Savannah Vacation News

Rolling in your sweet baby’s arms – Tying the knot on Valentine’s Day

Once again the Historic Savannah Foundation’s Davenport House Museum has put together a really special event for this coming Valentine’s Day at their State Street location in the landmark historic district. They are encouraging couples to get married in the Davenport House Museum’s beautiful garden as they join with other couples in creating a memory that will undoubtedly last a lifetime. No mystery here as to the geography as Savannah is a southeastern leader when it comes to Destination Weddings, but the number of planned weddings now that's another thing all together.

On Wednesday, February 14 of this year, Davenport House Museum has convinced Judge Harris Lewis of the Chatham County Probate Court to officiate an extraordinary number of wedding ceremonies on site in the Museum Garden.   The good Judge will perform wedding ceremonies scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. and run through 7 p.m., with ceremonies planned to take place every 10 minutes. Judge Lewis has donated his time and services in this unique manner to the Davenport House for a suggested donation of $100 to the museum. Couples who bring a valid marriage license, which does not require a waiting period or a blood test in the state of Georgia, may call (912) 236-8097 to reserve their ceremony time. The ceremony can be conducted in English or Spanish. In the event of rain, ceremonies will be performed on the back porch of the museum, overlooking the Garden. While we would be the first to admit Savannah will certainly never be confused with Las Vegas (another Destination Wedding Mecca), and what you do in Savannah may not necessarily remain in Savannah, we do, however, submit for your consideration one undeniable premise, you would be hard pressed to find a more creative bunch of hospitality industry professionals that engender such intimately rendered ambiance as that consistently provided in the jewel of coastal Georgia, Savannah’s Historic District.

Juliette Gordon Lowe Birthplace holding Sojourn in Savannah

The Juliette Gordon Lowe House is sponsoring their “Sojourn in Savannah” in February as part of a collaboration to bring Girl Scout Troop principals together throughout the country with Savannah based hospitality industry professionals.  For those troop leaders that have the foresight to attend this February 23rd through February 25th exhibit in anticipation of their own “Birthplace Bound” excursion later in the year, it promises to be a worthwhile effort to put a wide variety of Savannah hospitality Businesses directly in touch with Girl Scout Troops nationwide.  And of course, these businesses will be in attendance while manning their booths do cater to the robust number of Girl Scouts that make the journey to the Hostess City throughout the year during their Birth Place bound visit to the Girl Scout founder, Juliette Gordon Lowe’s family home.

The sojourn will be held at the Lutheran Church of the Ascension just off of Wright Square at 120 Bull Street for three straight days and promises to be a worthwhile event for all participants.  For more information or to make reservations, call (912) 233 - 4501 or e-mail jbush@girlscouts.org. 

Happy sixty-fifth Mighty Eighth, don’t ever retire!

Savannah's original air force, The Mighty Eighth Air Force will celebrate their 65th Anniversary in a few weeks on Friday, February 2nd. The ceremony will take place at the American Legion Post located at 1108 Bull Street beginning at 10:00 A.M. in the Victorian District. The Eighth Bomber Command was activated as part of the U.S. Army Air Forces on January 28, 1942 in this same building. One month after opening, Brigadier General Ira C. Eaker moved the headquarters from stateside to England as part of the allied strategy to prepare for their joint effort of conducting aerial bombardment missions against Nazi occupied Europe. During World War II the Eighth Air Force became the greatest air armada in history with a force of over 200,000 men.

At its peak the Eighth Air Force could dispatch more than 2,000 four engine bombers and 1,000 fighters on a single mission, hence the well deserved name “the Mighty Eighth.” During the ceremony, at 10:20 A.M., there will be a B-17 flyover from the Savannah River south down Bull Street cutting right down the middle of the landmark historic district, topside. After the ceremony there will be refreshments and entertainment inside the American Legion building. Later Friday evening the day’s celebration will include a Film Festival at the Trustees Theater, located at 216 E. Broughton Street, showing the World War II exploits of the Mighty Eighth. This event is designed for both young and old. After each film there will be a discussion with audience participation as veterans of the Mighty Eighth will share their stories and their history. One of the feature films that will be shown is the original 'The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress.' The events begin with entertainment at 5:00 P.M. outside the theater with the Film Festival beginning at 6:00 P.M.  And of course, as always, the museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force is open to the public off of Interstate 95 the rest of the year.

