SAVANNAH GA ... BEST OF THE BEST
One of the Top Ten American Travel Destinations for 2003
-- Conde' Nast Traveler Magazine
Top Ten Most Beautiful Places in America for 2003
-- The Squares of Savannah, USA WEEKEND MAGAZINE
Top 8 Places to Retire for 2003
-- MONEY Magazine
America's Best Places to Live for Architecture for 2003
-- Robb Report
America's Most Haunted City
-- American Institute of Parapsychology
Top 12 Trends Travel Hot spots of the World
-- New York Times
Top 200 Places in the Country
-- FORBES Magazine
Top 25 Places to Live and Work
-- Outlook Magazine
Top 10 Places to Watch a St. Patrick's Day Parade
-- USA Today
Top 10 Walking Cities
-- Walking Magazine
Top 10 Southeast Cities for Family Vacations
-- Family Fun Magazine
The Most Beautiful City in North America
-- LeMonde Newspaper, Paris
Hamilton-Turner Inn raises the curtain on upper class historic Savannah. The luxurious Savannah bed and breakfast mansion illustriously introduces a graceful Savannah Georgia – a city that balances history with world-class business and graceful charms. You may anticipate discovering that much of Savannah Georgia has evolved from imaginative innovation and a daringness to excel.
Visitors often say the Savannah vacation, stopover, or business trip is a soul refreshing encounter. Surely, one should anticipate that Savannah is likely to alter one's viewpoint during a family vacation, romantic getaway, or last minute holiday.
Hamilton-Turner Inn Is ‘Where to Stay In Savannah.' The social and family mansion of Samuel Hamilton – now a Savannah Georgia bed and breakfast on Lafayette Square -- is a most select answer to the question, “Where to stay in Savannah,” especially in historic Savannah's downtown. Indeed, the 1872 town manor home of prominent jeweler, businessman extraordinaire and handsome society magnate Hamilton offers an excellent first impression to a famously still evolving historic Savannah.
The historic mansion – the first building in Savannah to install electricity – is the prestigious home of one of Savannah's 19 th century movers and shakes. The mansion's happenings and its inhabitants have bestowed the sophisticated mansion with an approachable prominence and a continuing legacy -- “historically, the talk of the town.”
You will want to enrich your Savannah vacation, Savannah destination wedding, or Savannah business travel accommodations. The obvious question then becomes, “Where to stay in Savannah?” The answer is “Hamilton-Turner Inn.” The attentive staff at the luxury Savannah bed and breakfast will recommend entertainment and leisure at some of Savannah's best kept secret places.
Appealing to all the senses, the story of historic Savannah's weaves through sight, smell, touch and hearing, including an often unspoken work ethic evident from the early colonist's thriving live oak green spaces. Botanists were summoned to the fledging colony to attempt the manufacture of silk with Mulberry Tree groves, vineyards for wine, greenery and fragrant blossoming plants for beautification. Streetside and courtyard gardens include azaleas, magnolias, Confederate Jasmine, honeysuckle, hydrangea, gardenia, tea olives, paper whites, and Cherokee roses. The City of Savannah's Tree Commission seasonally refreshes the lush squares and manicured thoroughfares. The historic Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens is one of the Savannah 's hot must see, must do events each spring.
The Savannah Georgia vacation delivers fascination beyond the perception of the Georgia-based Scarlett O'Hara melodrama … far more than an eccentric Midnight in the Garden murder mystery characterization … far more than Forrest Gump's “life is a box of chocolates” … more than the Baggar Vance tale of Savannah golf … and even more than Johnny Mercer's melodious “Moon River” – a tune inspired by Mercer's hometown of Savannah Georgia.
A southern city of beauty and gardens. Founded in 1733 as a British Crown Colony, Savannah Georgia was designed with six public squares for the townspeople to meet while drawing water from public wells. Today, there are 24 squares in historic Savannah Georgia. Though elaborate fountains have replaced the wells, people of Savannah and the world still gather in the park-like settings now surrounded by landmarks. From your where-to-stay-in-Savannah lodging at Hamilton-Turner Inn, your welcoming view is of the historic Savannah gardens of Lafayette Square. Frommers advises, “The grid-shaped Historic District is best seen on foot -- the real point of your visit is to take leisurely strolls with frequent stops in the many squares.”
