article on its own. Savannah is a living city and never halted construction after a specific style. Almost every major movement in architecture from the country’s history is represented in the Landmark District. I feel the more important questions to ask of new architecture, rather than if it fits visually are; was anything removed in order to construct it, how well does it fit within Oglethorpe’s plan of streets, squares and wards and how sustainable is it? Safdie's design for the Jepson Center is definitely a response to Oglethorpe's plan. Many of its elements are based on both the original city layout and the existing urban context. At this point I wouldn't say it's all that sustainable or "green" but it wouldn't take much to get it there.
Q. What’s on your ipod?
A. Aside from tons of music, there’s an audio tour of Millennium Park from the last time I was in Chicago.
Q. What do you think are the tourists favorite spots?
A. Bull Street and River Street seem to act like magnets for tourists. They are important promenades of course, but there is so much more to see in Savannah.
Q. Do people bug you about ghosts and pirates?
A. While some people do ask what tours they should take in the evening, the only ghosts they’re usually thinking about while they’re with me are from lost buildings.
Visit Jonathan Stalcup's website: www.ArchitecturalSavannah.com
Touring Savannah on a Shoe String
City Trex, LLC has announced it will be offering a selection of new downloadable audio tours of Savannah’s Historic District for $.99 each beginning October 15th.
The tours, narrated by locally licensed guides, will be available on Apple’s iTune Store for download to an array of handheld music players, cellphones and Apple’s new iPod “Touch” which are all hitting the market for the holidays. Dubbing them, ShoeString Tours, they are approximately three minutes duration says company CEO, Phil Sellers. “Think of them as samples or snacks of a more complete tour experience. Link about ten or eleven of these ShoeString Tours together for a complete 30 minute tour album or customize a tour based on time available or personal interest.” Some of the ShoeString Tours categories being offered include a Cemetery & Ghost Tour, African American History Tour, The 22 Squares Tour, Music After Dark Tour, and Savannah’s Unsolved Mysteries Tour.
ShoeString Tours will be tested in Savannah then expand into cities nationally says Sellers. “Savannah, Georgia is a living laboratory for testing inventive tourism products and services. The city is compact and widely popular with most traveling demographics.” says Sellers. ShoeString Tours will augment City Trex’s growing inventory of full length digital iTours priced from $5.00 to $14.00.
City Trex, LLC is an innovative applications developer based in Savannah, Georgia engaged in producing and marketing rich-media digital experiences for playback on popular handheld devices. The company recently acquired iTour Savannah and offers digital tours of Savannah, GA, Charleston, SC, and Beaufort, SC. More information can be found at www.itoursavannah.com
Square Routes
Most people who tour Savannah’s parks and squares appreciate a brief historical background first. If this is not your cup of tea, scroll down to How About Lafayette Square for area highlights.
Savannah (its name derived from the Indian word for river, “Shawnee”) is America’s 13th colony, planned and then founded, in 1733, by General James Oglethorpe. With help from local native Tomochichi, the city took shape. Subsequently settled and farmed by freed English debtors and the religiously persecuted (slavery, Catholics and alcohol were banned early on-- I’m guessing this annoyed many), its colonizers worked hard to establish an ordered society. All of this, and pirates lurked at sea!
A warm and surrendering town, Savannah raised the white flag in 1779 to the British, and again to Sherman in 1864. Savannah must have been a cool Christmas present for Lincoln. He probably had enough hats already.
With the invention of the cotton gin and plenty of slave work, Savannah enjoyed economic growth in the early 19th century, producing rice, silk, tobacco and cotton for trade. This is also when those enormous and architecturally stunning homes were built. It was THE place to be, unless, of course, you were a lowly worm on the Mulberry Tree of Life.
The twentieth century brought with it depression and, later, revitalization. The birth of restoration began as the Historic Savannah Foundation creatively organized renovation and preservation efforts in the 1950’s. Since then, the city has undergone a series of changes—including the expansion of Savannah’s premier art college, SCAD—all culminating in an even more beautiful and prosperous downtown, from its lofts to its sidewalks.
Serious history and design fanatics will want to spend more than a few days in the area, but visitors can glean a fundamental appreciation of the squares (miniature parks, actually) in a matter of hours, really… so get going. Pick a square, any square…
How about Lafayette Square?
Located on Abercorn, between Charlton and Harris, Lafayette Square is named for the Marquis de Lafayette (Marie Jean Paul Joseph Roche Yves Gilbert du Motier, to be completely accurate), a French noble who, ultimately, helped bring about the British surrender at Yorktown. If you are in town for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, this is considered a great square for families and Irish Catholics, since it is also home to The Roman Catholic Cathedral of John the Bapist.
SERIOUS readers should not overlook The Flannery O’Conner Childhood Home. Known for her exploration of Catholic spirituality through the use of Southern “grotesque” imagery and violence, O’Connor is now an iconic Southern literary figure.
Currently closed for renovations, this simple 3-story building is quietly nestled at 207 East Charlton St. It’s here that she trained her pet chicken to walk backwards! (Yes, a good chicken is hard to find.) Stop by in September when it reopens for tours.
Lafayette Square is also the location of the Hamilton-Turner Mansion. Some readers may also enjoy the mansion’s notoriety as the home of Joe Odom in John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Local Savannahians may still remember their Halloween ghost tours. These days it is a luxurious bed & breakfast. You may want to walk through the square at night, where you can see it aglow.
The Low-Colonial Dames House is another draw to the area. Designed by John Norris for Andrew Low in 1847, the home is also famous for being the home of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts.
You are bound to discover Lafayette Square at some point in your Savannah experience. For many locals and students, it’s just a nice park in which to relax and eat lunch. The centerpiece fountain was added by the Colonial Dames of America.
The Telfair, a Savannah Tradition
Museum culture is alive and well in historic-minded Savannah. Still working to connect our past to our present, The Telfair Museum now comprises three prominent buildings, whose architectural innovation spans nearly two centuries. Tours of The Owens-Thomas House and The Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences are offered daily. ($6.00-adults; $4.00 -students).
The Jepson
Center for the Arts is the most recent addition to the
Telfair community; it is also, arguably, the most spectacular. Architect Moshe
Safdie’s 30 million dollar creation allows for exponential growth and education
in the fine arts. Check out their calendar for what’s new to view and do.
Children are encouraged to experience art here as well. The
Jepson Center widens the creative lens to deal with a growing demand from
families for child-centered activities and discovery. Artzeum addresses
that concern with hands-on, interactive activities that take the art out of the
frame and place it in the children’s hands.
Other exhibits at the
Jepson include Marcus Kenney: Topics in American History, which
runs through Sept. 16. Kenny,
a local, well-established Savannah artist, works in mixed-media. His work holds
notoriety for addressing cultural and political issues. Also, New
Directions in American Drawing,
reflections on the art of drawing, runs through Sept. 22nd.
If you choose to spend
the afternoon here, there is also a museum store and café available.
Savannah Tour of Homes