Savannah's St. Patrick's Day Parade Information

St. Patrick’s Day will be here before you know it, and what better place to spend it than in Savannah. The official web site of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Savannah says:

The 2007 parade will take place on Saturday morning March 17th. This will be the 183rd edition of the parade. This parade has attained the distinction of being one of the top 20 special events in the Southeastern United States. It has also been named the second largest Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the United States and rates as the largest annual single day celebration in the Southeastern United States.

The parade begins at 10:15 a.m. at Abercorn and Gwinnett Streets.  For more information call (912) 233-4804.

Over the coming weeks we’ll feature some of the great events taking place over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Savannah.

Online Concierge Service teams up with one of Charleston’s Finest Hotels

As discerning travelers head north to Charleston after leaving Savannah's historic district in search of similar exquisite lodging options and stellar services as they just experienced in Savannah, an upscale hotel accommodation is possibly in order. One of the most luxurious hotels in Charleston, S.C., Charleston Place, has teamed up with Gold Key Solutions, an online Concierge Service to deliver the most upscale of services to luxury loving visitors to Charleston’s Landmark Historic district as more and more of these discriminating travelers look for the best possible experience in their getaway excursions to the Lowcountry.

Charleston Place offers their very own award-winning Charleston Grill restaurant conveniently located on site in close proximity to all the beautifully appointed rooms and suites. In keeping with their commitment to excellence, their award winning spa has also been named by Travel + Leisure readers as the “Top City Hotel Spa in the United Sates and Canada.” So it was no surprise when Gold Key Solutions sought to enhance their services and staff communications by creating orderliness as well as accuracy in a big picture manner by streamlining their entire Concierge process for Luxury Living Destinations such as Charleston Place. Their Windows-based software application increases staff efficiency and reduces expenses by automating all guest services activities and reporting which allows managers to put in place a standard of excellence that may be continually refined. Stay tuned as their Concierge Assistant will increasingly become wider used by residential living properties and professional concierge companies that are committed to delivering the very best in optimized services to their more refined clients.

Savannah travelers invited to read The South Magazine online

A trendy new magazine is undergoing a celebratory milestone, their first year anniversary since being launched last year. The South Magazine has captured many readers attention over their inaugural launch with their trendy cutting edge magazine documenting an emerging new South with a skillful blending of art, history, personalities, and commerce interspersed with striking images in a highly readable format – Think Vanity Fair without all the pages of fashion advertisements bought to you from Bull and Broughton Street rather than Madison and Park Avenue. Enjoy reading this important local resource to gain an appreciation of Savannah and the Lowcountry as The South Magazine stakes out their importance to coastal Georgia and the surrounding Southeastern United States in this recent press release excerpt.

Labeled “the style of the new south”, The South magazine is a regional publication featuring Savannah and the coastal Southeast with a sublime blend of inescapable tradition and refined modern growth. Using crisp, fresh design, award-winning photography, and editorial that covers all aspects of life in the region, TSM appeals to every reader with a fun and sophisticated approach to the distinct lifestyle of the contemporary Southerner while highlighting the ‘Who’s Who’ of Savannah. The magazine, started by publisher Michael Brooks following his success with Albany magazine, first hit the streets in February 2006 offering stories of Savannah and the life surrounding it. To date over 100,000 print copies have been distributed in over 18 states.

So if you are interested in whetting your appetite for visiting Savannah and the Low Country in the coming high season, it is difficult to improve on this edgy reading material to put you in the mood.

Historic Day Tripping north to the Historic City of Beaufort, S. C.

Less than an hour's drive north up Interstate 95 into South Carolina across the Savannah River, many history loving tourists drop in on the historic old town of Beaufort, with its picturesque waterfront park, picture perfect downtown, and lesser known historic district. Lying across Port Royal Sound from the upscale playground of Savannah’s historic district neighbor Hilton Head Island with its beaches and world class golfing, tennis, and shopping, this is an important history filled destination for day tripping Civil War aficionados separated by only an island north between these two historic districts.

Back in the day, Beaufort S. C. was right in the thick of things in the weeks and months that led up to South Carolina’s decision to secede from the Union. The first meeting to draft the Ordinance of Secession was held at the  Historic Milton Maxey House, better known today as the Secession House. The bad news for residents of Beaufort and surrounding area was that as a result of this behavior, this coastal city was an early target of the Federal forces.