A city of work and innovation. Seeking a profitable crop, Eli Whitney's cotton gin facilitated that cotton could fill the southern plantation lands and Savannah River Street warehouses. A 19 th century phrase lingers -- “high cotton,” meaning to be wealthy came from the old south where cotton was one of the few cash crops when this country was first settled. High cotton is a reference to the tallest healthiest plants, which produced the most cotton. To be "in high cotton" is to have a valuable, bumper crop. More than any American city, the port of Savannah exported “King Cotton” from the Port of Savannah. The Cotton Exchange on Upper Factor's Walk became a pivotal place for international big port business. Tea trade with China opened world-class Far East merchandizing. Today container ships glide up and down the Savannah River to and from all corners of the world.
A people of imagination and daring to excel. Historic Savannah reflects the culmination of joint and single energies and imaginations. The result is a well-loved city with savvy yet genteel (for the most part) citizens. Johnny Mercer's swooning tunes, including “Moon River” projects the gentle refinement and leisure found in the sporty, casual lifestyle in Savannah Georgia. Georgia golf was first played in Savannah. (1)
Authors Conrad Aiken , Joel Chandler Harris (of “Uncle Remus” fame), Flannery O'Connor, Rosemary Daniell ("Fatal Flowers" and her latest "Confessions of a Female Chauvinist,"), and William C. Harris Jr . (“No Enemy But Time” and “Delirium of the Brave”) gained inspiration from Savannah. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas speaks proudly of his Pin Point (Savannah) Georgia heritage. Out of her childless marriage, Juliette Gordon Low, from her hometown of Savannah Georgia, selflessly launched an organization of 18 girls which now serves millions of girls worldwide. Florence Martus began greeting ships in 1887; today her “Waving Girl” statues waves from the Savannah River's edge.
Facilitating that cotton become a profitable crop, Eli Whitney created his cotton gin on Mulberry Grove, now on Georgia Ports Authority property. Samuel P. Hamilton brought electricity to the city, making his mansion (Hamilton-Turner Inn) on Abercorn Street the first building in the city with electricity. His Brush Electric & Power Company won the bid to light the first Savannah streets. Of his endeavor Hamilton said, “Savannah will be one of the best lit cities in the south.” Indeed it is. Timothy Daiss's book, “Rebels, Saints and Sinners” points -- in an easy to read narrative -- to the names we see or hear and gives an account of their contributions. Additional Savannah Georgia topics of interest.
A City With Sultry Southern Hospitality. The American dictator of correct behavior, as Emily Post was called in 1941, advised that etiquette was the art of making other people feel comfortable. Certainly, with $1 fines and a night in jail for sitting on the old city square's fencing, and a $5 fine for using vulgar language in the presence of a lady, the English colony of General James Oglethorpe's Savannah was staunch about its duty to maintain civility in its Georgia colony in North America. The success of the city's hometown food – Mrs. [Sema] Wilkes Boarding House, The Lady & Sons, Olde Pink House, Elizabeth's on 37 th … even the soul food of unpretentious Walls Bar-B-Que on York Lane … stand as alluring testament that tourists and journalists track down the best southern kitchen fare in Savannah's southern kitchens – from home style to fine dining fascinations.
A Classless Society. The Old Scottish Proverb gives insight into one of the under workings of a new America colony and one of its objectives to be a classless society: "Here's to you, as good as you are, And here's to me, as bad as I am; But as good as you are, and as bad as I am, I am as good as you are, as bad as I am." The Trustees desired for the Colony of Georgia to be without slavery, alcohol, lawyers and Catholics. Originally, also, only able bodied working men could be granted land leaseholds in the colony.
Savannah 's multicultural citizenry evolves. English families from England arrived on the ship Anne from England . Botanists were shipped in from Europe and England. Hebrew doctor families probably saved the colony through bouts of Yellow Fever and malaria. The oral histories, Gullah foods (rice, gumbo, okra, sesame) of the African slave are reflected especially in low country life. Jazz and blues have roots in Savannah's African neighborhoods. The free autumn Savannah Jazz Festival and Savannah Music Festival propel the city's quiet love of music onto center stage. Women were elevated in equality as they rallied in the Civil War effort. Thereafter, women could inherit property from their husbands – contrary to old inheritance to transfer only to male heirs. Irish Catholics, formerly specifically excluded from the Georgia colony, today invite the world to share their prominent heritage in annual St. Patrick's festivities on March 17 th. Scottish Games celebrate the pride of the Highlanders.
