A rather quiet square in the southwest corner of the Historic District canopied by about 20…read morebeautiful Live Oaks - the state tree. It's not uncommon to spot a wedding taking place in Chatham Square or SCAD textile design students studying. Some interesting facts about Chatham Square and surrounding buildings: *Chatham Square was laid out, along with neighboring Monterey Square, in 1847. Chatham Square is one of the last four in the expanding "Oglethorpe Plan" by city and Georgia colony founder General James Oglethorpe. *Chatham Square is named after Englishman William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, who was an early supporter of the Georgia colony. *in the center of the square you'll find a sundial dedicated to African American, Savannah native, Louis Burke Toomer. Additionally, a historical marker placed in his honor highlights Toomer's contributions as a leader, local bank founder and realtor. Toomer established what is now the Carver State Bank. *In 1854, Barnard Street Elementary School, a boys school, was built on the northwest corner of Chatham Square. *General Sherman's Union forces used Barnard Street Elementary as a military hospital during the Civil War. *In 1906, Mediterranean revival style Barnard Street School was constructed on the same site as the old Barnard Street Elementary School. It was designed by Swedish immigrant, architect Gottfrid L. Norman. *The Northwest corner of Chatham Square continues to serve academically. SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) purchased Barnard Street School in 1988. The renovated school is now Pepe Hall and houses SCAD's Textile design school. *Gordon Row, on the southeast corner, was one of Savannah's first housing developments. These Federalist or Regency style homes line the 100 block of Gordon Street and were built in phases between 1852 and 1854. Cost per home was $3,500-$4,000 and marketed to country planters or farmers who wanted a house in town during visits.

Chatham Square is unique in that it's a little out of the way of your main Squares and houses no…read moremonuments or statues. It makes up for that with beautiful floral gardens, large oaks covered in Spanish moss and a lovely sundial. It's a short walk from Liberty Street, full of hotels and restaurants within the historic district. Interesting fact: Chatham Square is one of the least visited squares and was one of the last of Savannah's squares to be laid out. It's named after William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham, the county Savannah resides in, and oddly enough, Chatham county was also named after William Pitt (but which was named first, I couldn't tell you. What you should look for when you visit: Barnard Street School, which used Chatham Square as their school playground for many years (the building is now part of SCAD). And "Gordon Row", a series of fifteen 4-story homes in a row. Square Review 2:22

Tybee Island was very nice and quint! There wasn't too many people and the locals were very nice!…read more It was the perfect quick little get away. I can't wait for another visit.

Can't believe I forgot to rate the Tybee Island Pier from a few months ago, but here we go. I was…read morein the Savannah area in late June and since I haven't been to an East Coast beach in probably 5-6 years I knew I needed to smell some salt water and absorb some beach vibes. My wife and I headed here around 11:30AM and after a little bit of a struggle snagging some parking, we were able to take a nice walk. Like most popular little beach areas, this place is pretty crowded but not so much that you want to avoid it at all costs. We walked up to the boardwalk area and took the long walk down the pier, it was really nice being able to be so far out without getting wet (we had a flight to catch, though I would of loved having a swim). The pier itself with full of families taking photos, people taking a walk, and the end was a fishing area where you could actually rent a pole, buy some bait, and enjoy some time sitting down and trying to catch something. We spent maybe a half hour or so strolling the boardwalk which also has a big room with some food options (ice cream included), before heading back to the car and heading down to the airport. Overall, Tybee Island Pier is a nice place to spend an afternoon and has plenty of activities to keep the whole family happy. At the time I was visiting, I thought I was moving here so we kind of rushed through what we did, but since I ended up NOT moving to Savannah I sure do look forward to flying out and taking this city in a bit at some point.

If you love history with a side of gorgeous scenery, Fort McAllister State Park is absolutely worth…read morethe stop. Fort McAllister is a Confederate earthen fort built along the Ogeechee River to protect Savannah during the Civil War. It's famous for for withstanding multiple Union naval attacks before ultimately falling during a land ambush in December 1864. By capturing the fort, Union forces had a clear path to the city of Savannah and kick-started Sherman's infamous March to the Sea. Today the park contains a visitors center, a small (but jampacked museum), campgrounds, the historical fort site, and more. The museum may be small, but it's packed with in-depth exhibits. You'll easily pass at least an hour here if you really take your time to read through everything. I especially loved the unexpected Henry Ford connection to the fort. Walking the grounds of the fort was the real highlight though. Fort McAllister is one of the best-preserved earthen forts from the Civil War, and you can explore the ramparts, cannons, and earthworks. Whether you're a casual visitor or a die-hard history buff, this park delivers a great walk in history's footsteps. Highly recommend carving out a few hours here!