When South Carolina seceded from the Union in late 1860, less than a year later, a Union fleet circled Port Royal Sound putting all the settlements in the area under bombardment according to a history of Beaufort.  By noon of November 7th, the Confederate Rebels being outgunned knew the battle was lost and withdrew. Hilton Head Island fell. Pinckney Island was occupied soon afterward as nearly 80 Union ships arrived in the area from Virginia. Once reaching Port Royal with almost 14 Thousand troops and laborers along with 1500 horses to begin the blockade of the South, there were consequences for the South Carolina’s decision to secede from the Union. And this early Union victory sealed the fate of Savannah and coastal South Carolina below Charleston as the Union maintained a military presence until the end of the Civil War in 1865. Now that we have piqued your interest, tour Secession House in Beaufort’s Historic District. Up for a day trip out of Savannah anyone?

Two Traveling Art Exhibitions available at SCAD Facilities in Historic District

A recent Savannah Morning News Article had an interview with two Savannah College of Art and Design professors that are responsible for two traveling shows coming to SCAD facilities within the historic district through the month of January. Poetter Hall on Bull Street is showing assorted typography works of Graphic Designers from around the world. While the SCAD Red Gallery on Broughton Street will host illustrations for Children’s Books that is also international in nature as an offshoot of a competition in Venice, Italy. Read both interviews in their entirety that starts below:

The Savannah College of Art and Design is welcoming two traveling exhibits this month that feature the winners of two international art competitions - one in children's book illustration and the other in type and typography. Mohamed Dawani, a professor of illustration at SCAD, is a judge and local liaison for the Teatrio International Illustration Competition based in Venice, Italy. Panelists culled through 500 entries from 500 artists last year to pick 30 who represented the best of children's book illustration. The show is at Red Gallery on Broughton Street.

So plan a low season art gallery hop getaway to the historic district in the next few weeks to take in some world class artistry in their respective fields of endeavor.

The greening of Savannah’s Historic District

A recent green philosophical commitment by our Savannah Historic District strategic partner Lori Judge (Savannah Real Estate Principal extraordinaire) and her husband Lou Thomann, proprietor of The Suites on Lafayette coupled with an article by Savannah Morning News columnist Bill Dawers in his City Talk column speaks of the hard choices and necessary commitments being made to environmentally friendly practices. Thanks to these three referenced individuals and a handful of other high profile real estate players in Savannah proper implementing what Dawers’ terms as “high-density, mixed-income, mixed-use, and mixed-race” areas of successful green development practices both inside of and outside of the “district” within reason, weighed against necessary constraints as laid out the Historic Preservation Board of Review, Savannah could be moving in a hopeful direction. These practices will take on even greater importance in the future with an eye to cause and effect in light of the challenges facing us all as a result of the dual threats of global warming and population explosion issues in our historic resort communities where many choose to live and work.

Judge Realty Company has implemented many green corporate practices such as recycling efforts, decreasing all energy consumption, and making a conscious effort to purchase energy that is consumed from a green energy source. They have additionally souught to take this concept to the next level by adopting a philosophy of “ongoing commitment to educate ourselves and our clients to sustainable practices and to share what we have learned with our community. If relocating to Savannah or just planning a long weekend getaway to Savannah's historic district as a tourist, here’s an idea that we feel is hugely important. Support those businesses that support that grand matron, Mother Earth.

Savannah Visitor’s Guide to enhance vidcast capability online

Savannah Getaways will be rolling out phase two of their enhanced vidcast capability in the coming weeks and months by providing an upgraded platform on our Visitor’s Guide to Savannah and the Lowcounty for vidcast capability via streaming video presentations, virtual tours of historic district points of interest, and videos of local area hospitality industry businesses. At the same time, plans are being made to increase our historic district presence through a collaborative marketing effort to provide more value added tourist information. Marketing techniques are being implemented with strategic partners within the historic district both online and from brick and mortar storefronts that will heighten your Savannah experience be it a weekend getaway vacation package, relocation needs in Savannah proper, or extended stay needs within the historic district while working along coastal Georgia. This synergistic marriage between tourism professionals serving the hospitality industry within the district, a green themed real estate company that serves investors, SCAD students, and/or relocation services alike, a multitude of technically savvy vidcast components PLUS an additional dedicated travel directory working in conjunction with our already heavily indexed Visitor’s Guide promises to be a true one stop multi-faceted resource for all Savannah happenings. Stay tuned as these plans come to fruition in the weeks and months ahead and are reported on here in our Savannah Buzz.