A light-hearted, storytelling town, a tad of Scottish humor might shed fresh light on the pride found in the various cultures. “An Englishman, roused by a Scot's scorn of his race, protested that he was born an Englishman and hoped to die an Englishman.” Man," scoffed the Scot, "hiv ye nae ambeetion?" New York author John Berendt published his city fascination in his best selling novel, “ Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” When asked what is unique about the south, Berendt gives an example to make his point. “Northerners would say, ‘Mrs. Jones put on her coat.' Southerners, however, would say, ‘Mrs. Jones put on her coat that was given to her by her third husband, who committed suicide.'” A stop for pie or breakfast at Clary's Cafe, the cultured Telfair Museum of Art, or the preservationist's haven of the Davenport House Museum will give the Savannah tourist a cross-section of insights on this phenomenon.
The Historic Savannah Landmark District honors the 2.5 miles of General James Oglethorpe's infamous planned city. Prepare to be awed by the architecture and craftsmanship. Could it be that Savannahians and avid history tourists fully partake of the Robert Louis Stevenson's Scottish sentiment about remembrance? "The mark of a Scot of all classes [is that] he ... remembers and cherishes the memory of his forebears, good or bad; and there burns alive in him a sense of identity with the dead even to the twentieth generation."
MUST DO MUST TRY EVENTS
March-April: Annual Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens
October: Oktoberfest
WHERE TO EAT IN SAVANNAH GEORGIA
A Vida , Savannah (wine bar)
The Bayou Cafe, Savannah
Bistro Savannah
Casbah, Savannah (Moroccan)
Clary's Cafe, Savannah
Elizabeth on 37th, Savannah
Gottlieb's Restaurant and Dessert Cafe; Fishman Reminiscing- Gottlieb's Bakery
Gryphon Tea Room, Savannah
Il Pasticcio, Savannah (Italian)
Island Breeze Jamaican, Savannah
Johnny Harris, Savannah
Lady and Sons, Savannah
Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room; Mrs. Wilkes Epicurious Recipes
The Olde Pink House, Savannah
The Pirates House, Savannah
The River House, Savannah River Street
Sapphire Grill, Savannah
The Shrimp Factory, Savannah River Street
Suzabelles, Savannah
The Toucan Cafe, Savannah southside
Wok Inn, Savannah (Chinese)
FUN EXCURSIONS NEARBY ** the Inn has a vast list of offerings, based on guest interest
Alex Raskin Antiques (0.08 miles)
Andrew Low House (0.14 miles)
Bonaventure Cemetery has spectacular moss-draped oaks, camellias, azaleas and dogwoods Originally a lavish plantation, the property became a cemetery in the early 1860s.
Dolphin Magic cruise & deep sea fishing (2)
Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home (0.17 miles)
Historic Railroad Shops
Massie Heritage Interpretation Center (0.13 miles) (2)
Mercer House Carriage Shop (0.09 miles)
Mercer House - On Monterey Square, this Italianate mansion is the centerpiece for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, providing the setting for Jim Williams' Christmas parties. It also was the shooting death scene of his assistant, with Williams tried four times before acquittal. The house already had a violent history, according to Williams. As the story goes, in 1913 a former resident had tripped on the stairs, fracturing a hip and suffering a concussion that proved fatal. While in the 1960s a boy met his demise while chasing pigeons and slipping off the roof to impale himself on iron fencing below 429 Bull Street.
Old Town Trolley
A Saunter in SavannahTour. Architectural Heritage by reservation only -- 912-234-3571
Savannah Sand Gnats (2)
Starbucks (0.51 miles)
Toysmart (0.35 miles) (2)
Tybee Island Lighthouse (2)
University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium (The) (2)
National Parks
NEARBY CITIES
Hilton Head Island, SC (22.3 miles)
Beaufort, SC (34.9 miles)
Statesboro, GA (47.2 miles)
Hampton, SC (55.0 miles)
Edisto Island, SC (58.2 miles)
“Hamilton Topics” … Perhaps of Interest:
(1) Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground located in the Partick area of Glasgow. It is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club. Hamilton Crescent is famous for holding the first ever football international match. This was held in 1872 between Scotland and England; the game resulted in a 0-0 draw. Further international matches were held here in 1874 and 1876. The Scottish Cup Final of 1877 was also held at Hamilton Crescent.
(2) Denotes Savannah family friendly, child friendly and kid friendly vacation activities
Photo Credits:
Andrew Low House © Georgia Department of Economic Development..
Carriage Tour at Hamilton-Turner Inn © Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Forsyth Park Wedding © Michael Moore Photography
Forbes and Outlook magazines call Savannah one of the top places in the country to live and work
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