Beautiful Beaufort SC 5-13-09

This is beautiful Beaufort SC as opposed to Beaufort (pronounced bo-fort) NC—folks in this area are pretty particular about the difference. This town is always on the list of historical towns to visit and has earned its place through the diligent work of the Beaufort Historical Society and homeowners preserving over 200 homes. If you are here in late October, you can attend the House and Garden Tour and gain entrance into these magnificent homes. The John Mark Verdier House Museum is open all year and you can see the historic renovation of this Federal-style home.

There is so much history in this compact town. Beaufort was a hotbed of sedition advocating that SC secede from the Union and it is ironic that when the Civil War started, Beaufort was taken quickly and used as a regional Union Army Headquarters for 4 years, but this spared the town from being gutted. It is fascinating to walk through the St. Helena’s Episcopal Church cemetery which became a hospital during the war and its tombstones were used as operating tables.

We took a carriage ride through the historic district and our tour guide, Bill, made history come alive. His horse Duke was quite taken with Bob and wondered if he was going to get a carrot for all his efforts. Here’s a picture of the Joseph Johnson House (The Castle) which occupies an entire city block, is surrounded by lush gardens and reportedly sold for a reduced price of 2.65 million. The last picture is the Party House which was a club for wealthy landowners.

One of our favorite authors, Pat Conroy, was born here and it is easy to see why Beaufort would be used as a backdrop when his books (The Great Santini, Prince of Tides) were made into movies. The town was also featured in The Big Chill and Forest Gump.

Sightseeing in Savannah 5/10/09

Here’s a picture of the flattop salt marshes of the GA ICW at sunrise. It is quiet here in the morning except for the distant call of birds, dolphins snorting as they surface and fish jumping. We split the trip to Savannah into 2 parts with a longer 66 mile day to Kilkenny with a rising tide and had no problems with Mud River. The next day was a short hop to Savannah through Hell’s Gate which was being dredged so this section should be much better in the future.

Savannah is another southern city rich with hospitality, food and history. James Oglethorpe founded the city in 1733, planned it around 4 squares which subsequently expanded to 24 and thought that it would prosper if there were no lawyers, whisky, slaves or Catholics. Things have really changed as modern Savannah has the second largest St. Patrick’s Day in the nation complete with a Mardi Gras style party for 400,000. Savannah also bills itself as America’s Most Haunted City and has the ghost tours to prove it. With its tragic and violent past history of war, fires, epidemics and sensational murders (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), spirits are here if you are receptive.

Summer has definitely come to Savannah this Mother’s Day weekend with temperatures in the 90’s and we cold blooded Minnesotans were wilting a bit. We took the Oglethorpe Trolley tour to get orientated and then over the next 2 days, took 3 Savannah Walks tours highlighting Civil War history, the amazing Colonial, antebellum and Victorian architecture, the gardens and ghosts. To cool down, we toured the air conditioned Maritime Museum and Savannah Museum as well as grazed in restaurants on fried green tomatoes, grits, collard greens, and anything pecan. Paula Dean, the fabulous GA cooking show host, was in town but we could not get a table at her restaurant, Lady and Sons. Next time.

Since we had a rental car, we had time to go to the Sea Turtle Research Center. Only 1 in 4,000 hatchlings live to reproductive age and it is amazing to see the work the center is doing with sea turtles that have been injured or ill.

We were glad to catch up with Dan and Deb on “Freedom” and will probably see them again soon in Charleston. We stayed at Isle of Hope Marina which worked out well. They even sponsored a barbeque lunch on Saturday.