2019 SouthWest: Savannah and the beach...awesome! ~ Route Alto 80

On our Hwy 84 drive back east, we looked at the map and realized that the 84 continues all the way to the east coast at Savannah Georgia, and by just adding a day to our drive, we could dip our toes in the Atlantic, and see what we have heard to be a beautiful historic city.

We drove into Savannah on Hwy 80, which to our surprise upon entering the city, the road changed to boulevards with huge ‘live oak’ tree canopies, enveloping the entire width of the road, with Spanish moss trailing down. Also both sides of the boulevards were lined with stately historic homes, what a wonderful introduction to the city...

On short notice we were unable to get a site in the local state park, so we splurged and booked a few nights at the only campsite on Tybee Island. We had read that Tybee Island is where all Savannah locals go for ocean beaches, and camping there would enable us to walk to a long white sand beach, and also to explore Tybee’s cool little seaside town and downtown Savannah would only be a short drive away. We arrived at River’s End Campground, and although the place was packed, and the sites a tad tight, our little spot turned out to be just perfect for us. It got a lot of afternoon shade from the huge live oaks, even though it was a bit open to the park road.

Tybee waterpower...unfortunately festooned with antennas

After we got settled in, we walked the Main Street in Tybee, and soon found ourselves in a funky little watering hole. A couple of their local craft beers and a casual bite to eat rounded out the day.

cute little cottage shops in Tybee

another east/west highway

As we have done in other beach towns, we rented a golf cart and totally explored the little island. Typical to most beach towns, it was loaded with stores selling souvenirs and beach paraphernalia, and little bars to drop into. It had a nice beach vibe.

Tybee town core

Tybee South Beach

cute little Boler...woefully neglected

Our afternoon was spent walking the beach and sitting on the sand. A number of container ships slowly made their way into the Savannah River, fascinating to see them loom larger as they moved in closer. Most of the larger ships have to sit out for hours along the horizon, waiting for high tide in order for the water in the Savannah River to rise enough for the ships to reach the port. The port has to dredge the river daily to keep it from filling in. We were told by a gentleman, who saw us staring at the ships, that Savannah is the third largest container port in America, and paused to provide us with this bit of little maritime history.

A morning walk on the beach is always nice...less people and more wildlife.

this jetty is unseen at high tide

making the climb...

a plover surveys the beach

beach flow sculptures

heading into the river mouth on the way to port

great to see the light still operating

The next morning we headed downtown to explore Savannah’s historic district, which was founded in 1733. The architecture is amazing...huge houses with wrap around verandas, mostly in pastel colours, buildings that looked just as they did hundreds of years ago, all stately and formal. We could not see a skyscraper within sight of the downtown, and it is very apparent that Savannah has always placed much value and importance on all their historical buildings, and without exaggeration, it is breathtakingly beautiful.

fabulous southern homes

lots of ornate details

Walking the cobblestone streets along the waterfront, River St. and the Factor’s Walk, which are lined with the original buildings and interesting facades, brings one back to the 1700’s.

Savannah Cotton Exchange building

the dome on the City Hall

River Street

Added to the beauty within the historic district is the 23 historical lush treed parks called ‘Squares’ that run centrally through the district (every 2-4 blocks).