Checked in for 5 days and nights 3/12-3/17…read more *Large Campsites* *Full Hook Up on some sites *Water and Electricity on all *Beautiful causeway to Savage Island *Expansive Salt Marshlands *Bring large amounts of bug repellents and spray *Historic Earthworks Fort* *Well cared for and maintained *Film, Museum and Open Buildings filled with history *Small Gift Shop *Nature Trails* *Nature Trails and observation points *Could be maintained much better and were impassable at many points We were camping when large weather system hit the campground. Rangers made sure to knock door to door and inform everyone that Tornadoes, hail, lightning and heavy winds were imminent. Went over safety plans. Definitely worth another trip. Thank you for the care and serenity with fauna and foliage. Please fix your trails. *All fees such as lot parking, museum, fort, boat ramp, kayaks etc are all EXTRA. Not included in your camping fee/lot fee. I would suggest that you consider one price because it felt cheap that even to park RV on paid lot required a parking fee. Made no sense and felt very cheap.

I really liked this statue, even though this story is amazingly sad. Luckily it was a stop on our…read moretrolley. We actually got off the trolley at one end of River Street and walked all the way to this end (which is about where this is). I would highly recommend stopping by and reading about this amazing story.

We smoked a nice cigar by the statue. It's right on the water. Such a sad story, she waited too…read morelong for that guy!

We were escaping traffic and detouring to get home and somehow got to cross this gorgeous bridge…read more It was built to fascinate and amaze people. We were certainly awed by the design and appearance of it.

Chippewa Square in Savannah is a really nice spot to slow down and take in some history. Sitting…read moreunder the shade of those big oak trees with the Spanish moss hanging down gives it that classic Savannah feel you expect. I liked the statue of James Oglethorpe in the center and how peaceful the whole area felt, even with people coming and going.

What's there to say? The trees, the architecture, the foliage, it's all absolutely beautiful. When…read morein Savannah definitely stop by!

After paying the nine dollars for a day pass to enter Sea Pines we followed the column of traffic…read moreheaded to Harbour Town, I've visited this location quite a bit over the years but it's been more than a decade and it seems not much has change except for the ridiculous amount of traffic on the island. I live in a tourist town in Florida so it's annoying but part of life in paradise. I guess the entrance fee covers your parking because it's all free once you pass the guard gates, all that's required is luck finding a space within a reasonable walking distance, I got lucky today being someone was pulling out just as I arrived at the preferred parking lot a stones throw from the pier. The pier is well constructed and offers some great views and a covered sitting area at the end. There are plenty of charter businesses that run parallel to the pier and a number of placards describing some of the local bird and sea inhabitants. I always spend some time on the local piers when visiting different areas they all seem to offer a few moments of serenity. There is also a walking beach close by that looks like it offers some shelling opportunities but today that option looks limited, I'm sure most visitors grab a few free souvenirs from here. It's a must do while visiting Harbour Town and this alone is worth the price of admission when considering the parking is free...

The perfect spot for your photo of the sunset on Hilton Head Island, there is no charge to visit…read morethe pier (you've already paid to enter Sea Pines) and you can easily get out over the water. We checked it out, took our pictures, and moved along. I think the Daufuskie Island Ferry might stop here, but certainly any number of harbor (harbour?) cruises depart and return from here. [Review 12424 overall, 2211 of 2019.]

The Georgia Historical Society is housed in Hodgson Hall, the headquarters and main library of the…read moreSociety and this building was designed by architect Detlef Lienau, being built in 1876. The Society itself was incorporated in 1839 and now holds the world's largest collection of materials germane to Georgia history. Hodgson Hall is a delightful building with a commodius interior and fine iron-work on the exterior, making a visit feel like a trip to a grand library at one of the world's great universities. Architect Lienau, though German-born, was one of the founders of the American Institute of Architects and though not as well-known as some of America's nineteenth-century architects, did some very innovative work including this building and it is fitting that the Historical Society is housed in a building of such note and merit. The collection itself is not only large but varied and while a lot of it understandably concerns the colonial and Civil War periods of Savannah's lengthy history, it also has interesting architectural and social content regarding the modern and contemporary history of the city and region. The Society also conducts frequent talks and events including special programs for schoolkids, partnerships with local colleges, and other efforts at outreach.

It's a beautiful, historic building, older than the whole city of Seattle (hey, Seattle is where I…read morelive, I can't avoid comparisons) (and yes, nearly all of the buildings in downtown Savannah are beatiful, old and historic, bear with me), and one of the perks of majoring in history at Armstrong in Savannah is that eventually you'll be admitted to the innermost sanctum of the Historical Society (after getting a membership, of course). You won't be able to do your Methodology paper without access to the boxes kept in a climate controlled environment that you have to sign for and can't leave the building with, but it's worth it to leaf through the 90 year old Grand Tour diary of the 10 year old son of a doctor who was one of the earliest users of the X-Ray. I think he died of radiation poisoning. Imagine that. It's a cool and quiet library with big wood tables, little lamps and a gallery running around the room. Just what you'd picture. The people working there are cool, quiet, smart and helpful, and if you appreciate libraries, history, books, and/or architecture, you should visit.