Savannah environs

Today I visited a few places outside of Savannah proper.

I first drove out to Bonaventre cemetery. This cemetery is recognized as one of the most beautiful in the world. It is filled with Live Oaks dripping with Spanish Moss and many other trees and shrubs as well. It is located on the edge of the Savannah River. I could see that many people were just enjoying the paths for recreation.

Next, I visited the Wormhole State Historic Site . Honestly the draw, and the most prominent visual feature, is the long entrance avenue shaded by the crossing branches of the iconic Live Oaks and Spanish Moss. Nevertheless, the site is historically significant. It contains the ruins of Wormsloe, the colonial estate of Noble Jones. Joes was a carpenter who arrived in Georgia with James Oglethorpe and the first group of settlers from England. Jones went on to serve the colony as a doctor, constable, Indian agent, Royal Councilor and surveyor, laying out the towns of Augusta and New Ebenezer. His home was constructed of “tabby ,” a building material made of equal parts lime, water, sand, oyster shells, and ash. It is the oldest standing structure in Savannah.

Finally, I drove out to Tybee Island. I had hoped to visit Warsaw National Wildlife Refuge , located on a barrier island, but finding passage on a boat to get out there turned out to be non-obvious. And with only two days, I noted it to visit another time. Tybee Island can be reached by car via bridges. It is a typical beach/surf town - laid back and funky. I spent some time on the South end of the island photographing the flocks of shorebirds and just sitting on a wooden bench swing enjoying the beach. I also spoke to Lisa and Andree (sp?) visiting from Toronto, and Phillip, visiting from Ohio.

I then drove over the North end of the Island to visit the historical lighthouse . I climbed to the top, which was not difficult. However, I found the catwalk quite scary, especially in the wind. You can see it is very narrow and supported only by brackets. I decided the views were not worth walking around it. The ones I captured from the windows were the same, and, at least this afternoon, not that great.

Tomorrow I head to Atlanta.

A few additional images can be found in the gallery.